Mark 1: 4-11 Marianne Niesen January 8, 2012
Can you believe it! Just two weeks ago, we celebrated Christmas and heard the scripture account from the beginning of Luke’s gospel about how Jesus was born in Bethlehem and shepherds visited him and angels sang in the night sky. And we heard about how there was no room at the inn and that the child was laid in a manger. We also heard a little bit from the beginning of Matthew’s gospel about how there was a star that led magi ‘from the east’ to the birthplace of the child. And, in fact, millions of Christians around the world have just finished their Christmas celebration which they observe not on December 25th (as do we) but on January 6th or 7th which is called the Epiphany – the feast that honors the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child.
So, in the last two weeks, we have heard the stories from the beginning of both Luke’s and Matthew’s gospels – and those are relatively familiar to most of us. Today our text is from the beginning of Mark’s gospel. Mark was the first one to write a gospel – scholars believe his words were written some 15 or more years before either Matthew or Luke. It is interesting, then, that Mark seems to know nothing about shepherds or angels or magi. For him, the beginning of the story of Jesus was not at a stable but at a river in Judea. For Mark, you might say that the ‘birth’ of Jesus – of who he would be and become – happened at his baptism. Listen, to the birth of the Messiah according to Mark . . . Mark 1: 4-11.
For Luke it all began with Joseph and Mary cradling a child as shepherds knelt and angels sang. For Matthew it all began with a focus on Joseph and the child and visitors from the east who presented gifts. And, for Mark it all began in the river Jordan where Jesus submitted to a ‘baptism of repentance’ and then heard the voice of God echoing from the heavens: You are my Son, my Beloved, with you I am well pleased.
In many ways those beginnings are quite different from one another. And yet, in one most important way, I suggest that they are very similar. Fundamentally, they all begin with appreciation. From the love of parents for a newborn, to the awe of the shepherds, to the faith of the magi to the voice of God heard by the adult Jesus at the river, the message was the same. You are loved. You are chosen. You are destined for great things. Of course, as life unfolds, there are moments in life when we must prove ourselves, live up to something, earn our way. We all must learn responsibility and accountability. But first – first – all of us, even Jesus, need to know we are loved. It all begins with appreciation.
As Jesus emerged from the Jordan River, he heard deep within words that shaped him and grounded him and empowered him for what would come later. You, said the voice, you are my Son, my Child, Beloved, with you, I am well pleased. It is up-close-and-personal. And notice, that Jesus hadn’t done anything yet. He just went ‘down to the River to pray.’ He just ‘gathered with the others at the River.’ It is so tempting to us, as we read this account, to read it with an awareness of what we know comes later – the healing, the teaching, the suffering, the death, the Resurrection. Resist. Resist that temptation. Notice instead that Jesus began his life hearing the Divine voice tell him that he was loved. Period. That’s grace. Grace is the word we use to describe the eternal and fundamental appreciation of God. Remember the Christmas message? God in Jesus is Emmanuel. God-with-us – from the beginning, for the duration.
That means even we begin life held in Divine appreciation. Beloved. We may not hear a voice from heaven but we need to know it here, inside. And I believe the job of the church and of church people is to proclaim it. God is with us. God is for us. Grace is real. We do not earn it or deserve it. Grace abounds. Those words spoken to Jesus are spoken to us as well. Of course, any awareness of this divine undeserved appreciation carries with it the necessity of an eternal humility. Other people are chosen too. Others – even those we don’t like or don’t understand or judge undeserving – are beloved too. How might our lives be different if we trusted God on this one? If we saw ourselves both as recipients and as instruments of divine appreciation. We’ve been loved and accepted, called and claimed – and our mission is to share that good news with others. That’s what Jesus did. His divine acceptance allowed him to live with an openness and appreciation for all God’s people, indeed for all God’s creation. When he was baptized, that’s the mission he assumed. From then on his life was never the same. And it all began with appreciation.
Several years ago – 16 to be exact – I told a story about my then 16-month old nephew, Jared. He and his mom, my sister, Laura, were visiting us. My parents were here as well and we all enjoyed some wonderful time together. But, as I recall, what we enjoyed most was spending time with little Jared. He was just at that age where everything was new and exciting. His favorite toy - and the only word he could say at the time besides Mama - was ball. I remember that he had us chasing balls all over the yard and noticing balls in every round object in sight. The rounded top of a garbage can was a ball. Tomatoes were balls. Grapes were balls. So were light bulbs and daisies. I never knew how many round things existed in the world until I spent time that summer with Jared. It gave us all a whole new perspective on the world!
