November 6, 2005
As some of you know, last week I was up in Hockley Valley
for a national church meeting. It's a beautiful area just
north of Orangeville, and at this time of year the colours
are amazing.
As we arrived, our car paused at the top of a HUGE hill
and we had a chance to take in the entire picture. The road
in front of us dropped away, and there ~~ rising up in
front of us (and going for miles and miles ~~ as far as we
could see) were hills, all draped in gold and orange and
brown. It was awesome. And in that moment, I had a sense
of the greatness of God - and the eternity of his creation.
As it turned out - Each member of the committee, had
that same experience as they arrived. And it helped to
create a sense of holiness at the meeting.
On the Sunday, it was my responsibility to preside at the
Eucharist. In the room where we had gathered there was
one wall, made entirely of windows. And (because of the
way we had configured the room) I stood with my back to
the windows and led the service.
Afterwards the other commented not only on the beauty of
the backdrop of colours which were there outside the
window, but on the image of me superimposed against
them. A visual reminder that we gather for worship as the
people of God, in the midst of God's creation (as we
always do). And I was struck with a tremendous sense of
responsibility of being part of that whole experience.
Two days later I was in Toronto (for a second meeting). I
stood on the balcony of my hotel in Toronto (my room
was on the top floor - 27th ) and looked out over the city.
I had a beautiful view of the lights at night, and I could see
some of the lake, and planes coming and going, and the
constant movement of the traffic (and the small dots
moving along the street - which I knew were people).
And there, on that balcony, I had a similar feeling of how
insignificant I was (in the greater scheme of things) ~~~
but I was again reminded that even here (in the vastness of
the city) each of us has a responsibility for using and
appreciating one another and the resources before us.
That feeling (the one I had in both places) is called
Stewardship. And Stewardship is about responsibility.
The Saints and Souls (whose lives we celebrate this day)
embraced that responsibility, and lived their lives as
responsible stewards of ALL the gifts which God had given
them.
I want to talk about another of these responsibility
moments this morning. Because today, at this moment, we
stand on the threshold of another of those GREAT vistas.
Standing before something HUGE ~ something much
bigger than ourselves. ~~ something which (like the hills
and the cities) will last much longer than ourselves.
In fact it will even last longer than THEM !!! And we are
called to be responsible stewards of this experience, and of
the opportunity that is presented to us.
Today ~ we gather for the sacrament of baptism.
Its not a "thing". It's not something we "do" to a baby
simply for the sake of memories or a photo. Its about
Stewardship.
Its about recognizing that this life (the life with which God
has blessed us) belongs to God. Its about taking that life,
and holding it up to God ~~ promising that we will raise
Ryan and Justin to know God, and follow God, all the days
of their life ~~~ and beyond.
It's a big thing. It connects them to everyone in this
church, and to men and women and saints of every age.
And it connects them to Jesus ~~ it not just makes them
part of his family ~~~ it makes them part of his body.
And that's HUGE.
And we (the rest of us) as insignificant as we may think we
are in all of this, stand on the edge of this immense
sacrament and hold in our hands the greatest responsibility
of all:
- As parents and godparents
- As family and friends
- And as members of this parish and witnesses to it all
Because in this service we will be acknowledging the fact
that GOD has entrusted all of us (not just the parents and
godparents - ALL OF US) with the responsibility of
raising Justin & Ryan as part of the Christian community.
That means:
- telling them about our history as the people of God [as it
has been recorded in the scriptures and the teachings of the
church]
- teaching them about our life as the parish of St. Andrew
[where we've been ... how we have experienced God's love
here among us]
- talking to them about the future [as together we discern
where we are being called]
Its not a license to lecture - It's a commission to
SHARE. Because WE can also learn something from
them, and from each other, as we walk through this
together. We are being given the opportunity to re-
examining our own faith as they grow and start asking the
tough questions. And their ideas and insights and
experiences will touch us and shape us, as much as ours
will touch and shape them.
And we PROMISE to support them and uphold them in their faith journey.
AND WE PROMISE TO SUPPORT THEM (and every time we take part in a baptism and say the words of support) -- that is what we agreeing to do ... TO DO OUR PART.
- by teaching // sharing // and encouraging others as they struggle with what it means to believe in God, and to follow Jesus, and to have Faith in today.s world.
- and by being open to their questions and inquiries . even when (especially when) it makes us uncomfortable, by coming at an issue of faith in a different way than we do.
And that's HUGE.
(you know) our lives as individuals are built around the
promises we make, and how true we are to them.
Promises we make in our marriage vows, or to our
employer (which we manage to keep, even in some of the
most trying times).
Some of us have even been called upon to make promises
in court ~~ to tell the truth ~~ and if we break that
promise we are convicted of something called perjury (for
not keeping the promise we made).
The promises you and I make today: to ourselves, and to
each other, but most importantly - to God. These
promises are FAR more important than any other promise
we will ever make in our life. And they ought not to be
taken lightly .
Because THESE promises are about life itself. How we live
it, and where we are taking ourselves and each another,
with how we use it .
