|
|
January 13, 2008 - "Who Are You Wearing?" - Rev. Ney
|
January 13, 2008 “Who Are You Wearing?” The Rev. Vicky Ney
Text: Gal. 3:27-29, Col: 3:12-17
Most of you know I love movies. Even though I don’t get to movies in theaters as often as I’d like, I still try to watch current ones on cable TV with On Demand and rent others from Blockbuster. I especially try to watch the movies that are nominated each year for Best Picture and Best Actor/Actress awards before the Oscars presentations in March. I’ve noticed over the years that the Oscars don’t seem to be what they used to be. In the last decade or so, it almost seems as though Oscars have been transformed from a celebration of Hollywood magic to a marketing spree where stars are often paid tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars for serving as walking advertisements for clothing designers.
It seems incredible in these days of hearing the red carpet question “Who are you wearing?” that in 1929, the year of the first Academy Awards ceremony, the actress award winner, Janet Gaynor, wore a tiny off-the-rack dress with a Peter Pan collar that she probably picked up from a children’s store. (My goodness, ANY dress with a collar would be really amazing considering some of the revealing designs today!) In 1937, the Austrian actress Luise Rainer accepted her best actress award in a nightgown, and in 1958 Joanne Woodward accepted hers in a green dress she sewed herself in her Connecticut barn.
During the rest of the 1930’s and 40’s, most major studios outfitted their leading ladies themselves. But after Audrey Hepburn and Elizabeth Taylor headed for Paris couture houses (like Givenchy and Dior), the idea that a star was defined by her dress designer caught on. In 1998, as movie stars replaced models on magazine covers the editor of Vogue magazine, Anna Wintour, announced that “Oscar madness” was here to stay. We will continue hearing “Who are you wearing?” as actresses walk the red carpet before they enter the theater for the Oscar gala awards.
It will continue to be a fascinating study for its sheer entertainment and breathtaking superficiality. “Who are you wearing?” As though, what you put on could have anything to do with who you are!
Guess what? The Apostle Paul, who wrote our scripture lessons today—the letters to the church of the Galatians and the Colossians—would say that is absolutely true! Who you put on has a lot to do with who you are. Paul was talking about identity. He said that when we are baptized we put on Christ—a whole new and different kind of wardrobe—that has EVERYTHING to do with who we are.
As Presbyterians, who mostly baptize babies and young children, that may not feel as obvious as the meaning of Baptism being the beginning of a lifetime journey of faith. The “beginning” part sounds right for children—since babies are just beginning life in general. But baptism is really about identity. Paul saw baptism as a moment in time that forever impacts the rest of our lives. At the moment of baptism, every human frailty and weakness—every human label—falls away to insignificance. Forever after it won’t matter who your parents are, where you live, what education you get, what your future career will be, it won’t even matter what church you belong to. At the moment of Baptism, you are given your identity as a child in God’s family, marked as Christ’s own forever and sealed by the Holy Spirit. It’s decided right then and there who and whose you are forever.
Centuries of infant baptism have masked this dramatic moment that the early Christians saw in baptism.
Even though Scripture records that whole families were baptized in the Bible—including the children—the early church mainly only baptized adults. And baptism was no instant decision. Tradition tells us that those who wanted to be Baptized had to go to classes for three years (I told that to my confirmation class this past Thursday evening. I think they were thankful our confirmation classes will last only about six months!). From the earliest times—the roots of our church history—and even today in some places around the world—the day of Baptism was quite dramatic. First, the person being baptized confessed their faith and the lordship of Jesus Christ. Then they stripped off their outer clothing to signify that they were taking off their old way of life. The minister immersed them below the water as if undergoing burial (Rom. 6:3-5), and then raised them up out of the water to a new life. Someone stood by and put a beautiful, brand new white robe on the newly baptized person to symbolize the transformation that had occurred. It was very dramatic and very powerful. No one could be a part of it—no one could even watch it—without realizing that one life had ended and a new life had begun—something important had happened. There was no mistaking the fact that, through Christ, they had been given a new nature; they had been cleaned and restored by Christ and completely changed. That new robe meant they were now putting on the nature of Christ.
We baptize babies today to remind ourselves that God comes to us with all that love and all the grace even before we’re aware of it. Babies have no idea what’s happening to them. We also baptize older children, youth and adults, because we believe that God’s grace can require a response from us—a “yes” to God’s grace. But no matter how old we are when we are baptized, the idea is that God comes to us first. No matter how old we are, we are still actually helpless. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace—to earn a place in God’s family.
Regardless of how or when or where we are baptized, one message comes out loud and clear—that whoever you are, whatever else you may ever belong to, whatever else you may do, wherever else you may go, you belong first and foremost to God. We belong to God. It’s better than anything we will ever belong to on our own or find on our own. It’s confirmed that we are part of something bigger than ourselves. In Baptism something happens that changes us.
Paul said, “As many of you as are Baptized into Christ, have clothed yourself with Christ.” (Gal. 3:27) This passage is saying something so important—but also so hard to live out. *
It’s hard enough to accept the fact that we are loved unconditionally. Think about it, the God of this Universe, who knows everything, who knows US, who knows everything we do, can love us anyway!
But the fact that we’re loved unconditionally isn’t really the hardest part. That’s actually wonderful! The hardest part is that we’re asked to live into that identity—that family identity we’ve been given. We have to put on that identity, just like we put on clothes. We have to dress in it.
It’s not that easy. We’re living in a world that doesn’t always appreciate clothes with the label of Jesus in them. It’s much easier to put on the clothes of our culture—the values of the culture all around us—rather than the nature of Christ.
Paul was a very smart guy. He didn’t just assume that we Christians would just know what to do automatically—that we would know automatically what clothes we need to put on.
In the Colossians lesson we read together this morning, Paul gave us some specific instructions about what the clothes with a label of Jesus look like. He gave us a clear way to put on Christ, by using Jesus’ example. He said clothe yourselves with compassion, instead of indifference. Act with kindness, not disregard. Practice humility, not self-promotion. Apply patience, not hurry and impatience. Be forgiving, not intolerant.
All of that is easier said than done, isn’t it? It’s not easy to wear these clothes out in the world. Our culture tells us that almost any other clothes will be much more comfortable—much easier—to wear. The clothes with the Jesus label don’t fit in with some of our friends, won’t look right when we’re out on the town, or caught in the heat of the moment. It’s not easy to take the time, each and every day, to put on Christ—to use him as our example. But that’s what we’re asked to do. Reclothe ourselves every day. Dress in Christ every day.
In a few moments we’re going to retake our Baptism vows—renew our covenant and relationship with God. Obviously most of us were babies when someone answered the questions for us. Today we can be intentional about what we say and about what we intend to wear. We can intentionally put on Christ and in the process we might just be changed.
God is waiting for you and me—all of us—to remember our identity—to remember that we are his beloved children, and that we need to look like members of his family. We will be sent out renewed this morning, refreshed, sent out to our daily lives so that everyone can see who we are wearing.
Will you pray with me?
Great and awesome God, thank you for the gift of your love and being made a member of your family. Thank you for freeing us from all the things that trap us into an old life. Let us feel the joy of the new life you have offered us in Baptism—when we were made members of your family forever. Help us to put on the clothes of Christ each and every day, so that others will see who and whose we are, so that we can be the people you intend us to be, so that we may make a difference in this world. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
_________
* “Jesus Couture,” Tina McCormick |
|
|
<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 Next >> |