Voice

 

Charlotte Collins Reed

Christ Church Episcopal

January 10, 2021

 

1 Epiphany B 

          One of the most wonderful memories of my childhood and early adult years is the sound of my grandparents’ voices calling my name.  I can still hear those voices all these decades later. My maternal grandmother, who we called Moomie, had a lovely and distinct southeast Alabama drawl.  My maternal grandfather died when I was two years old, so I have no memory of his voice.  My paternal grandfather, who we called Pop, had what was left of a Texas accent after decades of living in New York and New Jersey.  My paternal grandmother, Meme, had a central Arkansas accent, different from the accents in the four corners of the state, and hers was raspy from a lifetime of nicotine use.  These voices all spoke my name in a way that told me I was loved and made me want to be my best self for them.  I treasure those voices in my heart to this day.

          This morning, we either hear or hear about the voice of God in three of our four readings.  In the passage from Genesis, the voice of God calls light into being, which God saw was good, then God separated the light from the darkness, creating the first day.  In the very first words of scripture, we learn that the voice of God is powerful and creative.

          Psalm 29 tells us that the voice of God is a powerful voice and a voice of splendor that can break the cedar trees, split flames of fire, shake the wilderness, and make the oak trees writhe.  The voice of God is not anything to be messed with.

          And in the passage from Mark’s gospel, after Jesus has been baptized by John in the Jordan and as he is coming up out of the water, after the heavens open and the Spirit descends as a dove, we hear the voice of God say, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  We hear the voice of God claim Jesus as God’s own son, declare him beloved, and proclaim that God is well pleased with Jesus.  The voice of God is a powerful voice. 

          This week, we have heard many voices.  We have heard the loud, harsh voices of a mob storming our capital building, shaking the foundations of our democracy.  We have heard the voices of our leaders condemning those actions and calling for accountability, justice, and truth to prevail.  We have heard the voices of leaders around the world, pained by the assault on our nation’s capital.  And we have heard the voices of those who support the intent of the mob to overthrow a democratic election, even if some of those voices do not support the actions taken.

          In the midst of the cacophony of voices this week, where is the voice of God?  How do we discern which voices are the voice of God, indicating what God would have us do, and which voices draw us from the love of God.  God’s voice may always tell us we are beloved, but God’s voice does not always tell us we are right.  Where is the voice of God separating the light from the dark or splitting flames of fire?  All of the voices we have heard this week believe they are right.  But where is the voice of God?

          Today is the Feast of the Baptism of Jesus.  Were we not in a pandemic, we could well have a baptism to celebrate today.  In baptism, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever, as Jesus himself was sealed by the Holy Spirit when the dove descended on him and the voice of God claimed Jesus God’s own beloved son. 

          What happens after Jesus is baptized?  The very next verse in Mark’s gospel tells us that immediately after his baptism, Jesus is led by the Spirit into the wilderness.  Mark’s gospel only tells us that Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days, was tempted by Satan, and angels waited on him.  But both Matthew and Luke tell us that in the wilderness, Jesus was tempted by the power of evil, or Satan, to prove that he is the Son of God by claiming special powers, protection, and privilege.  Jesus resists every temptation to claim anything special for himself.

          Jesus does not have to pass a test in the wilderness in order to be baptized and claimed as God’s beloved child.  Rather, Jesus goes into the wilderness on the heels of his baptism. The power of Jesus’ baptism strengthens him to withstand the power of evil that tempted him with the belief that his identity as the Son of God afforded him special power, privilege, and protection.  The voice of God that claimed Jesus as God’s own Son and the power of Jesus’ baptism sustained Jesus when tempted in the wilderness.

          We find ourselves in a wilderness this week.  Actually, we were already in the wilderness of Covid-19 with all of its temptations to claim individual comfort and privilege over the common good.  Now another layer of wilderness has been added by the unimaginable events in Washington this week.  The voice of God reminds us that we were sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, marked as Christ’s own forever.  We were given the power in baptism to overcome the temptations in this wilderness to claim any special power, privilege, or protection for ourselves and instead to work for the good of all, the common good.  Seeking and serving Christ in all people and respecting the dignity of every human being, resisting evil and proclaiming the good news with word and action, working for justice and peace, and continuing in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, all of which we have all promised to do in our baptismal covenant, mean putting the good of every human being, the common good, above our own individual wants and desires, even in the wilderness, and fighting against the powers of evil that seek to divide us.

          The voice of God is a powerful voice that tells us we are beloved and calls us to be our very best selves, not for ourselves alone, but for all people. That is the voice that has claimed us and made us God’s own in baptism, not for special power or privilege, but to resist evil and proclaim the Good News as we promise in baptism, even and especially in the wilderness.  The voice of God calls us to claim the power of our baptism and make a gospel difference for the good of the world.

                                                                                                Amen.