April 23, 2006 - Second Sunday of Easter - Father Barry Woods

FIRST READING: Acts 4:32-35
SECOND READING: John 1: 1-2; 2
GOSPEL: John 20: 19-31

(Audience participation will be noted in bold print and italics)

Mother Stephanie is the one who makes up the clergy schedule, and, about five or six weeks ago, the clergy schedule came out for this period. And she called me, and she said, "You are preaching on the 23rd. You are preaching at the 10:30 service on the 23rd, and it's a baptism. I just wanted you to know that". And I think it was a very broad hint - a subtle but broad hint - that maybe I should have something to say about baptism and the younger members of our congregation, which I am most happy to do. I have been preparing sermons here for about five years, and, most of the time, the picture I have in my mind is of the adults of the Parish. But, this morning, thanks to Mother Stephanie's strong hint, I have another part of our congregation in my mind and in my heart this morning - our younger people. However, adults, I don't want you to leave. What I would like you to do, please, is try to imagine yourselves - just for a minute this morning - try to imagine and pretend that you are a child. Pick any age; I don't care what age. It would be helpful, perhaps, if you didn't pick an age above about ten, but, for just a minute this morning, please, just sit back, relax, and pretend that you are a child.

I am going to walk over here; you can still hear me and see me, I hope. Hi guys! I am sorry I don't know very many of you by name, and I apologize. But, will you help me with this little sermon this morning, please? It would probably be better if we raised hands if you want to ask a question or answer a question, O.K.? That would probably be better and just more orderly.

What is this?

A stop sign.

It's a stop sign. O. K. It's a stop sign. What does it mean?

To stop.

It means to stop. O.K. It means to stop. Where do you see this sign?

On streets.

On streets. O.K. Do you see it on all the streets? No? Just once in a while, you will see a stop sign at some kind of an intersection, right? Why is the stop sign at some intersections and not at other intersections?

O.K., because some intersections are dangerous, right? - if you don't stop. And others aren't. O.K. So, this is a stop sign. It is not everywhere, but it is there as a sign that there is some kind of danger, right? That there is something to be careful about, and it is a sign that we should stop.

Now, here is another question, and you might have to think about it for a second. Is it the sign that makes us stop the car? It's not, is it? No. It is not the sign that makes us stop the car and obey the law. It is not the sign; it is what? It's yourself - it is something inside us, right? We see the sign. It is absolutely necessary that the sign be there, or, otherwise, we wouldn't know. So, the sign has to be there, if we are going to stop; but it is not the sign that makes us stop, right? It is something inside us. O.K.

Does anybody know what is in here? You guys know everything!

Oil.

No, I'm sorry. Sometimes there is oil up here. There is oil in the small jar - see the little bitty jar up there? That's got oil in it. What is in here?

Water.

Water, O.K. As a matter of fact, it is a nice temperature water. There is water in here, and this water is just like the stop sign. It is a sign. It is a sign of something. Let me tell you, rather than asking you. Let me tell you what I think it is a sign of. It is a sign of a new life, a new way of relating to God, and a new way of relating to the people of God. It is a sign of a whole new way of living and thinking and feeling and praying and believing. That is what it is. This is what you are going to have in just a few minutes, guys - some water - and it is just like the stop sign. It's a sign - a sign of a new life. But the water doesn't make the new life. Just like the stop sign doesn't make us stop, the water doesn't make the new life. The new life is a life we make inside ourselves, and the way we make that new life is by making some promises and then doing the very best we can, all of our lives, to keep those promises. We are all going to make them in a minute - promises about ways of believing; promises about ways of relating to God; promises about ways of relating to each other - and those promises are what make the new life. The water is necessary, and we have to have it. We have to make that invisible new life visible with the water. We have to use the water because Jesus commanded us to use the water, but the water doesn't really make the new life. The new life is something that we make inside ourselves, with God's help.

Now, Alyssa and Jasmine are, what?, four and three - is that what I heard you say, four and three? At age four and age three, I wasn't too capable of making and keeping a whole bunch of promises. It is sort of like in a family. When you are four and three, you are not old enough to drive the car, yet; so somebody else drives the car for you, right? Mom or dad - somebody else drives the car for you. And so, at four and three, a lot of the promises you can keep, and you can keep them in very many important ways. But, the fullness of the promises and the fullness of keeping the promises is something that has to come over time, and what we do in this family here is - just like somebody drives the car for you when you can't drive a car, in this family, what we do is that we make the promises, and we keep the promises, and we believe the beliefs, and we live the life until you can do it for yourselves. There is a time coming up in the service here, any minute now, when Mother Stephanie will ask us all a question, and the question goes something like this: Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their new life in Christ? And, of course, the bulletin says you are supposed to say, We will. O.K.? And I know you all will.

But, this morning - adults, you can stop being children now, O.K.? - when we say those words this morning on behalf of Alyssa and Jasmine, let's really say them like we mean them! Let's say that we are going to do all of the things - all of the promises, all of the things inside - we are going to do all of those things until Alyssa and Jasmine can do them for themselves.

So, the words are simple: We will. But I would sure like to feel some racket going on when that time comes in the service this morning.

Thank you for your help.

AMEN