January 10, 2021: God is on the Loose!
Mark 1:1-11
Rev. Rhonda Blevins
The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
As it is written in the prophet Isaiah, “See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way; the voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight,’”
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
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“I’d like to cancel my subscription to 2021.
I’ve experienced the free [10-day] trial and I’m not interested.”
—internet meme
“We spend $750 billion annually on ‘defense’ and the center of American government fell in two hours to the duck dynasty and the guy in the Chewbacca bikini.”
—internet meme
Humor is a needed reprieve from the events that unfolded this week in our nation’s Capitol, which were no laughing matter.
If you were like me, you watched in horror as those who assailed the Capitol apparently attempted to overthrow Congress, the legislative branch of our government, as Congress performed the sacrosanct duty of confirming the results of a democratic election. For 244 years, this task has been perfunctory—an afterthought. Not this year.
This riot was different than other uprisings we’ve seen in recent months. It was different because of where it happened—inside our nation’s Capitol—and it is different because this insurgency sought to overthrow congress, not at the ballot box, not through the power of the pen, not through rhetoric or persuasion, but via a violent attack. It appears that some of the Capitol intruders intended to take hostages or worse. They came dangerously close to those in the line of presidential succession including the vice president (a republican), the speaker of the house (a democrat), and the president pro tempore of the Senate (a republican). I name their parties because, folks, this insurgency was not about conservative versus progressive, left versus right, republican versus democrat. We have both conservatives and progressives in our church family, amazing, beautiful people each one. No, what happened at the Capitol was outside of the norms of a two-party system. This was extremism that left five individuals dead, including a Capitol Hill police officer.
It breaks my heart that symbols of the Christian faith were on full display, co-opted for something un-Christlike. In pictures and in video you can see the Bible, the cross, and homemade signs like one that read “Jesus Saves.” You can even see the Christian flag—the flag that takes its place here on our chancel—being paraded around in an empty congressional chamber after members of Congress had been evacuated. And in the middle of all of these Christian symbols, rioters erected makeshift gallows, complete with a bright orange noose. In this made-for-TV chaos, rioters spoke of “Revolution.” Emboldened by this victory, it is being reported that future attacks on our democracy are already being planned on social media. The tragic events of January 6, 2021 may be just the beginning.
But here’s the deal: any hate-fueled, violent revolution is antithetical to the Jesus I know. To be clear, Jesus launched a revolution, but his revolution was nonviolent, fueled by love. The Jesus revolution didn’t begin with an armed, angry mob storming through the Temple. In fact, the one time we see one of his followers commit an act of violence—when Peter drew his sword and cut off Malchus’ ear at Jesus arrest—Jesus rebuked Peter, and then Jesus healed Malchus.
So the Jesus revolution didn’t begin with some violent scene at the seat of government—it began in the wilderness, in a river, in the cleansing waters of baptism. There were no flags waving, no weapons of war drawn, no violent clashes resulting in death. You know what there was, however? There was a dove. The symbol of peace. John baptized Jesus, and the scriptures tell us that when Jesus “was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit” descending like a dove.”
The heavens torn apart. In other words, God is on the loose! And when God is on the loose it takes the form of a dove, not a noose.
Jesus’ baptism launched a revolution of love. After his baptism, Jesus would spend a lonely forty days in the desert, where he fasted and prayed and faced temptation. After that, Jesus spent the next three years teaching his followers a radical way to live—a rule of life—a countercultural set of values best exemplified in the Sermon on the Mount—we call them the beatitudes:
Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn . . . for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek . . . for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness . . . for they will be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful . . . for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the clean of heart . . . for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers . . . for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness . . . for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
This isn’t exactly what folks mean when they type “#Blessed” in social media feeds, but this is Jesus’ value system. Nobody, to my knowledge, held a sign with the beatitudes on it at the Capitol insurrection on Wednesday. It just wouldn’t look right, say, next to gallows and a noose.
When God is on the loose it takes the form of a dove, not a noose.
Church, we have work to do.
Wednesday, January 6 was Epiphany. Epiphany means “manifestation” or “revelation.” In Christian tradition, it is the day we celebrate the Magi finding the Christ child, guided by a mysterious star that illumined their way.
