St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD
November 5, 2024
Election Day Prayer Service
Deuteronomy 10:17-21
Psalm 145:1-9
Romans 8:38-39
Matthew 5:43-48
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
This past Sunday, during fellowship after the 10:00 service, one very kind parishioner told me that she was worried about me.
Specifically, she was worried about how I would do at our service here this evening – concerned that I would stray into partisan politics and get myself into some trouble.
I really appreciate her care for me.
But there’s no need to worry.
I mean, it’s true that in this anxious and overheated moment, almost anything can be heard through a partisan ear, seen through a partisan lens.
And, actually, that’s one of the reasons why we’re gathering tonight rather than last night. Even if I were inclined to be partisan in the pulpit, which I’m not, there’s no point.
Unless you’re going to get up and go vote right this minute, it’s over.
For better or for worse, what’s done is done.
We are now in that uncomfortable in-between time, between voting and receiving the results.
But I’m also not worried about being misheard or misinterpreted because tonight I don’t really want to talk about the election.
No, I want to talk about… Baptism.
(Plot twist, I know!)
When I meet with someone about to be baptized, or, more often, when I meet with parents preparing to have their child baptized, I always discuss the multiple meanings of Baptism.
There’s forgiveness of sin – the washing away of our inherited tendency to selfishness, our destructive habit of rebelling against God.
There’s initiation – it’s through Baptism that we become members of the Church.
And, like Holy Communion, Baptism is also a sacrament of unity.
In the familiar words of the Letter to the Ephesians, words that we say at the start of each Baptism service:
There is one Body and one Spirit;
There is one hope in God’s call to us;
One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;
One God and Father of all.
Baptism is a sacrament of unity.
We are united with God – an unbreakable unity, a bond that can never be dissolved no matter what we do or don’t do, no matter how many times we mess up, no matter who the president is.
Baptism is a sacrament of unity.
And we are united with one another – and although we often try to break it apart, this is also an unbreakable unity, a bond that can never be dissolved no matter what we do or don’t do, no matter how many times we mess up, no matter our political affiliation, no matter who we voted for, no matter who wins this election.
Baptism is a sacrament of unity.
And this amazing gift – this indestructible bond with God and one another - calls for a response from us.
Since there is nothing that can separate us from God’s love – since God will not let go of us no matter what – we are free – we are truly free to be bold and generous.
No matter who wins the election, this is very good news for us all.
In a few minutes, we are going to renew our Baptismal Covenant.
With God’s help, and because we have been washed in this sacrament of unity, we can go for it:
We can gather here with our Christian siblings, week after week, in times good and in times anxious, like tonight.
We can acknowledge our mistakes, admit when we’ve fallen short, asking for forgiveness and for the strength to do better.
With God’s help, and because we have been washed in this sacrament of unity, we can proclaim the Good News by what we say and what we do.
We can seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as our self – and, yes, that includes both Republicans and Democrats.
We can strive for justice and peace among all people, respecting the dignity of every human being – and, yes, that includes independents and the indifferent, too.
With God’s help, and because we have been washed in this sacrament of unity, we can really do these good and holy things.
In fact, as an old friend of mine used to say, “I don’t have to believe it because I’ve seen it!”
Here at St. Thomas’, here at this servant church, over and over, I’ve seen us strive to live out our Baptismal promises, loving boldly and generously.
With God’s help.
Finally, I’m going to invite you to use your imagination.
I’ve mentioned to a few of you that I have a little dream about a change I’d like to make inside of our church.
As you know, our baptismal font is tucked away here in the corner, which is not ideal symbolism, and also makes it hard for most people to actually see our baptisms.
So, my little dream is that someday, maybe, we could move our font to the center of our church, right there in the middle of the aisle (which, I’ll just note, is extra-wide).
This would wonderfully symbolize the central place of Baptism in our Christian life, and it would allow us to gather around the font each time we welcome a new Christian.
Now, we have a lot of capital projects in the works, and I know changing things in the church can be understandably upsetting for many people.
So, at least for now, I’d like you to just imagine.
Imagine our font, right there in the center of the aisle, in the heart of our church.
Now, imagine all of us gathered around the font.
Imagine that we’re all here, our own communion of saints, parishioners past, present, and future, all of us washed in this sacrament of unity, our differences set aside and our anxieties at rest.
Imagine what is profoundly true:
There is one Body and one Spirit;
There is one hope in God’s call to us;
One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism;
One God and Father of all.
Amen.
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