It was a week or two before Christmas. The census of Hospice patients in the Schenectady office, where I was working, was lower than usual; but the census in the Rensselaer office, on the other side of the river, 40 minutes away, was higher than usual; their need for nursing staff, desperate.
When Lily (not her real name) was asked to leave our office and begin working in Rensselaer, she was NOT happy. Who could blame her? In the dark of winter, she would likely need to travel well over an hour from her home to see some patients – and would not be reimbursed for the extra time or travel. She would have to work with new colleagues, learn new procedures, and leave a community she loved being part of. Lily was not shy in letting everyone in the office know how unhappy she was to be the one nurse sent across the river for an indeterminate period of time. In an upstate New York winter.
Lily has a personality that brightens even the darkest room. Her boisterous laugh can make the most curmudgeonly smile. So, it did not take long for the people in Rensselaer to take notice of her. Lily became fast friends with 90 year old Tony, who was being cared for at home by his son, Paul.
One day, while Lily was tending to Tony, he said, “Blue eyes! I notice you don’t have a ring on your finger. You should go out with my son. I can see the two of you together.” Paul was standing right there and heard every word Tony said. Lily laughed.
On Christmas Eve, Lily paid another visit to Tony. It would be her last. Tony had just died. Paul was in a thousand pieces. Lily sat with him and waited for the funeral home to come. After they left, Paul turned to Lily – “You want to get something to eat?”
Tony was right. Lily and Paul have been together ever since. I officiated their wedding ten years ago.
That is how God works.
When we least expect it, when all hope seems lost, God does something too wonderful than we can even imagine.
Today’s scripture reading reminds us that ours is a God who in the most unlikely circumstances can bring new life. This is a message for us to hold onto.
In a few minutes, we will celebrate a baptism. This is a big deal. It is not a perfunctory ritual. Though many young people no longer attend church, we continue to regularly welcome families at this important moment in their lives. In just two weeks, we will host another baptism.
I’ve got a hunch about this… my gut sense is that as some young people look around, the news they (and all of us) hear in our media-saturated lives is not good. The catalog of social, political, and global ills is overwhelming. And what they – and we – need is to be rooted and grounded in a bigger narrative, in stories and messages and traditions and communities of active hope.
This is what the story of Abraham and Sarah is about… hope; a hope that grows through faithful living. Baptism is an initiation into faithful living. Abraham and Sarah had been given a promise – that they would be parents of a great nation. Yet, here they are… he is 100 and she is 90 and they’ve not had one child together. You would think that might make them feel discouraged, perhaps even shut down and withdrawn.
But, what does Abraham do during the hottest part of the day in one of the hottest places in the world, when he sees three travelers in the distance? He runs to help them. There were no Marriotts or Starbucks or rest stops along the way for these travelers. They were totally dependent upon the hospitality of others – of strangers – to make a successful journey.
Abraham does what he can to help somebody else. He sees in these three strangers not a threat, but an opportunity for hospitality; for connection. His caring actions open the door not only of his home, but of his heart, to grace.
Friends, the practice of hospitality is the cornerstone of faithful living, of how we can show up as Christ’s presence in the world. Hospitality requires a trusting consciousness – Seeing in the other – whomever that “other” is – a potential friend, not an enemy; providing welcome and belonging regardless of differences in culture, religion, or anything else. This is D, E, I (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) before there was D, E, I. It’s what the Open Door, the Grace Center, Wellspring House and ACTION all do… being of service to others on their journeys. Providing for needs.
And its something we all can do in a thousand different ways. Hospitality is THE antidote to division. Sharing a meal. Sharing stories. Making friends. It’s why we have our potlucks. Community is built around a table.
To ask for a child to be baptized is to say “yes” to being part of a larger story; to recognize that what we see in the news is not all there is. Baptism is an act of radical hope; an invitation into a spiritual way of life that is more meaningful than what a dominant, money-driven culture can ever offer. It is a welcome into a community that actively embraces hospitality.
In a world that is often full of contempt and complacency, our baptisms into the life-giving ways of Christ can help us live in a way that is rooted and grounded in God’s love. Being part of a community of faith is an opportunity to have companions on the journey of life who also want to live as the presence of love in the world. What does this look like? When we notice those who manipulate others for their own ends, we strive to get our own egos out of the way and act to benefit others; when we notice oppression, we are called to seek justice; when we notice those who lie, we are to speak the truth; when we notice those who destroy, we are to heal; when we see strangers, we are to create friends; when we recognize threats, we are called to create hope.
Faithful, hopeful living doesn’t just happen. When so much around us and within us can weight us down, we need to regularly hear those stories that remind us of what God can do in our lives, and we need to be part of communities that help us live with courage and compassion. That’s what church is for – to build muscles of hope.
And as we live like this, we discover a joy that no one can take away. We can be like Abraham and Sarah, who persisted in living with courage and compassion, as they waited and trusted that God’s promise to them would be fulfilled.
Baptism is a step that the whole family takes supported by a community of faith that says, “Yes, there is a lot that is wrong with the world. Pain and suffering are realities. But, so, too, are healing and hope. And love, God’s love – is even greater.”
The God who gave Abraham and Sarah their son, Isaac (which means, by the way, “he laughs), is the same God who gave Chris and Pam, these two little ones; the same God who offers each of us the greatest gift there is – the gift of God’s very self, the Spirit, the source of the deepest peace, hope, joy, and love, to accompany us on our journeys all our days. Could anything be more wonderful? Amen.