Partners in God’s Promise
Posted on Jan 04, 2023 by Jon Brudvig
One of my favorite Christian authors, Kathleen Norris, writes that sacrament of holy baptism “occurs once, but its consequences unfold over a lifetime.”
The insight reminds me of a story about a rabbi who asked his disciples, “What is the greatest sin of all?” As you might imagine, the question provoked a heated debate among the rabbi’s disciples. One group was sure the sin was idolatry. Another said violation of the Sabbath, another murder.
The rabbi listened silently as he processed the flurry of responses. When the debate had run its course, the wise teacher informed his disciples that none had answered correctly. “There is no greater sin,” declared the rabbi, “than for you to forget that you are the beloved child of the Lord, your God” (Deut. 14:1). “Forgetting this reality,” continued the rabbi, “is at the root of many sins and all the various wrongdoings that each of you mentioned.”
Of all the promises made to us in holy baptism, the one that we lose sight of the most is the pronouncement, “You are my beloved child.” For one, we are bombarded by worldly messages that repeatedly tell us of the ways we come up short, of the ways we are “less than.” And, if the truth be told, many of us are our harshest critics. So, we forget. We lose sight of the reality that we are God’s beloved child. And we forget that so is everyone else.
As we prepare to celebrate Jesus’ baptism this Sunday, may we also claim our God-given identities as beloved children of God. In a world where we are called by many different names, many of them hurtful and unkind, God comes to us in the waters of baptism and claims us as God’s beloved children.
This does not mean that we will not wander or lose our way, or that life will not throw us curveballs from time to time. Instead, it helps me to understand the baptismal journey as an unfolding process that occurs over the course of a lifetime. Yes, there will be times when I lose my way. There will be episodes of doubt. And I will struggle to see the face of God reflected to me in others. Yet, my shortcomings do not negate God’s promise. For in those moments when we grow weary, when we endure what St. John of the Cross calls “the dark night of the soul,” God IS there. With us. Loving us. Always!
In Christ’s Peace,
Pastor Jon