This past week significant donations of clothing arrived from our sibling churches. We are grateful for these gifts and for the other ways in which Christians support one another in living out our faith. These acts are important reminders that who we are and what we do is not meant to be based in isolation or competition.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’
Today we remember that Jesus was baptised within a community – a group of people who were ready and willing to make a commitment of faith symbolised through this act of witness with John in the Jordan. This was not a private moment between John and Jesus or Jesus and God. This was a collective experience where people had gone out into the wilderness, intentionally to hear what John the Baptist had to say.
We know that John challenged them. He even called them a ‘brood of vipers’. When they asked how to do better, John responded by pointing to acts of care towards one another – if you have two coats, give one to someone who has none. Don’t cheat people. Don’t extort. Care for those around you. Live in community. By saying ‘yes’ to the act of baptism in the Jordan, the members of the community accepted their mutual responsibility to care for others.
The baptisms we celebrate today are not significantly different from this story. Kiera and Oliver will also be welcomed into this community – this group of people, this family of faith, who share a commitment to care for each other and the world around us. For those of us who are already baptised, that commitment will be renewed through the words and petitions of the Baptismal Covenant which invite us to:
- Continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers;
- Proclaim by word and example the good news of God in Christ;
- Seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbour as ourselves; and
- Strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being;
These are intentional statements about how we live our faith that are rooted in our sense of community and supported through the ways we nurture, challenge, and care for one another. Every one of these actions can benefit from the participation and support of a family of faith.
Breaking bread is a shared activity. We call it Communion because it is best experienced in community, among siblings of faith in and through whom we can see God working. The witness and care of our family of faith further connects us to our communion with the One is the Bread of Life.
We know from experience how much richer it can be to seek and serve together. The clothing cupboard exists thanks to the hard work and commitment of volunteers and the generosity of donors. It is a community effort that makes a difference in the lives of so many.
In this context, our work for justice and peace is deeply rooted in the dignity we find in all human beings. Having come face to face with the incredible gifts of diverse people – those who are neurodivergent, those who have different abilities, those who come from diverse backgrounds, those who are gender diverse and more, is to recognise how God works in and through God’s beloved children in ways that are more than we can ask or imagine. Our family benefits from opening our hearts to embrace whatever gifts individuals choose to share with us!
And this only scratches the surface. God made us to live in community. We are blessed when we embrace that community. Baptism is an outward and visible sign through which we embody our sense of a family of faith. May we, through our baptismal celebrations and renewal of our baptismal covenants create spaces through which our lights can shine so all may know God’s voice proclaiming to each and every one: You are my child, my beloved, with you I am well pleased. This we pray as we sing: This Little Light of Mine.