There’s the story told among the German Baptist Brethren, about a man who resisted the call of God for decades before finally giving his life to Christ. As was the custom, he was baptized on Christmas Day. The minister broke the ice on the surface of the pond, then dunked the man in the frigid water three times, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. As he came up spluttering and gasping he shouted in triumph, “At last! It’s over.”

The minister smiled and said, “No, brother. It’s just beginning.”

Whatever else the baptism is, it is not an ending, but a beginning. I’ll never forget when my daughter Marley was baptized as a baby, our pastor said to her, “You have the rest of your life to live out the meaning of this day.

That is true because the life of faith is an on-going journey. For most of the world’s religions – including Christianity – faith is not just about what happens to us when we die. It is all about our life today – right now! How we live.

Today, whatever your faith or background, may you make the most of each and every moment. Infuse this day with the grace that God has given you. Love deeply, give generously and hold on to hope no matter what.

When we put our faith into practice, it adds meaning and depth to our lives.

Let us pray: Loving God, sometimes in life our faith gets pushed to the side. We hold it in reserve until we think we need it. But we know that you want so much more for us.  Help us to live what we believe. In doing so, may we experience the fullness of your joy. Amen.

I was listening to an interview with Augustine Fuentes – who is a biologist and also a cultural anthropologist. Really fascinating. He was talking about how the very functioning of our neurobiological systems, our digestive system, the hormones, and enzymes – circulating throughout our bodies are deeply affected by our social interactions with others.

In other words, we have this built-in biological need to touch and be touched, to talk and debate and laugh together, to smile, and to interact in groups. From a biological standpoint – these things are central to our health.

He claimed that this “…just underscores why this pandemic, is so completely stressful to us on every single level, and at a physiological level, as well…This lack of connections, these distancing’s, even though they’re so important for overall health and for societal and economic health, we need to be aware that we have to find some way to keep social…”

We have to find some way to keep social – and yet still distance.

It’s been a really difficult year.  But there is a light at the end of the tunnel – thanks be to God. This time of physical distancing may go on for a while. But it will end.  There will come a time when we can be reconnected with extended family and friends.  There will come a time when we will reconnect in person with our church families.

In the meantime, there is a deeper tie that binds us together as a church family.

Spiritual giant and pastor Henri Nouwen once wrote: “We have to keep in mind that community, like solitude, is primarily a quality of the heart. While it remains true that we will never know what community is if we never come together in one place, community does not necessarily mean being physically together. We can well live in community while being physically alone…”

When it is the Spirit of God that unites us in community – when we bear another’s burdens, when we share in each other’s joys and sorrows, no distance of time or place can separate us.

Let us pray: Loving God, we pray today especially for those who feel alone.  May they feel our prayers and our love even now. And may they know your deep and abiding presence. We long for an end to this pandemic. And we trust our very lives again to your care. In Christ’s name we pray. Amen.

Today’s message was written by Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

One of my favorite baseball stories is about three umpires who were discussing how they did their jobs, especially when they were working behind the plate, calling balls and strikes. The first umpire said, “Some of ’em are balls; some of ’em are strikes. But I calls ’em as I sees ’em.” The second one said, “Some of ’em are balls; some of ’em are strikes. But I calls ’em as they are.” The third one said, “Some of ’em are balls; some of ’em are strikes. But they ain’t nothin’ until I calls ’em.”

A sermon is in that story because it’s a parable about life. Each of those umpires tells us something about our relationship to the truth. (Read Matthew 16:13-16, 21-25; John 8:32). The third umpire is my favorite. Here is a man who creates truth by his word. When we create truth or meaning or relationships, we are sharing in God’s creative activity. Made in God’s image and likeness, we are all artists and creators. The Bible uses the metaphor or speech to describe God’s creation: “God said, ‘Let there be light;’ and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3) The parable of the umpires teaches us to never be afraid to call life as we see it, to express our love for God and our fellow human beings.

Let us pray: How great thou art, O God, without whose spirit nothing grows, without
whose love, we wither and fall away. We thank you for Jesus of Nazareth who leads us
in this way…

where to be great, one has to be humble,
where to be exalted, one has to serve,
and where to find life, one has to lose it.

Teach us that great truths are great simplicities. Awaken us today that we hear the
singing of trees and watch morning and night changing guard. Through the grace of
Jesus. Amen.

Today’s message was written by my friend, Rev Amy Camp.

At a women’s’ retreat sometime back, a friend described an old army duffle bag that belonged to her father. The bag had been around the world several times, had seen many battles, been in many closets and attics through the years, and thus was well worn…It was stained, patched, and carried the unmistakable smell of mildew.

My friend said that she couldn’t remember when she started carrying this bag around with her; she just knew that she had been carrying it a very long time. Occasionally, she set it down, only to notice that after a while she had picked it up again. Even though it was smelly and gross, it was familiar. She had grown up with it. Some days it was so heavy that she could barely stand up much less move around with it. Other days it felt pretty light, and she only recognized its presence by its smell.

The longer she spoke of the duffle bag, the more I began to see it and smell it too.

Jesus offers us opportunities to give him our smelly duffle bags…“Come to me all who are carrying heavy baggage and I will give you rest.” (Matt 11:28)

Please pray with me: God of New Beginnings, we confess that we don’t know why we keep lugging around our baggage from the past. Perhaps because it’s so familiar, or because it’s too scary to think of life without it or maybe it’s because we need to blame someone or something for the problems we are having today. Help us to be free of everything that weighs us down. Help us to rest and find peace in you. Amen.

Today’s message was written by the late Rev. Dr. Roger Kunkel, founder of Dial Hope.

In the New Testament, Jesus comforts the disturbed but he also disturbs the comfortable. Though he heals broken hearts, he also disturbs complacent minds and exposes narrowness, hypocrisy, prejudice, selfishness, and superficiality. He turns our world upside down. He startles and confounds and shakes us out of our prisons and knocks down the walls to divide us.

It’s surprising that even after 9/11/2001 people are still building walls – walls constructed of fear and pride and anxiety and prejudice – walls that separate people – walls that shut some in and shut others out. But Jesus Christ wants us to tear down our walls: he wants us to be bridge builders! St. Francis of Assisi sums it all up for us in his magnificent prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console; to be understood, as to understand; to be loved, as to love. For it is in giving that we receive. And it is in dying, that we are born to eternal life.

Let us pray, With contagious enthusiasm, we await your surprises of grace. Be Thou our vision as we seek to make this day a masterpiece. Wrap your arms around your world with a mother’s fierce and tender care, and hold us close for a long long time. In Jesus’ name. Amen.