"Beloved"

A sermon preached by the Rev. Deana Frances Dudley, at

Christos MCC, Toronto, ON, and Holy Fellowship MCC, London, ON

January 11, 2004

Scriptures:  Isaiah 43:1-7, Luke 3:15-22

So.... What’s in a name? Is your name important to you? When I married Nancee and Christine (at Holy Fellowship MCC0, I asked them how they wanted to be called in the ceremony. And Christine, who usually goes by Christine, but sometimes by Chris, said "Christine." That’s her name. That’s what she wants to be called. That’s how she is known, by us, and by herself.

I’m a big fan of calling people what they want to be called. When the Rev. Justin Tanis, who is our denomination’s Director of Leadership Development, first came into MCC, he came as Maggie. But as Maggie came to terms with what she knew from her innermost being to be her true gender, Maggie needed to get in touch with her real name, and so began to live as Justin. So now I call him Justin. Because that’s who he is. Now, I have to admit, that required a little adjusting on my part. A little transforming of myself. But not only would it have been incredibly disrespectful, not to mention downright rude, for me to do otherwise, it would have been just dumb, to boot. Because Justin went through a long process of transformation, in every sense of the word, and Justin is truly who he is.

The Rev. Dr. Justin Tanis

What we’re called, affects how we think about ourselves. That’s fairly self-evident, right? Well, in case it’s not, let me tell you a little story. Do y’all know who George Washington Carver was? Well, he was an agricultural scientist in the early part of the 20^th century, and he developed the nutrient-conserving crop-rotation methods that are still in use today, and he developed literally thousands of uses for many crops, especially peanuts, which created new markets for farm products. He pioneered the use of soybeans – how important is that to agriculture today, eh? – and he found, for instance, that you could use peanuts for everything from cooking oil to cosmetics to cheese to printer’s ink. Basically, he revolutionized agriculture in the early 20^th century.

Well, in January of 1921, George Washington Carver was brought to Washington, D.C. to the United States Congress to explain his work on the peanut, and its benefits for farmers. Now, as you might have noticed from this picture, Dr. Carver was an African American. And as a black man, he was last on the list to testify, and waited for three days before he was invited up the aisle to speak. On the way up he heard on of the committee members say quite loudly, "Waaal, Ah s’pose you got plenty of peanuts and watermelon to keep you happy!"

Inventor, Scientist, Child of God

Now, I have to imagine that that stung a bit, but Dr. Carver ignored that remark. You’d think that in the United States Congress – or as we Americans like to refer to it – the World’s greatest deliberative body (hey!  I said I just want to call people what they like to be called!) – you could expect to find respect and dignified behaviour, but apparently not. And when that same Congress-critter was censured by the committee chair for talking during Dr. Carver’s testimony, he basically said "bite me" and called Dr. Carver a name. I think you know the name, and I don’t need to say it. At this point George Washington Carver was ready to turn around and go back home, but years later, he wrote about this experience in his autobiography, "Whatever they said of me, I knew that I was a child of God, and so I said to myself inwardly, ‘Almighty God, let me carry out your will.’" So he got up to speak and they told him he had 15 minutes, and he opened up his display case and began to explain his projects. His discussion was so fascinating that the 15 minutes went by quickly. So the chairman rose and asked for an extension to complete the presentation, which he did for an hour and three-quarters. They voted him four more extensions, and he spoke for several hours. And at the end of his talk, all those congresscritters, all of them, gave him a standing ovation. And Dr. Carver wrote later, "Whatever they said of me, I knew I was a child of God."

What we’re called affects how we think of ourselves. And that’s what baptism’s all about, both Jesus' baptism and each of our own baptisms. It’s being acknowledged for who we are, being called by name.

In the first lesson that was read, Isaiah reports a message from God: "I have called you by your name, you are mine." In the Bible, calling something by name is important. Naming something or someone gives you power over and connection with it. Remember Adam, who got to name all the animals? He had dominion over them, symbolized by his naming them. Remember Moses' encounter with God on Mt. Sinai? God tells Moses that God's name is "I am." "Tell them I-am sent you." Moses has access to God because he knows God’s name. And Isaiah reminds the people, reminds us, that God made us and God named us. God says "I have called you by your name, you are mine."

Now, in the account from Luke's gospel, we don’t get many details of the actual baptism of Jesus. No who, what, why, when, or where! It doesn’t even say if he was dunked or sprinkled. It just appears that Jesus was simply baptized along with the all the others who came at the same time. With one significant difference. As Jesus prayed after his baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him in the form of a dove. And suddenly, Jesus’ purpose came into focus. All the internal questions, all the confusing self- searching. All of it came to a head, as he fervently prayed after his baptism. At that moment, God gave Jesus a name, a new name, "You are my Beloved Child; with you I am well pleased." And then, Luke goes on to report, Jesus began his ministry among the people of Israel. He began to fulfill his calling.

Now, the word "call" has a number of meanings. It can mean to shout, to summon, to name, and the power to attract or allure. When we talk about "call" in church, we usually mean the sense of being summoned or urged by God in a particular direction, being inspired or led by the Divine. But we also mean, "to name." Remember back to Genesis? The very first chapter describes God creating and calling each element of creation by name. In the same way, our calling, the calling we receive in baptism, like the calling Jesus received in baptism, is BOTH a call to mission and a naming. Our calling encompasses both our names, our identity, AND our ongoing creation, from the moment of our birth through the unfolding of our lives, until our death and beyond.

And in the unfolding of his life and public ministry, Jesus needed to get in touch with his real name. He needed to embrace his true identity, from which his mission would arise. That’s what calling means. And as for Jesus, so for us. Our first calling, the baptismal call, is the one that simply loves and names: You are my child; my beloved. And these words, as the words of Isaiah, are the words that embrace us and promise to hold us. This is where it begins, and this is also, we dare claim, the last word, the one that holds our future. Why is it, that we so quickly lose that sense of being a beloved child of God?
The calling of Jesus isn’t about a job or a career. It’s not a word of mission, sending him into the future. Not at the outset. The word of baptism is first of all about the delight of God in this beloved, this chosen, this child called by name. It is not a call to do, but a calling that names.
And, as for Jesus, so for us. What matters most for us in baptism is the identity we receive: child of God. Now, if you were baptized as a baby, you might have also been named at that time. But the important thing is that in your baptism, GOD named you and claimed you. God says, "I have called you by your name, you are mine." And no one can take that away from you. Not flood or fire says Isaiah. Not discrimination or layoff or cancer or bankruptcy. There is nothing that can remove the name that God has already given to you: child of God. What better words with which to begin a whole new year? What better words with which to face each and every new day? God says, "I have called you by your name, you are mine." Child of God.

Now, during our next hymn, those of you who wish to do, or who feel called to do so, may come forward to reaffirm your baptismal faith. I’ll use the words 'remember your baptism and be thankful' as a part of the service. Many of you here cannot actually remember your baptism, because you were too young. Nevertheless, we can bring it to our minds in such a way that we can "re-member" it; we can bring ourselves to that place, long ago, and perhaps even far away, where we, or our parents on our behalf, took a hold of the Christian story and vowed to proclaim it as our own. Now, we do NOT practice re-baptism. If you were baptized once, whether you were a baby or an adult, you are baptized for good. It "took." But.... there is something to be said for re-affirming those vows from time to time.

Resources gratefully acknowledged: Rev. Dr. Justin Tanis, "Trans-gendered: Theology of Ministry and Communities of Faith," Cleveland, Ohio: The Pilgrim Press, 2003; Rev. Carla Thompson Powell, Timothy ELCA.