The skies dawn bright and clear over the desert – not a hint of cloudy white stains the horizon. It’s another blue and sunny day, no chance of rain.
The day wears on; the sun grows higher, brighter, hotter; the heat pounds down to scorch the earth, seeming to suck the very life out of the land. The barren landscape continues for miles, stretching beyond what the eye can see, seemingly endless – desolate…lonely…and dry. On the edge of this desert a man appears – John the Baptizer he is called. A man hardened by years of desert-living, who has survived its perils to bring news to the people of the dawning of a new age. Crowds gather to hear his message in the heat of the day, people from miles around - people whose spirits have been wandering the desert for years, a people: - dried up from unfulfilled promises, - scorched by Roman rule, - parched from faded dreams and empty passions. - thirsting for a word from the God they feel has abandoned them. A people ready to hear anything that would give them hope - a lifeline, a future, a glimpse that life could be different. Here and there a head turns, looking up towards the sky, sensing something on the horizon just beyond perception, praying for the relief to come. Have you ever been in this place? Have you felt like you were in the desert? Dried out by life? Stuck wandering in a dreary landscape? Thirsty for something deeper, truer, more real? {Rain Down begins playing very lightly in the background} The sun continues to beat down as people stream forward, one after another, diving into the Jordan river, coming forward to quench their thirst, drinking in the message of hope John offers – the kingdom of God at hand, God-made-flesh drawing near. Immersed, refreshed, filled, and made new. Water splashes and drops filling the air, falling at the feet of the few who haven’t yet made up their minds, giving a taste of the promises that still hold true, that are about to be made real once again. {Sing Rain Down as solo here - Ben?} And then Jesus appears. Jesus, as yet unknown to the people, just another face among the many gathered on the bank of the river. Jesus, with no disciples, no fame, no glory. But John sees – and John knows – and John understands that the water he is using to wash these people is nothing compared to what this man Jesus standing before him brings – the living water from the well that will never ever run dry – even in the most barren of deserts. Jesus – here to bring the reign of God in hearts and in lives; Jesus, here to be washed in the waters that will sustain him through his ministry. {sing Rain Down again here} In that moment, as Jesus emerges from the waters, time stands still. The world holds its breath as the heavens open, the light of the sun washed out by the brilliance of the skies, the radiance of all the stars in all the universe descending from above to rest, like a dove, on Jesus. And a voice, soft and commanding, like distant thunder, saying "This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my life." And the world knows him for who he is: Jesus, savior of the world, redeemer and reconciler, God’s love incarnate poured out for all. {Third time through Rain Down - invite people to sing} People begin to ask, “who is this man? Who is he to receive such favor with God? Is this the one John was speaking of? The one to light the fire of God’s spirit within us?” Some turn away, too blinded by the light surrounding Jesus, too frightened by what such tidings may mean. Others turn to bask in the spirit of God, opening hearts and lives to receive the love of God that seems to flow outward from Jesus. This was not a baptism of repentance, of the heart’s transformation, such as John preached. This was not a baptism from human hands, from human making. This baptism did not come from a human choice to turn towards God’s kingdom or to prepare the way. Jesus’s baptism comes from the skies, directly from the God who sent Jesus into the world to be the living water to refresh our souls. {fourth time to Rain Down} Living water, raining down – the water of baptism that rained down on the Israelites two thousand years ago, continues to rain down on us today. Raining down to quench our thirsts, our yearning for God; to fill up the empty wells in our lives, to turn the dry and barren places into gardens full of new life. But for so many of us, these baptismal waters seem distant – far away. We can no longer feel the waters that surround us, or the gentle shower of drops on our heads. We live dried out lives, forgetting that we are a baptized people, that the living water runs through deep within us, deep enough to give us strength and courage to face uncertain times if only we will tap that well within us. We forget that God’s living water can sustain, refresh, and renew us. We yearn for God’s love to rain down upon us again, to pour over us, and to fill us. We look to so many things to fill us – our jobs, success, our friends, what people think of us, money, addictions – and all these things leave us empty and dry, yet we continue searching and searching for the one thing to satisfy our souls. We yearn for God to rain upon us when we read the headlines about war and injustice in the newspaper and know that this is not the world as it should be. We yearn for God to rain upon us when we pass a homeless person on the street and have compassion. We yearn for God to rain upon us when we know that there is something more to life than what we have seen and experienced. And so today we have an opportunity to remind ourselves that we have been blessed with the gift of living water, water that flows freely for all who will receive it, water from the streams of God's saving power and justice, water that brings hope to all who thirst for righteousness, water that refreshes life, nurtures growth, and offers new birth. Water that rains down God’s love on a thirsty world. {5th time through Rain Down?} When we gather around the table for communion later this morning, we will have the opportunity to remember that these waters are available to us, that they run within and through us, as we reaffirm and remember our baptismal vows. Some of us may not remember our baptism...but at some point we made the decision to live fully into those promises that were made on our behalf when we were infants. Some of us may not yet be baptized….and if passing through the waters is something you are yearning for in your life, come talk to me. Yet all of us are here for a reason - we are all in this place, asking God to rain down love upon us once again. I ask you, then, this morning - where are you thirsty for God’s love in your life? What are the parched and barren places in your soul that need a fresh rain of God’s Holy Spirit? What feels dried out in your life? What pieces of yourself are lost in a desolate wilderness? Where do you need need the cleansing waters or the refining fire of the spirit? Let us take a moment in silence to hold these places before God in prayer. {silence….then last time through Rain Down} God of life, rain down your love upon us yet again. May we step into the healing waters ready for our heart’s transformation….ready for our souls to be quenched by living water….ready to be reminded that we are a people showered by God’s love each and every day. Amen.
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AuthorPastor Melissa Yosua-Davis has been serving the community of Chebeague and its church since July 2015. She currently lives on the island with her husband and five year old son and 2 year old daughter, along with their yellow lab. Read here recent sermon excerpts, thoughts on life and faith, and current announcements for the church community. She also blogs at Going on to Perfection. Archives
December 2022
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