One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism

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.

Our Platform

St. Thomas’ Episcopal Church, Owings Mills MD

November 8, 2022

Election Day

Deuteronomy 10:17-21

Psalm 145:1-9

Matthew 5:43-48

Our Platform

It’s good for us to be together this evening.

Although Zoom gives it a modern twist, the truth is that we are doing what Christians have done since the very beginning: gathering together to hear God’s Word and to pray for others and for ourselves.

Our Christian ancestors gathered in good times and especially during times of trouble, like the days we have been living through, the hard days, that, unfortunately, we will continue to face, no matter the outcome of today’s election.

Regardless of our politics, I hope we can all agree on the need for prayer – maybe not so much prayers for a particular electoral outcome (though, of course, I get that, and confess that I have prayed like that myself. And you’re welcome to pray for whatever and whomever you’d like!).

But we’re especially called to pray for our community, for our country – to offer prayers for peace and justice and, most of all, love – the good gifts that only God can give.

If we’re being honest, we can admit that, in our overheated political environment, there’s some risk in getting together to pray tonight – there’s the chance that some will hear unintended partisan endorsements from me or maybe from the prayers and lessons included in the service.

So, for the record, the prayers are all from the Prayer Book and the lessons are those appointed for Independence Day.

In church a couple of weeks ago, when I first announced that we would be having this service, I sensed a little bit of electricity travel around the pews.

Maybe that was just because we haven’t had an Election Day service before. Or maybe some people thought that this work is just too political for the church – that the risk of giving offense or creating division is just too great – so, better just to let people watch the election coverage on cable news, just leave them to the tension of waiting, the joy of victory, the agony of defeat, and the worries about what is yet to come.

But this moment is too important for us to chicken out.

And one of the messages that Jesus repeats over and over again is simply this: 

Be not afraid.

No matter what, God will not let go of us. 

Do not be afraid.

So that’s the first thing I want to say tonight.

And the second thing I want to say is that we Christians have our own political platform and it does not align perfectly with either the Democratic or Republican platforms, or, for that matter, with any other ideology.

In fact, Christians make a very big mistake when we think that some other political platform matches Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God.

The church gets into big trouble when we grow too cozy with political leaders, and we go right off the rails when we become too infatuated with worldly power.

So, what is our political platform – what’s the foundation for how we are to live together?

Well, it’s right there in tonight’s lessons, and it’s in the Baptismal Covenant we are about to renew.

Our Christian platform is putting God first, far above any worldly leaders, no matter how much we might like and support them.

Our Christian platform is sticking together, recognizing that, whatever our differences, they are not wide enough to prevent us from praying together.

Our differing points of view must not – cannot - break our bonds of love.

Our Christian platform is caring for the poor, the vulnerable, the oppressed, and welcoming the stranger. We do this not because they’re better or nicer than anybody else, but simply because they’re poor and vulnerable and oppressed and far from home, and they need our help.

Our Christian platform is trying, with God’s help, to love the people we find really hard to love – to love the tax collectors, the lepers, even the Romans, of our own day, of our own lives.

This is our platform – this is our Christian political platform.

        So now, after a seemingly endless election season, the polls have closed and we await a future that is in many ways uncertain and unsettling.

But, my dear friends, remembering who we are and whose we are, do not be afraid. 

        And, with God’s help, together, let’s stand firm on our platform – keeping our promise to love God and to love one another. 

        Amen.