The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord Fr. Mark Greenaway-Robbins – January 11, 2015.
Today is big day for us all. Some of us are about to be baptized. Others among us are the family, friends and supporters of the baptismal candidates. Many of us are members and worshippers at St. James’. A handful of us are leaving St. James’ – especially if your last name has a hyphen in it! And, some of us are newcomers to St. James’. So there are five audiences at Mass this today. Since this is the last time, I shall ever have the honour of standing in this pulpit as your Rector, I wish to give you some pieces of scripture, as my parting gift. Benjamin, Kassandra, Kellan, Kyle, Luke, and Huan-wen, you are about to be baptized. Today your life will be changed forever. Through baptism you will be sacramentally incorporated into the Body of Christ – the Church. In other words, baptism is the gateway sacrament through which you belong to Christ and the Church. Your life is no longer your own. So the scripture I would like to give you today is this: “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20) Baptized Christians belong to Christ with a unique and unbreakable bond. From today onwards the whole of your life is an opportunity for service and sacrifice. You have a vocation. Jesus Christ is calling you. Listen and follow. Or, in the first words of Jesus in Mark’s Gospel, “Repent and believe!” The greatest gift we have in this life is our relationship with Jesus Christ. Do everything to cultivate that relationship. This you will never regret. Today, you who are the parents, godparents, sponsors and supporters of Benjamin, Kassandra, Kellan, Kyle, Luke, and Huan-wen, your life will be forever changed. Through the promises you are about to make at baptism, you are entering into a new relationship and bond with the baptized. You are about to [1]
bear a responsibility with the whole Christian community of nurturing them in the Way of Christ. Seize this responsibility and privilege.
So the scripture I wish especially to share with you is a description of the life of the early disciples from the Acts of the Apostles: “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.” (Acts 2.42) I cannot tell you the number of times I have met caring parents who say, “I’m not going to get my child baptized, or expose them to any religion. They can decide for themselves.” To which I respond: “Well, if you do that your child will absorb the values of the dominant culture through peer pressure. This is usually, a world-view based on free-market capitalism, a relativistic view of truth, an individualistic view of self and a cynical view of religion.” What kind of gift is that? If you want the very best for your children, if you want the best for your friend whom you are sponsoring as a Christian, then be a disciple of Jesus Christ. Let your life be an example. Cultivate your friendship with Jesus Christ through following the teaching of the apostles, fellowship with Christians, participating in Holy Communion – the Mass – and practicing prayer. Be a disciple of Christ, if you really love the children and adults in your care, because the faith is caught, not taught. Today, you who are members, parishioners and worshippers at St. James’ – perhaps regular, perhaps occasional worshipers – you let go of your rector, you let go of the Greenaway-Robbins family and menagerie. I recognize that joy and sorrow are finely woven. Today the Holy Spirit is leading you into a new season of grace. An interim priest is coming, a new rector is coming, with whom you will discover new riches of God’s promises and mercy. The whole of our Christian life – from the font of baptism to our Requiem Mass – is a journey filled with seasons of grace. Sometimes a season may be characterized by consolation, at other times by desolation. So the scriptural gift I wish to leave with you are the parting words of Jesus to his disciples at the end of Matthew’s Gospel: “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28.20) On the day of the announcement that I had given notice of my resignation, here are some of the responses which you shared with me: “You will be replaced.” “God has always blessed St. James’ and will continue to do so.” “You have learnt everything you are going to learn from us and we have learnt all we can from [2]
you. Now is the time to move on.” I deeply appreciated the expressions of your trust that Jesus Christ is with you and will continue to bless this community of faith. Remember that the presence of Jesus Christ is always with you. I want to end by touching upon two ways, going forward, you can live into this reality that Jesus Christ is always with you: pray for your clergy and support the Parish.
James Heriot was a British veterinary surgeon who practiced in Yorkshire from 1939 onwards. His memoirs of working as a vet are collectively known as “All creatures great and small.” These were made into a television adaptation. At the end of his first year of practicing as a vet he wrote: “There were people down there who thought I was a pretty fait vet, some who regarded me as an amiable idiot, a few who were convinced I was a genius and one or two who would set their dogs on me if I put a foot inside their gates. All this in a year. What would be the position in thirty years? Well, as it turned out, very much the same.” (James Herriot. From the postscript to “If only they could talk.”) That is my experience of being a parish priest. Some think I’m alright, some regard me as foolish and misguided, a few think I’m brilliant and one or two will have nothing to do with me! Whatever you think, or feel, about your new interim priest and ultimately your new rector, always pray for them. Indeed, please pray regularly for the wonderful team of clergy here at St. James’. One parishioner often tells me that she prays for me and all the clergy at St. James’ every night. I cannot begin to tell you just how precious this is to me for my faith and psychological well-being. A parishioner once rang for no other reason than to pray the Lord’s Prayer with me. Once when I was struggling, a bishop from another diocese called me and because of the geographical distance prayed for me on the phone, gave me his blessing. Please everyone, be diligent and joyful in constant prayer for the deacons and priests of this Parish. Secondly and last, now is not the time to stop coming to Mass. Now is not the time to take a break and wait to see what happens. Ask not what St. James’ can do for you, ask what can you do to serve Jesus Christ through St. James’. Now is the time to pull together. Now is the time to step up, serve and work together. Now is the time to remember that the presence of Jesus is always with you. Now is the time to renew the promises of your baptism, to worship and to serve.
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When you are sprinkled with holy water after the baptisms, everyone here present: remember that you are a temple of the Holy Spirit and not your own; remember to devote yourselves to the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers; and remember that Jesus is with you always. Today you are entering a new season of grace. New life springs forth.
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