Sunday, May 7th, 2023 – Coronation Sunday Philip’s Reflection: “Lord, show us the Father” (Jn. 14:8) You may have noticed that there’s been some discussion in recent months about the title of the new King of Canada - “Defender of the Faith” or “Defender of Faith” (of all faiths) - what is King Charles the “Defender” of? Some of you may remember the uproar – particularly in the Church of England – when, as Prince of Wales 30 or more years ago, Charles mused publicly about the possibility of changing the coronation oath, to be the defender of faith in general, rather than the defender of the faith, the faith tradition of the Church of England. His desire of course was to embrace all religious traditions in a multifaith Britain – for, as the latest census data show, less than half the population of England and Wales (46%) now identify as “Christian”; under 1% of the population attend Sunday worship; and the fastest growing segment, up 12% over the past 10 years, are those describing themselves as having “no religion” – the numbers are similar in Canada. What is the relevance of an oath to defend the Faith, when less than half the population consider themselves Christians and over a third believe in no deity at all? One way of resolving this is the “Canadian way”, which might best be described as “when in doubt, leave out”. If you can’t agree on a title, rather than include any reference to the monarch’s role as the defender of faith, you just quietly drop it – you bury it deep inside a Budget Bill, as was done recently by the Federal Government, such that the monarch’s title no longer includes the “defender” role or any reference to Charles’ Christian faith. Oh well! We must be grateful, I suppose, that his official title, as our Head of State, still includes a mention of God, for he is to be known as “Charles the Third, by the Grace of God, King of Canada”. As you saw and heard in yesterday’s historic Coronation service, King Charles decided in fact to say the Coronation Oath without changing the centuries-old commitment to defend the Faith, apparently in deference to the British monarch’s role as the “supreme governor” of the Church of England, the Established Church in Britain. But that is not a role King Charles exercises in Canada, or other Commonwealth nations, and I don’t think we have any difficulty with dropping the title of Defender of the Faith in Canada. But it’s disappointing that we no longer describe his role as Defender of Faith (of all faiths) because, as you probably noticed yesterday, King Charles included (for the first time) a prayer “that I may be a blessing to all thy children, of every faith and belief, that together we may discover the ways of gentleness and be led into the paths of peace” – all God’s children, of “every faith and belief”. And you’ll have seen and heard of many other signs of King Charles’ belief, as he said in a reception for faith leaders at Buckingham Palace last September, that the sovereign has a “duty to protect the diversity of our country, including by protecting the space for faith itself and its practice through the religions, cultures, traditions and beliefs to which our hearts and minds direct us as individuals.” And then for emphasis – “By my most profound convictions ... I hold myself bound to respect those who follow other spiritual paths, as well as those who seek to live their lives in accordance with secular ideals.” It is very good news that we have a king who respects all faiths and those who have none. With the British Prime Minister, a practising Hindu, reading Paul’s letter to the Colossians, which speaks to “the loving rule of Christ over all people and all things”, and with Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim, Sikh and other faith leaders taking leadership roles in the coronation service, we can all be hopeful, I believe, that Canada’s monarch and Head of State will become a unifying figure, a force for religious and cultural tolerance and reconciliation, not only in the United Kingdom, but also here in Canada. At St. David’s we too are committed to diversity and inclusion – it is a vision of a “Changed World” and “Changed Lives” – one that recognizes and respects the wisdom of other faiths and that, based on our experience, meaningful conversations with those from other faith traditions also help us to deepen and grow our own faith. With open hearts and open minds towards those from other faith traditions, how then are we to interpret Jesus’ statement to Thomas, that we heard in today’s Gospel reading? Thomas has said to Jesus, towards the end of the Last Supper, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” (14:5) and Jesus replies with one of the greatest of his “I AM” sayings – “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” (14:6). No one? Except through Jesus? How does that sound to our friends at the Har El Synagogue across the highway? And of course many contemporary Christians use this verse to claim that the only way to “eternal life”, in this world or the next, is through Jesus – that there is no room for God’s mystery to be revealed in other religious systems such as Islamic or Jewish. Moreover, the statement is sometimes used out of context, as a threat, to exclude and threaten – that “to be saved” you have to sign up, and accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour. Such an interpretation does violence to the spirit of Jesus’ words. The disciples are profoundly unsettled – they’ve just had their feet washed by their Lord, been told that he will be betrayed by some among them, and that he will soon depart from them. They are full of questions and concerns – “How can we know the way?” (asks Thomas) “Lord, show us the Father” (says Philip). Jesus offers a word of comfort to the disciples - “Do not let your hearts be troubled.” Trust in God, he says, trust also in me (14:1). There’s no need to panic – for Jesus promises them that he himself is all they need – “if you know me, you will know my father also” and so that there can be no misunderstanding “from now on you do know him and have seen him.” For the disciples that evening, Jesus tells them that he is the “way and the truth and the life” – to trust in him is to trust in the Father – to see Jesus is to see the Father, for he is “in the Father and the Father is in me”. For the first disciples, and for those of us in the faith today, Jesus provides the way - the way of being - to reveal the goodness of the Father and, for followers of Jesus, he is our way. But this is not to deny the existence or validity of other paths “up the mountain”, to experience the divine reality of God, however expressed. Then, and even more so now, there are multiple different paths up the mountain, sometimes the paths diverge and sometimes they intersect, but all of them are capable of leading to the “top of the mountain”- one truth, the divine presence, the ultimate reality. For us as Christians, that reality is the Father, whose unconditional love is revealed by the Beloved Son – and the path to the Father is offered through the Son. The historic message of yesterday’s Coronation is that all of these paths are valued. We all start in a context that reflects our upbringing or faith journey, often a long and winding road to where we are today – in King Charles’ case as a committed Anglican: all these paths have intense personal meaning to those who follow them, and all are to be respected and welcomed – because diversity of race and culture and religious expression are gifts from God, to be celebrated, not to be used as threats or opportunities for wedge driving or exclusion. Today, we give God thanks for a monarch who embraces religious diversity and inclusion; a monarch who defends and respects all faiths and beliefs; and a monarch who is called to be a blessing and a servant of all people, after the pattern of Christ Jesus, the Son of God, the Lord of all Lords, the King of all Kings, Amen.

