We are God's Beloved. 1st Sunday after the Epiphany Jan 13, 2013

There are a lot of controversial issues in the church these days; hymnal and prayer book revisions, the election of a new Presiding Bishop, too many aging church structures, same gender marriage. And baptism. Ok so maybe baptism isn’t what first popped into your head as a hot button issue of the church, but it really is. This summer I got into a somewhat heated debate on Facebook about the role of baptism and communion—basically whether it is ever ok to give someone communion who is not baptized. I bowed out of the debate fairly quickly when I realized that the people with whom I was debating were never going to see that I was right. ;-)
So you see, Baptism is a hot button issue.
Actually canon law—the law that govern the church—is pretty straightforward: Communion is open to all baptized Christians. Now if one were to follow the letter of the law one would say this law is clear: no baptism, no communion. But it doesn’t say that, precisely. And therein lies the crux of the debate. Are we following the letter of the law or the spirit? And if the spirit, just what IS the spirit of the law? And who is the arbiter of that spirit? As you can tell, it gets murky and messy really fast.
So for me, while it may not be clear, it’s pretty easy, because I just proceed by doing what feels faithful and welcoming and by avoiding what doesn’t. And what doesn’t feel right, under any circumstance, is a litmus test for receiving the Eucharist. I mean it when I say that all who feel drawn to the altar are encouraged to come forward and be fed. That said, I am also a huge fan of baptism and feel that anyone who is drawn to the table of the Lord on a regular basis would benefit greatly from being baptized. So I am VERY COMFORTABLE inviting all to the altar but am also hopeful that those of you who are not baptized would feel compelled to pursue this fundamental sacrament of our faith.
 But baptism is a whole lot more than some type of admission rite to communion. Baptism is a naming rite,  a welcoming rite, a symbolic rite. Baptism is a cornerstone of our Christian faith….not for what it allows the recipient to do as much as for what it gives to the recipient and to the community of faith surrounding and supporting that person.
On this first Sunday after the Epiphany, on this first Sunday of the rest of Christ’s life, of the manifestation of Christ in our world, of Jesus’ baptism, of Jesus’ naming as God’s beloved, of Jesus’ reception of the Holy Spirit—on this First Sunday after the Epiphany-- a LOT HAPPENS.
Just like at every baptism. Which is why baptism, in and of itself, is such a big deal.
At the beginning of the Rite of Baptism we proclaim, in no uncertain terms, that there is One Body and One Spirit. One Hope in God’s Call to Us. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. People often misread this as exclusionary language. “There is one Faith. Ours. We’re in, the rest of the world, OUT.” But that’s not what it says. With these words God is telling us, and we are reminding ourselves,  that there is one Faith with lots of different versions therein. We are all members of this One Faith if we do one very simple thing: love our God with all our heart and with all our mind and with all our soul. We are to love our Creator, the one who is Divine Parent and Creator of ALL. Everyone. No exceptions.
That’s why I say, all who feel drawn to the altar---all who feel drawn to God---are welcome here. Not because I get to decide if they meet an admission standard but because the only requirement for admission into the Kingdom of God is a willingness to accept the Love God continually and forever pours out for God’s Beloved---all of us. Everyone.
God gives, it’s up to us if we receive. And this receiving, this reception? Well it’s a big part of baptism.
In our tradition, most baptisms are of children.  A child is the most pure and present manifestation of God’s love in our world. The gift of a child is miraculous, precious and incomprehensible. It is, each and every time, a miracle. After being blessed with such an incredible indescribable gift, it’s natural for those who love the child to want to present him or her back to the God who formed them, who created them, who loved them before everyone else. So, we present the child to God, to thank God for the gift and to remind ourselves, and the community of faith of which we are a part, of our responsibility in raising this child. That it is our responsibility to help the newly baptized receive all the gifts of the spirit available. It is our responsibility, as a community of faith, to build them up, to raise them if they fall, to cheer them when they succeed, to weep with them when they don’t. You see that’s why baptisms should never ever be private. Because raising a child takes a whole community. So we, in the baptismal liturgy, promise to care for this child of God, be they an infant, a young child, a teenager or an adult, as long as they live. It is a huge responsibility, it is a solemn vow and it is what being part of a church community is all about.
So as we commemorate the baptism of the adult Jesus by John in the Jordan River, let us put aside the arguments about who is in and who is out and simply remember that in baptism we don’t say welcome to the club, in baptism we say, thank you to God. Because baptism is how we, as a people of faith, as a family of faith, as a church, say to one another: we are God’s beloved children and in us, God is well pleased.   Amen.