SERMON FOR EASTER VIGIL SERVICE                               SAINT ANNE’S

APRIL 3, 2010                                                                         LYDIA HUTTAR BROWN

Stories: Creation, The Flood, Escape from Egypt, The 3 Hebrew Children in the Fiery Furnace

Who am I?

It’s perhaps the most basic, most pervasive and continuous question each of us asks as we travel through life.
Who am I?  How do I fit in the world? What is my purpose?

From the time we are little babies, like Jacob here,
we experience ourselves as connected
to other human beings who care for us,
who interact with us, who teach us…
and we find our identity as part of a larger unit.

We are individuals, yes, but our identity – our self-awareness -
is enlarged and deepened as we know more about our roots and the family tree that we are part of.

In ancient times, people used to memorize their family tree -
through the mother’s or father’s line –
the names of their grandparent, great grandparent, great-great, great-great-great, and so on…
The Bible contains those chapters that are all full of “Begat” –
we may find them boring lists of unpronounceable names,
but they are there to help people remember who they are.

And also the stories.
Families, tribes, and communities tell stories to solidify communal identity, and to help each generation know who they are and where they come from.  Remember…?  Remember the time when… ?

Travel back in your memories with me, to remember…
remember a time, deep in your unconscious memory…

You and the whole world were nothing but a gleam in God’s eye…
And God spoke in the darkness…
And from the creative imagination and the mouth of God came light,
and the world itself,
and plants and rocks and animals and fish and people –
all in their complexity and diversity –
and God said it was ALL GOOD.  All very good.
Remember!  You are good… very good…

Now remember…
when all that beautiful world was consumed with water.
Remember the confusion and fear…
smell the murky floodwater, and feel the sweeping currents…
Hear the thunder and lightening…
And remember…  back then we didn’t understand floods and earthquakes and volcanoes apart from God,
and so we thought that God was punishing us…
We forgot for a moment that God’s great love would not destroy the very creatures that God had made in his own image…
We looked for a reason God might bring this catastrophe on us…
but even then,
we knew that God’s love would provide a way for life to go on…
We looked for beauty beyond the terror, and when we saw the rainbow we knew that truly was from God…
Remember! God’s love, and God’s promises, are stronger than catastrophe, stronger even than death…

Now remember…
remember when we were slaves in Egypt,
working day and night, making bricks for the Pharaoh…
Remember how God heard our cries of misery,
and send Moses to help us escape?
Remember how Moses led us out of Egypt,
and when we thought we were trapped by the Red Sea,
God provided a way out?
Remember!  God hears the cries of those in misery, those who are oppressed, and God sends others to help.
Remember, God wants you to be free,
not abused or oppressed or fearful…

And finally, remember…
you are with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
as they choose to follow their conscience,
rather than bow down and worship King Nebuchadnezzar.
Feel the heat of the fire…
feel that depth of courage, which is fear that has said its prayers…
See the angel of God, walking alongside you…
And remember– God will never abandon you.
When through fiery trials your pathway shall lie,
God’s grace, all-sufficient, will be your supply…

Remember… Remember…

Tonight we are going to baptize Jacob Wainwright Bruns.
He has been born into a human family –
and tonight we are going to formally welcome him into the church family.
What we do tonight in baptism does not change anything, really.
Jacob is already loved by God
and included in the family of all God’s children.
But tonight we formally and intentionally name that truth.
We formally and intentionally bring him into the family of the Church.
We call on the Holy Spirit to enfold him and guide him.
and we begin to tell Jacob some of the stories that will help him know who he is as part of the whole family of God.

So back to our opening question: Who am I? Who are we?
Jacob, listen up — because this is about you, too.

We are people made in God’s image.
Pronounced “good” by God.
Designed to be partners with God
in taking care of the earth and each other.
We are people who have lived through catastrophe and have seen the rainbow on the other side.
We look for meaning in what happens to us, but we understand — better than our ancestors did — that God does not cause evil to happen to us, but instead is there with us to guide and protect and, should our life here end, to guide us safely over to the next life.
We know that God’s love is stronger than any tragedy or catastrophe, stronger even than death.
We are people called out of slavery into freedom.
We are people whom God has looked on with compassion when we cried out in misery.
We are people sent, like Moses, to help lead others out of captivity.
And we are people of courage.
Sometimes we are fearful –
but courage is fear that has said its prayers.
We strive to act from our conscience, even when it is hard.
We know that God’s angels protect us,
and that God will never abandon us.

This is ultimately the story of the resurrection.
Love is stronger than hate.
Good overcomes evil.
Life wins over death.
Even the grave cannot hold down the goodness of God in Christ.
God’s love lasts forever, even beyond this life.

Thanks be to God!