Water
11/01/15 05:04
As far as I know, I am not descended from sea captains. There is no great nautical tradition in my heritage. Going back through the family tree, I find mostly farmers, with a lawyer, a court reporter and a handful of preachers thrown in for good measure. In fact one has to go back many generations to find any family members who lived near the sea. I guess we are people of the plains and mountains for the most part.
Water, however, plays a big part in my story. I am a child of the Boulder river. We spend our summers in and around the river, we skated on it in the winter, we fished it in the springtime, we floated down it in old inner tubes in the summer and chased leaf boats down the river in the autumn. I can hear the sounds of the rocks tumbling at high water in my dreams. I can feel the intense cold of the water and remember hours of standing in the water and floating grasshoppers on a line down to the holes where the big fish stayed. I’ve spent hours with a mask and snorkel exploring the river and what lis beneath it.
I don’t know of any family stories of boats prior to the present generation. My grandfathers on both sides of the family didn’t have boats to my knowledge. I did have one maternal uncle who lived on Flathead lake and owned a string of boats, mostly recreational waterski boats. He also owned one sailboat as he approached retirement. Our dad had a jet boat for a very short time, more a product of his love of making deals and accepting trades than his love of water activities. He also was partner with my brother on a rowboat that they took down the Yellowstone a few times and he provided some funding for a raft also in partnership with my brother.
I, on the other hand, own four canoes, a rowboat and four kayaks and I’m building another in my garage. It is not that I am obsessed with paddling and rowing, quite, but activities relating to boats seem to be the focus of much of my time. This passion has probably been more intense in the second half of my life than in the first half, which was spent without owning a boat. And I’m quite sure I would have fewer boats if I didn’t so enjoy making them. I’m well aware that I have too many and that I need to find ways to get rid of some of them, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to build just one more - a little better than the last one.
We all are shaped by water, even those who have no particular interest in boats and rivers and lakes and oceans. To be human is to be dependent on water. We can go without food much longer than we can survive without water. Our bodies are made of water.
It just makes sense that one of our two core sacraments is a sacrament of water. Sacraments, of course, do not create holiness, they recognize the holiness that is inherent in life with special ceremony. We do not make water holy by the prayers we say. Water is holy by its nature. We pray to remind ourselves of the truth that already exists.
Most baptismal prayers remind us of the many times water has figured in the story of our people. We remember that Moses led the people of Israel through the Red Sea on their journey towards freedom and our people crossed the waters of the Jordan to enter the promised land. We recall how Jesus, like every human being, was nurtured in the waters of his mother’s womb. We recall how Jesus became living water to a woman at a Samaritan well, used water to wash the feet of his disciples, and was anointed with the tears of a faithful woman. Water assumes a huge role in the story of our people.
Today, as is the custom of the church for generations, we will remember and celebrate Jesus’ baptism. John, the cousin of Jesus, was baptizing people in the wilderness as a sign of their decisions to turn away from sin and towards God. We all have moments of pride. We all make mistakes that we wish we had not made. We all have times of heading away from our relationship with God. John called on the people to turn around - to give themselves an opportunity to go in a new direction - to walk more closely with God. Then he used the water of the Jordan - the river that figures so largely in the story of our people - as a symbol of that decision to go in a new direction. When Jesus came to John for baptism, John was momentarily confused. Surely Jesus had no need of repentance. Jesus walked more closely with God than any human person before or since. Jesus didn’t explain to John. He simply asked him to “let it be so for now.” And John baptized Jesus.
It was an amazing moment. Everyone present was aware of God’s presence. Everyone heard God’s declaration of unconditional love. The gospels report a moment that was beyond the power of words to describe.
It didn’t mean that Jesus would never face tough decisions. It didn’t free him from responsibility. It didn’t make him avoid the temptation to turn away from God. In fact right after his baptism Jesus faced the wilderness filled with temptation. But his purpose was clear. And the love of God was clear. And that was sufficient for all that was to follow.
