Matthew 3:13-17 Tell
Them This… Grace 1/9/2011
Today we observe and celebrate the feast of the
Baptism of our Lord. But rather than
looking at baptism or specifically Jesus’ baptism, today I want to do something
else. Today, instead of looking at my usual
challenge of how we should be doing something more, something better, something
to improve or change or transform ourselves…
Today I want to focus on something else.
Yesterday, Madell and I went to Richmond for a
pre-council hearing in preparation for Diocesan Council in two weeks. The meeting started at 10:00 so we left at
8:00. Of course it snowed at 6:30 and
the roads were very slick until we got past Goldvein on Route 17 but it took us
an hour to get to I-95. We went to the
meeting, had lunch, took a quick look at a friend’s church building, got back
to Casanova around 4 p.m. and we were both tired. I had a few things to do when I got back, which included writing
a sermon. Did I mention that I was
tired? Oh yeah, I did. OK, so I am tired and not very motivated to
sit down and write but I sit down at the computer and I am just spinning my
wheels. After a while I stop and ask,
“God, just what do You want me to tell Your people tomorrow?” And this is what He said, not audibly, but
in that inner voice that speaks:
“Tell them this. You are my child whom I love.
I am pleased with you.”
Remember how as a little child you loved to get
the approval of your Mom and Dad? Piano
recitals, school plays, science projects, Christmas pageants — all were at the
same time fearful and fun. But for you
to feel like you’d really accomplished something, it took a parent or
grandparent or that “special someone,” watching, cheering, applauding, effusing
“great job,” “well done,” “bravo,” “I’m so proud of you.”
If the praise of our imperfect human parents
could bring such a sense of satisfaction to our childish hearts, think how much
more the affirmation of our perfect, all powerful, heavenly parent would mean in
our life.
“You are my child whom I love. I am pleased with you.” That’s what He said.
Does it mean that He is pleased with how we are
doing in everything? No. It doesn’t.
Does this mean we are done with living toward improvement and growth in
our spiritual lives as we walk with Him?
No. Not that either. He didn’t say, I am pleased with how you are
doing or what you are doing. He didn’t
say, “Wow! You are perfect now.”
He said, “Tell them this. You are my child whom I love. I am pleased with you.” With you. Not performance based approval and
praise. Unconditional love based
acceptance and pleasure simply because you are His child. Just because He loves you. Are you hearing this word? “I am pleased with you.” Pleased!
This is not a word that gets used in our society very often and when it
does it is virtually always oriented toward performance or accomplishment.
Today, I am not offering any deep, or for that
matter even shallow, scholarship on the text.
No challenge on personal or corporate improvement. Today, I have a simple and I hope comforting
word from God which I would like for us to take a moment in quiet to just let
sink in. Don’t be concerned about how
long the quiet will last. We are mostly
nervous with such quiet in a gathering as this anyway so let’s just acknowledge
it and relax. Open yourself up to God
in the quiet and allow Him to speak to you deeply. He said,
“Tell them this. You are my child whom I love.
I am pleased with you.”