Into the Water. 2 Corinthians 5: 14-21

There have been no shortage of reminders of what this day is. It is a reminder of the day that our country’s history changed, and our country’s psyche changed. We have already mentioned it, but it is probably a day that all of us have carried a little extra weight in with us to the sanctuary this morning. 9/11. A date that has become synonymous with pain and loss.
Before that day, I always heard that everyone remembers where they were the day JFK was assassinated, and I never understood it. Until September 11, 2001, when that day became the day that I will forever remember. I was a freshman in college. It was a Tuesday. The day started like most. I was in a PE class that was a requirement, and it was an 8am class. I’ve heard it said that people who taught 8am classes almost must want to keep their subject a secret with it being so early, but taking PE at that time was wonderful. It got me moving in the early hours…early for a college student.

So I sleepily stumbled to the athletic complex that morning. I had my name read to make sure I got credit for attendance, and then I did what I normally did which was get on a stationary bike and pedal my legs so I could read and study. There were TVs stationed throughout the gym, with the sound turned off. And I usually didn’t pay them any attention. You could plug your headphones into whatever exercise machine you were using and hear the sound, but I didn’t really care. But then I saw lots of my classmates staring at the TV, so I looked up from my book, and all I saw was the world trade center, and a lot of smoke. Then I saw the second plane.

I left class, and went back to my room. I had to go to work, which was at the chaplain’s office, and that was probably the perfect place for me to go. The secretary there was watching what was happening on the computer, and the chaplain came in.
I told you a couple of weeks ago that we used to have communion every Tuesday. And there were usually about six people there.

And like every Tuesday, he told me to get things ready for communion.

He told me to go get extra wine and bread…communion is probably going to be well attended that evening.

And he was right. With so many of us not believing what we had seen before our young eyes, we didn’t really know what to do. So the entire campus showed up. And I’ve never seen so many people so eager to take the elements. To consume the body and blood of Christ. Maybe then it will make sense.

Like a lot of people, I had my gut-check reaction. I wondered if I should enlist in the armed services, and quit school. Because I wanted to DO something…anything. Blame, Anger, and Vengeance were in ready supply. In the local and public theatre, and I was ready to latch on to any of those. I relished in it. I wanted payback for those who did this. I wanted Vengeance.

I sat there in the congregation, my mind reeling about what I should DO. I had talked to my parents, and grandparents. Those closest to me. I did things and reacted the same way many of us did.

And 10 years later, with everything that has gone on in the past ten years, I can still see the confused and eager faces among all of us. As when bad things happen, we try to make sense of it.
I have the distinct privilege in my vocation to be able to voice this story. And I also have the distinct privilege, some might call it a burden, of voicing this story in congruence with the Gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ. The Good News that is given to a broken and hurting world.

On September 11th, 2001 I didn’t want to hear good news, I just wanted to hear about bad news affecting those that did this to us. I wanted them to feel pain. I wanted Osama Bin Laden blotted from the earth courtesy of a SCUD missile.

But just as he did in the incarnation, Jesus broke into my life that was clouded with hate, and spoke good news to me anyway. In the form of Talmadge Skinner, our Chaplain at Wofford College.

He told me to get extra elements for communion that night. I did, but it wasn’t enough, we ran out of bread because the crowd was so big. And I was toward to end of the line to receive. As I walked up to Rev. Skinner, who is a big man, made even bigger by the black robe and the piercing eyes, I wondered what he was going to do for those who couldn’t have any bread. He was saying something to each of us. So quietly that only we could hear.

When it came my turn, he shook my hand, put his other big paw around my neck, and held me there. Looked straight into my eyes, kept a locked gaze until my eyes met his and he said…Jordan, YOU are the body of Christ, redeemed by His blood. Remember your baptism, and be thankful.
Jesus broke through.

And here we are, ten years later. You’ve probably watched specials on TV, or read articles on the internet commemorating ten years. This afternoon, no doubt you will see tribute concerts and events at the start of NFL games to remind us all of that day.

I usually get nervous when I preach. Particularly here, because I know and love you. Whenever I preach somewhere else, my nerves aren’t as bad. But today I am particularly nervous.
Because everything is charged, and has more weight to it today than other days. We have sung patriotic hymns, and you have American Flags on your ties.

But I am going to tell you what I learned that day taking communion. We are the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. Remember your baptism, and be thankful.

Hear these words, from second Corinthians. Hear this tremendous news.

2 Corinthians 5: 14-21
For the love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died. And he died for all, so that those who live might no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.
From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us. So we are ambassadors for Christ, which God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

God reconciled all of humanity to himself with the powerful salvific act of our Lord Jesus Christ. All humanity. This includes people of all faiths, and all countries. And while violence is not accepted; forgiveness is required. Reconciliation is required. We, as the body of Christ, at our Baptism are called to be about the ministry of reconciliation. We are to view the world through the waters of Baptism. Where we surrendered our life to the peace and power of Jesus Christ. We died to our former selves, and rose again as a new creation. With a new outlook and a new perception of the world.