Jared was also learning about some of the finer points of life - like how to give a hug, how to wave goodbye. And how to give a kiss. Now, he, like most 16 month olds, hadn't quite got the pucker right. But he had the idea. He’d approach, led by his lips, made contact, and waited, figuring we’d know what to do from there. Jared was very generous with his kisses and was quite willing to share with anyone who seemed to want one. But while he was with us, his favorite person to kiss was Pop. Pop is the grandchildren's name for my Dad. Jared liked to kiss Pop because every time he did, Pop would throw his arms up in the air and give out a loud sigh, as if that kiss was the most wonderful thing that had ever happened to him. Time and again, Jared would go back to Pop, give a kiss and then throw his own arms up in delight as he watched Pop's reaction to the newly delivered kiss. Eventually, we all realized that we had to get a little better at showing a more appreciative response to Jared's kisses. We worked at it – we really did – but none of us quite reached Pop’s perfection. I remember talking to Laura after she got home and her telling me Jared was doing fine, except that he was a bit puzzled that no one seemed to respond at home with as much enthusiasm to his kisses as we did. She said that in the first couple days, he would go to his Dad and his Grandparents and give them a kiss and then throw his arms up in the air, wave them around and sigh, looking expectantly at the kissee. But nothing happened. And, of course, none of them could figure out what he was waiting for. Finally, Laura explained Pop's responses and how the rest of us joined in and I guess others tried their best to be better at appreciating Jared's kisses. Meanwhile Jared, I'm sure, at some level in his childhood psyche, was convinced that his kisses were exceptional.
Well, I think there is a little of Jared in each of us. Who of us does not want to be appreciated? Who of us has not warmed to an enthusiastic response of a teacher or a friend - a response that says we're more-than-okay? That our efforts are valued. Who of us does not want to be noticed as having made our best effort? And appreciated even when we don't? And who among us would not say that some of the deepest hurts in our lives have happened when our best efforts have been disregarded, when our outreached arms have been ignored? There are some of us right here, right now, who struggle with wondering if anyone cares. There are some of us who wonder if we should even try any more. There are some of us who have given life, friends, family our best kiss and we wonder why there is no response. Or what we did wrong. There are some of us who may feel that even God is not as appreciative as the Bible has promised. What did I do to deserve this - or that - we wonder? Even those of us here who feel very appreciated, very loved, have probably known a time when that wasn't the case. The point is, within us all is that child who wants to know that we count. Within us all is a child who will only learn how to kiss better if our best 16-month-old attempts are appreciated. Within us all is also the ability to change someone else's life by the simple act of appreciation.
It was Mark Twain who once said “I can live for two months on a good compliment!” Or – remember the classic Broadway musical Man of La Mancha? It’s Cervantes’s story of an old farmer Alonso Quijana, who, enchanted with books he’d read about chivalric knights of old, gave himself the new name of Quixote then ventured forth “to dream the impossible dream, to fight the unbeatable foe.” During his adventures, he met a lowly prostitute, Aldonza and gave her a new name too. Dulcinea, - which means “sweetness.” He sang to her. “Thy name is like a prayer an angel whispers: Dulcinea, Dulcinea!” For a long time, Aldonza resisted – even scoffed at the whole thing - but as Quixote was dying, she embraced her new name and her new identity: “Dulcinea, Dulcinea: won’t you please bring back the dream of Dulcinea?” And, in the end, she became the sweetness, the light, Quixote saw in her. Amazing things happen with a little appreciation!
When something or someone is appreciated, value is added to it. The more we appreciate something or someone, the more valuable they become. And, conversely, withholding that kind word or appreciative nod has consequences as well. I remember talking to my sister after her visit here. She told me that “Jared is still kissing people and expecting a big to-do afterwards." We're not so different, are we? We run around giving life the best kiss we can and sometimes we do a good job and sometimes not. Sometimes we're appreciated and sometimes we're not noticed. Sometimes we just know God is pleased with us and sometimes we're absolutely sure God has it in for us. And though none of us can force someone else to appreciate us, each of us does have the ability to appreciate the kiss of another person's life. It does not require ordination or a college degree or that we have all of our stuff together. It can be done by any of us at any time. It can even be done when we're not feeling too good about life in general or in particular. It just requires a willingness to look for and appreciate something about someone or about the world in general. It requires a willingness to look at our lives at any given time and find something to notice and appreciate.
And, our ability to do that begins with our willingness to hear – and believe – that God’s voice echoes just as certainly for each of us as it did for Jesus. It is a voice of affirmation and love. . . a voice that says you are my beloved daughter, my beloved son – and in you I am well pleased. Today, we baptize two children and as we do that, may it remind us that those words still resound for them and for us all. There is nothing we can do to make God love us more and there is nothing we can do to make God love us less. God loves us because we are God’s. That’s good news. That’s the gospel we are challenged to proclaim – a gospel rooted in something as simple and as profound as learning to appreciate a kiss. To claim the name by which God calls us - Beloved. God’s kiss of love is imprinted on us all. Knowing that is our assurance. Claiming that is our life’s spiritual task. Sharing that news is our mission just as surely as it was the mission of Jesus.