Being baptized doesn’t make Christians into perfect people. It doesn’t make us better than any one else. But it does remind us of who we are and whose we are. We belong to the community. We belong to God. And every drop of water everywhere can be a reminder of that miracle.
Water, however, plays a big part in my story. I am a child of the Boulder river. We spend our summers in and around the river, we skated on it in the winter, we fished it in the springtime, we floated down it in old inner tubes in the summer and chased leaf boats down the river in the autumn. I can hear the sounds of the rocks tumbling at high water in my dreams. I can feel the intense cold of the water and remember hours of standing in the water and floating grasshoppers on a line down to the holes where the big fish stayed. I’ve spent hours with a mask and snorkel exploring the river and what lis beneath it.
I don’t know of any family stories of boats prior to the present generation. My grandfathers on both sides of the family didn’t have boats to my knowledge. I did have one maternal uncle who lived on Flathead lake and owned a string of boats, mostly recreational waterski boats. He also owned one sailboat as he approached retirement. Our dad had a jet boat for a very short time, more a product of his love of making deals and accepting trades than his love of water activities. He also was partner with my brother on a rowboat that they took down the Yellowstone a few times and he provided some funding for a raft also in partnership with my brother.
I, on the other hand, own four canoes, a rowboat and four kayaks and I’m building another in my garage. It is not that I am obsessed with paddling and rowing, quite, but activities relating to boats seem to be the focus of much of my time. This passion has probably been more intense in the second half of my life than in the first half, which was spent without owning a boat. And I’m quite sure I would have fewer boats if I didn’t so enjoy making them. I’m well aware that I have too many and that I need to find ways to get rid of some of them, but that doesn’t stop me from trying to build just one more - a little better than the last one.
We all are shaped by water, even those who have no particular interest in boats and rivers and lakes and oceans. To be human is to be dependent on water. We can go without food much longer than we can survive without water. Our bodies are made of water.
It just makes sense that one of our two core sacraments is a sacrament of water. Sacraments, of course, do not create holiness, they recognize the holiness that is inherent in life with special ceremony. We do not make water holy by the prayers we say. Water is holy by its nature. We pray to remind ourselves of the truth that already exists.
Most baptismal prayers remind us of the many times water has figured in the story of our people. We remember that Moses led the people of Israel through the Red Sea on their journey towards freedom and our people crossed the waters of the Jordan to enter the promised land. We recall how Jesus, like every human being, was nurtured in the waters of his mother’s womb. We recall how Jesus became living water to a woman at a Samaritan well, used water to wash the feet of his disciples, and was anointed with the tears of a faithful woman. Water assumes a huge role in the story of our people.
Today, as is the custom of the church for generations, we will remember and celebrate Jesus’ baptism. John, the cousin of Jesus, was baptizing people in the wilderness as a sign of their decisions to turn away from sin and towards God. We all have moments of pride. We all make mistakes that we wish we had not made. We all have times of heading away from our relationship with God. John called on the people to turn around - to give themselves an opportunity to go in a new direction - to walk more closely with God. Then he used the water of the Jordan - the river that figures so largely in the story of our people - as a symbol of that decision to go in a new direction. When Jesus came to John for baptism, John was momentarily confused. Surely Jesus had no need of repentance. Jesus walked more closely with God than any human person before or since. Jesus didn’t explain to John. He simply asked him to “let it be so for now.” And John baptized Jesus.
It was an amazing moment. Everyone present was aware of God’s presence. Everyone heard God’s declaration of unconditional love. The gospels report a moment that was beyond the power of words to describe.
It didn’t mean that Jesus would never face tough decisions. It didn’t free him from responsibility. It didn’t make him avoid the temptation to turn away from God. In fact right after his baptism Jesus faced the wilderness filled with temptation. But his purpose was clear. And the love of God was clear. And that was sufficient for all that was to follow.
Being baptized doesn’t make Christians into perfect people. It doesn’t make us better than any one else. But it does remind us of who we are and whose we are. We belong to the community. We belong to God. And every drop of water everywhere can be a reminder of that miracle.