So while I have seen those twin towers fall, and people holding tight to the flag for security rather than the cross…I also see a flood of baptism waters washing over us all.

Telling us…this is not right. God said, see, I am making all things new. And if we look back over these past ten years with a wider focus of our lens we can see how God has been at work at healing and restoring all of God’s children. We can see how the divine hand of providence has lifted us up and guided us.
Now it is as important as it has ever been for us to understand one another all around the world. Now is the time for ambassadors of Christ more than soldiers of Christ.

It says it right here in Scripture. We are called to be Christ’s ambassadors for the world. Our Baptism, our initiation into the reconciliation of God, the thing that makes us whole calls us to be ambassadors for Christ.

Because we have seen what war does. I’ve only been to one war zone. That was the West Bank in Israel. Where bombed out buses are on the side of the streets and men and women with big guns guard razor wire and graffiti covered walls. I haven’t fought in a war like some of you have, but what I imagine is that it hurts. It cuts away parts of you and the people you are fighting.

We had buildings fall down. Other countries have craters where there used to be buildings, and fields burned.

And I have also seen what war does to soldiers. I’ve told you this before, but I have suffered alongside of my best friend since his return from war. He suffers from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, which he says is a fancy way of saying…he is still fighting. Sometimes he can’t sleep because of the nightmares, and more than once I have had to restrain him after he was woken up to remind him that he is at home and safe. I have seen the parts of him that have been destroyed by him being told to destroy others.

I believe he can be reconciled too. I believe he can be healed. And I’m going to be there to make sure he is.

And I believe those that have died in war can be redeemed and reconciled too. Because that is what our baptism does. We see war through the waters of baptism, where it washes away, and we don’t learn it anymore. It clears away the pain and hurt.
Now is the time for us to be ambassadors of Christ. Now is the time to believe that people can be redeemed. Now is the time for forgiveness and hope and healing. If not now, when? If not us, we who are Christ’s ambassadors, who?

An ambassador goes out into the world as a learner of culture, and a representative of the one who sends them.

If somebody or some group is filling you with hate…that too can be reconciled. We can wash hate away with baptism waters.

If somebody or some group is wishing us harm…that too can be reconciled. We can wash it away with baptism waters.
I have been haunted by today. Because since 9-11-2001, “praise God and pass the ammunition” has been a rallying cry for many. Divine retribution for the hated people who are against us.

When Osama Bin Laden was assassinated, I felt numb, but the celebration on the streets disturbed me. Wasn’t the celebration on the streets, the firing of guns in the air, the delight at misfortune the exact thing that disgusted us so much about those who were against us? And here we were doing the same thing.

How is that being about the ministry of reconciliation? Bringing peace, not the sword, as Jesus did, and calls us to do?

I was in a meeting on Thursday, and I have been thinking about this scripture all week, and we were talking about plans for annual conference in 2012. I’m on a committee with the Bishop and other clergy and laity to plan and implement our annual conference, and we were talking about next year, and the theme of developing Christian leaders for the church and the world. I said, this reminds me of the Scripture I am reading at church on Sunday. I told him the book, chapter, and verse, and Bishop Watson looked it up.

And in that moment, something powerful happened. Bishop Watson looked up from his reading, with tears beginning to form in his eyes, and said, Jordan, this Scripture is the basis for my entire ministry.

God has reconciled us to himself. If you don’t know that to be true, come talk to me, I’m ready to have that conversation with you.

And because of that, we are called, every one of us, to see the world through the waters of Baptism. To see every person as a creation of God, to see the earth itself as breathing in and out with God in the redemption that is going on. Redemption is happening now, not retribution, but redemption.

We see Bold Spring through the waters of Baptism. We see Franklin County through the waters of Baptism. We see our busy schedules and our different directions through the waters of baptism. We see our giving to a building fund through the waters of baptism. We see our political views and ties through the waters of baptism. We see war through the waters of baptism, and it doesn’t belong in God’s world.

We are doing serious work here, because God is calling all Christians to do serious things. We are reconciled so that we may be ambassadors in the world. So others can receive and accept that they are reconciled too.

We are the body of Christ, redeemed by his blood. Sent into the world so that the whole world might be redeemed through him. That’s a big vocation, and one I think this church is poised to do.

Splash some more baptism water on your eyes, it’ll clear them up for the work that God is doing through you. It will refresh you, and redeem you.

We have been called and equipped to be about the ministry of reconciliation. That is the Good News we have to share to a broken and hurting world. Let’s go spread the news.