The Meeting Place

Mark 1:4-11

Baptism of the Lord / January 15, 2012

At the turn of the twentieth century physicists thought they had the whole world figured out. They claimed that we live in this three-dimensional universe where all motion can be predicted and explained in terms of north-south, east-west, and up-down. And while we may experience time as non-linear – some hours feel like years and sometimes time flies – we know that time marches forward one predictable second at a time.

Most of us experience the world exactly this way, but in the early 1900’s Einstein began to show that space and time aren’t as predictable as we thought. Through mathematical models and thought experiments, Einstein opened up a disturbing and unpredictable world of probabilities. A world where the shortest distance from “A” to “B” might actually involve warping space-time so that the two points meet.

For the past hundred-plus years, scientists have delved more deeply into Einstein’s troubling findings, only to discover that the world is less predictable and more mysterious than we could have ever imagined. And yet, there is also this order and this beauty that are hard to explain. This element of mystery leaves many scientists concluding that there must be a God somewhere. 

There must be a God who created the heavens and the earth, and set the moon and the stars in motion. There must be a God who occasionally tinkers with the earth the way a clock-maker might, making minor adjustments and keeping us from chaos. There must be a God up there in the heavens somewhere who imagined and created this incredible universe in all its complexity and mystery and beauty.

You and I recognize this creator God – this God of glory and strength. We affirm the existence of this God who lives in heaven every time we pray, “Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.” And yet we know this God is doing much more than keeping us from chaos. Our God deeply desires to be actively involved in all aspects of this creation, redeeming the world.  Our God is a God of love who longs to be in an intimate relationship with the pride and joy of creation – you and me and the rest of humanity. We are created in the very image of God to be in relationship with God and one another.

And, in truth, you and I have always known that the world was more complex than the three-dimensional space we can see with our eyes, for we know that there is a heavenly dimension. We know this heavenly dimension is so near that at various times and places heaven and earth actually touch, and in that place we are able to enter into and experience the holiness of God.

Heaven and earth touched the day Moses came upon a bush that was burning but was not being consumed. As he approached the bush a voice from heaven told him to take off his shoes because he was standing on holy ground. On that day Moses spoke with the God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob – the God who longed to come down and save his people.

Heaven and earth touched during the forty days Moses lived on Mount Sinai, receiving the commandments from God. When Moses came down from the mountain his face radiated the holiness of God. And the two stone tablets Moses received from God became a permanent place where heaven and earth touched. After that, the people of God believed that heaven and earth were permanently connected, first in the tabernacle where the ark of the covenant was kept and then later in the temple in Jerusalem. This was the very dwelling place of God on earth – the holy of holies.  People went to Jerusalem for the high holy days so that they might enter into the very presence of God.

Unfortunately, the temple was destroyed and the ark was lost. When a new temple was built it was nowhere near as majestic; on more than one occasion other gods were worshipped there. To many, it seemed as if heaven and earth no longer touched. And the people longed for a Messiah – a Savior – someone who would re-establish the meeting place between heaven and earth.

And then John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins (Mark 1:4-5). Heaven and earth were once again meeting out there in the wilderness. In the waters of the Jordan, people were once again encountering the holiness of God.

But John proclaimed: “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” In other words, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet!

And in those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  In that moment, as Jesus came up out of the waters, heaven and earth didn’t just touch, but the heavens were torn apart!  The veil that separated heaven from earth disappeared, and God’s Spirit was poured out and a voice from heaven – that same voice that the Psalmist spoke of that flashes forth flames of fire and shakes the wilderness – that voice boomed, “You are my beloved Son and I am well pleased with you.” Wow! What an incredible affirmation of his calling. What an awesome way for Jesus to begin his ministry.

In Jesus, God was doing a new thing. God was establishing a place where heaven and earth not only touched, but met and overlapped, deeply and intimately. In Jesus, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, the world now had the opportunity to not only encounter God, but to see God face to face. And through his death and resurrection, Jesus has become the place where heaven and earth permanently meet, the new Jerusalem. In Jesus, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, we are able to experience God’s holiness, even through something as ordinary as bread and wine, or water.

Today, as we remember the baptism of our Lord, we gather around this baptismal font to remember and celebrate our own baptisms. To some, this looks like ordinary water. But this is a powerful place where the past and the present and the future meet as we remember the ways the heavens were torn open at Jesus’ baptism, and heaven and earth powerfully met. This is a place where we remember and celebrate that day when we rejected the evil powers of this world and confessed that Jesus Christ is Lord of our lives. We remember, not necessarily in terms of the particular events of that day, but in terms of what God has done for us through our baptism. Whether you were an infant or an adult, dunked or simply sprinkled, on that day – the day of your baptism – heaven and earth met right inside of you. The heavens were torn open and the Holy Spirit was poured out on you! Your sins were washed away and you became a new creation.  You became pure and holy – the very temple of the Holy Spirit. And the voice of God affirmed, “You are my beloved child. I am well pleased with you.”

You are a beloved child of God. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit. You have been washed clean in the blood of Jesus. Today, as we remember and celebrate our own baptisms, I wonder: Do we live our lives in such a way that we are temples of the Holy Spirit? Are we open to being filled by the Holy Spirit? Are our bodies and our lives places where heaven and earth can and do actually meet? If not, then what are we going to do about it?