When the light of Epiphany shines, it can reveal what is hidden in darkness. And on Wednesday, January 6, 2021, a dark side of America was revealed to the world to the shame of our country and to the church in America. Church, we have work to do.
I don’t exactly know the way forward; I can’t see the future and how this dark chapter in our American history resolves. I’m just a local church pastor, and perhaps like you, I’m trying to make sense of it all and my role in the madness. But here’s what I believe each person of genuine faith must do as a starting point:
1. We must commit ourselves to the truth. We must not contribute to the spreading of lies and disinformation. We must not get sucked into conspiracy theories based in suspicion, without facts or empirical evidence. We much check the facts before we send that email or make that social media post. There are no excuses for spreading falsehood—not when it’s so easy to go to Snopes or PolitiFact or other fact-checking sites. “Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight.” Proverbs 12:22
2. We must commit ourselves to humility. Too many of us are walking around with a superiority complex, imagining ourselves better than others who look or think or worship or vote differently. Humility means that we’re willing to reevaluate our own thoughts and ideas, recognizing that no single person has a monopoly on the truth. I once heard Walter Bruggeman, brilliant Old Testament scholar, say, “Dare to think you’re wrong.” That’s humility. I didn’t see a lot of humility on display in videos I watched from the Capitol on Wednesday, even though the Bible teaches that God requires us to “do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8
3. We must commit ourselves to nonviolence. If we are followers of Jesus, we must put away our swords, remembering how Jesus rebuked Peter for his violent resistance to Jesus’ arrest. If someone you listen to on talk radio or follow on social media calls for someone to be executed or hung, know that that individual is not a follower of Jesus. Oh, they may invoke Jesus’ name, but anyone who calls for death or bloodshed is not a genuine follower of Jesus. Unfollow anyone that calls for violence. Stop giving them a platform. Again, from the sermon on the mount: “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.” Matthew 5:38-39
Truth. Humility. Nonviolence. That’s where we start. More will surely be required of us, but that’s where we start. Do not give space in your brain or your heart to those who don’t embrace these three fundamental values of authentic Christian faith.
There’s a lot that’s masquerading as Christianity these days that isn’t very . . . er . . . Christian. A lot of what we saw on Wednesday brings embarrassment to the faith.
Back in college I drove a red 1987 Dodge Daytona. It was a cute little car, and if you held your head just right and stuck your tongue out a little, it could almost look like a sports car. It was college when I started getting excited about my faith and growing quite self-righteous along with my newfound Christian zeal. One day, I went to the Christian bookstore, and I saw a bumper sticker that read, “I [Heart] Jesus!” I thought to myself, “Yes! I love Jesus and I want everyone to know it!” I bought that bumper sticker. When I got back to my apartment, I went to put the bumper sticker on my car. I bent down, peeled the back off of the sticker, and started to place it on the car when the thought hit me, “You know, I’m not the most ‘Christian’ of drivers. If I put this bumper sticker on my car, I’ll have to, like, drive the speed limit or I will bring dishonor to Jesus.” You know what I did? I threw that bumper sticker in the trash and continued making good time in that Dodge Daytona!
As I’ve gotten older, my foot isn’t quite as heavy as it used to be, and I’m not quite as self-righteous (I hope), but I have no interest in having an “I [Heart] Jesus!” bumper sticker on my car. I would rather honor Jesus by how I live instead of with public displays of affectation.
We honor Jesus by being people of truth, humility and nonviolence, not by bumper stickers, signs, Bibles and crosses proudly displayed as pretense, somehow justifying unholy actions as if they’re God breathed.
The thing is, when God is on the loose it takes the form of a dove, not a noose. We please God when we follow suit.
In our scripture lesson today, we find Jesus humbly submitting himself to the waters of baptism. These waters mark the beginning of his ministry. The same is true for us. The waters of our baptism prepare us to face rough waters throughout our lives. One of my favorite verses from scripture is Isaiah 43:2: “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you.”
So my dear friends, do not be overwhelmed by the waters of chaos. You are a child of God, baptized in the water of God’s mercy, grace, and forgiveness. Like Jesus, may we live our lives so that we can see the dove, and hear the voice of the Lord saying, “You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter. With you I am well pleased.