Happy New Year, Happy New Life

January 1, 2023

Mark 1:1-8 1The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, 2as it is written in Isaiah the prophet: "I will send my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way"- 3"a voice of one calling in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way for the LORD, make straight paths for him.'" 4And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7And this was his message: "After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."

I know, you expected to hear scripture about the birth of Jesus, right? But Mark begins instead with a scene where John the Baptist is dressed in camel’s hair and eats locusts and honey, baptizes all of the people from all around in the Jordan River. He tells them that this baptism is preparing them for the coming of Jesus. This is the meaning of Advent, also, to prepare for Christmas, the birth of Jesus.

Do you remember your baptism? I vaguely remember, as I was the oldest of my sisters, when 3 of us were baptized together at once, all dressed in matching dresses that my mom sewed. That’s all I remember. No other feelings or visual memories. But I remember vividly seven and a half years ago, when I was at a spiritual retreat, and we re-enacted Jesus’s baptism. Two people held a large piece of paper, I was Jesus on one side, and a friend was the Holy Spirit on the other. The two tore the paper, which sounded like the heavens tore open, and the Holy Spirit rushed towards me and took me into a huge hug! I was overcome with emotion, and the way I perceived the Holy Spirit was with goosebumps over my entire body. I consider this my most significant baptism, when I felt total unconditional love.

So I suppose baptism can come at any time in your life. Do you remember a time when you were overcome with emotion? A time when there was a before and an after; when you weren’t the same after a particular experience? Perhaps you climbed a mountain, sat with a dying parent, delivered your baby? Take a minute and think of this baptism in your life.

Now that you have thought of when that was, I want you to imagine Jesus with you at that moment, holding your hand, breathing with you, blowing the Holy Spirit into your heart. Yes, the Trinity was there. This was your moment of transformation. You no longer were the same person that you were before. You had turned toward God. This was preparation, preparing the way for whatever your new role was.

John baptized all of Jerusalem and the Judean countryside. He said he was asking the people to repent and ask for forgiveness of their sins. To repent for forgiveness of their sins more literally means to turn away from (repent) forgetting about God (sin); to turn toward God. We all lead normal everyday lives and forget about God when we do the dishes, watch TV, pick up the kids from school. We find that we need reminders, like going to church and listening to sermons that remind us that we are children of God. When we hear the word of God, we recognize the language, as if it was buried deep in our soul, asking to be released and heard. Could each time we do this be considered a baptism of sorts? A preparation of sorts? A reminder? Sure, a reminder that Jesus is here, he has never left us. God is here, has never left us. The Holy Spirit is here and never left us. Let us close our eyes and listen to them, feel them in various parts of our body, let us remember them. Let us prepare the way.

Prepare the way? What does that mean?

In Spanish, The Way is translated as El Camino. There is a pilgrimage of 500 miles in Spain that hundreds of thousands walk each year. It begins in the Alps in France and ends in Santiago del Compostela in Spain, where St. James's body is buried. Although it is a pilgrimage to a destination, along the way, many people find themselves. The way, then, is a spiritual journey to find oneself and God.

That summer that I had my retreat baptism, I was also preparing to walk 225 miles across New York State on the Erie Canal Trail. Why? Well, a friend of mine had told me that after running his first marathon, he felt he could do anything. I wanted to feel that way! I was not a runner, biker or swimmer, but I loved to walk. So I set this goal. I considered the retreat a spiritual preparation, while I continued to take long daily walks as my physical preparation.

I had heard about the retreat from the Associate Pastor of our church, saying that she had gone the year before and it was a game-changer. This spoke to my soul, and I signed up without knowing much more about it. At the time, though I attended church, I considered myself more “Spiritual but not religious”. Jesus was considered a historical figure, perhaps a teacher. Necessary in the church, but not in my life.

So, getting to the retreat and learning it had Biblical texts was a surprise, but not unwelcomed. I wanted a game change, so I was up for anything. The baptism, then, was my game-changer. Life was different after that. My spiritual journey over the last seven and a half years has been more of a sprint than a walk.

You may be wondering if I completed the 225 miles? Yes, and I only got lost once! There is a joke in there somewhere, ha!

These days I walk my dog every morning as a spiritual practice. We go into the woods, look and listen for all signs of God’s creation. By the time I get home, I feel baptized in the Holy Spirit.

Let’s consider how we prepare the way for the coming of the new year, as Jesus has come on Christmas? How might you be baptized each day, to remember that you are on a spiritual journey, that you walk with Christ by your side, that you breathe with the Holy Spirit and that you swim in God’s creation every minute of every day? And how might you feel if you can remember that feeling often? Can you feel that way when you smell the baking cookies, see the sparkling lights you put up, when you drag the tree into the living room, when you take turns hanging your favorite ornaments, when you carefully place the pieces into the creche, when you listen to and sing your favorite hymns?

Our spiritual journey may begin with baptism, a preparation of some kind. Baptism itself might be a frequent event, perhaps continual if we are focused. This week we begin our journey toward 2023, a new year, and the way toward a new life united with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. May it be so.