Sunday, April 30th, 2023 – Good Shepherd Sunday Philip’s Reflection: “The Shepherd and the Sheep” (Jn. 10:1-11) It might surprise you to know that sheep are one of my favourite animals and I’ve always felt they get rather unfair treatment – one of the reasons I like sheep is that, for over 200 years, my father’s family have been members of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, in the City of London (England), and this membership has been passed down to me through the generations and now you too have a connection with the Clothworkers, who used to derive their income from supplying sheep’s wool to the textile industry in Britain – for clothing and yarn and of course for the knitting that I know that some of you enjoy. As a Clothworker, you can apply to receive the Freedom of the City of London and you might like to look afterwards at this Certificate, that I received in 2006, granting your Minister this Freedom. And lest you think that this reeks of privilege, you might like to know that, as far as I’m aware, the only right granted to a Citizen and Clothworker of the City of London is the freedom to lead a flock of sheep across London Bridge! When I think of sheep I also think at this time of year of the sound of the sheep and the little lambs in the fields around my mother’s home in the west of England. If you’re out walking, you hear the sheep before you see them and you hear the mother sheep, known as the ewes, calling out to their lambs and the lambs calling back in their distinctive and high pitched voices. And in the evening you see the shepherd arriving to feed and water the flock, a couple of collie dogs rounding them up and into the sheepfold; the shepherd knows and calls to them and, yes, the sheep really do seem to respond, they know the shepherd, they recognize the Shepherd’s voice and when the Shepherd opens the gate to lead them into a different, greener field, the next day, they trust the Shepherd and know it’s safe to follow. In fact, it seems, sheep aren’t at all the “dimwitted” animals they’re often unfairly portrayed – in the spectrum of animal intelligence sheep are in “mid-range”, their intelligence has been measured and is similar to all cattle. I read that they’re almost as smart as pigs and that’s saying something! Sheep are capable of problem-solving, can find their way through a maze, and yes, they do recognize a human face or voice and won’t follow a stranger. Sheep re gregarious, they prefer company, recognizing that for their safety it’s better to stay in a f lock, less likely to get picked off (as we heard in the Gospel reading) by a thief or a bandit. And of course they’re environmentally friendly: for any of you who have walked through a sheep pasture, you’ll know that they provide copious amounts of nutrients for the soil, they’re vegetarian, and one sheep on average produces around 8 lbs. of wool each year – about 80 miles of yarn per sheep – and, even better, it’s all biodegradable! But having done my bit to rehabilitate sheep, I don’t want to mislead you. These “sheep facts” might give you the impression that today’s gospel reading is only about sheep but I’m not sure how many of you would be here today if we called it “Sheep Sunday” – we call it “Good Shepherd Sunday” not just for marketing reasons! Is our gospel reading about the sheep or is it about the shepherd? It seems that those who first heard Jesus telling them about the sheepfold and the gate, and the gatekeeper and the shepherd and the sheep were also wondering – we’re told that “they did not understand what he was saying to them” (Jn. 10:8) and, importantly, that “Jesus used this figure of speech with them” (10:6). So we first need to be careful and, for all us who push back at being identified as sheep, however smart they might be, we need to understand, as is often the case, that Jesus uses an extended metaphor, he talks in poetic terms – using a metaphor that would, of course, be much more familiar in 1st century Palestine than perhaps it is for some of us today. How are we to understand Jesus as the Good Shepherd? First he tell us who he is not – he does not climb into the sheepfold furtively “by another way” – like the thief or bandit who doesn’t care about the sheep but only for their own gain; the good shepherd enters by the gate; he is recognized both by the gatekeeper, who “opens the gate for him”, and by the sheep who know his voice. When he calls the sheep, they follow him, and he leads them out to know the voice of strangers” (10:5). And then, when Jesus sees that his listeners don’t understand his “figure of speech”, he now adds another metaphor “I am the gate for the sheep”, the gate that keeps the sheep together in the sheepfold during the night, safe from predators; and the gate that opens in the day so that the sheep can go out, following their shepherd, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (10:9). Sounds familiar? And of course it is because these words about shepherd and sheep echo the Psalm (23) also appointed for today – who is the shepherd? – the psalmist tells us - “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures...” (Ps. 23: 1-2) And now I think we can understand what Good Shepherd Sunday is really about – it’s not about being a better shepherd or even perhaps about being a better sheep. It’s about the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. For “the Lord is my shepherd” and, particularly for those of us in positions of leadership, whether in ministry or in lay leadership roles, as many of you are, it’s a caution not to become so intent on being shepherds that we no longer listen as sheep to the voice of Jesus. The religious authorities, who Jesus is challenging, think they’re in charge, they’re the shepherds. Jesus tells them that it’s he, not them, who is the true shepherd, and that they need to listen to his voice, a voice that challenges their world, their power, with the new vision proclaimed in the kingdom of God. This is the challenge that Jesus puts before us too, you and me: to be God’s sheep, not shepherds; to be become better followers rather than better leaders. The Good News is that the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep that Jesus describes is the life of faith, one that he promises offers abundant life. It is to trust one’s life to the tender and watchful care of the shepherd. To listen to the shepherd’s voice, the shepherd who knows us and calls us by name; the shepherd who enters the sheepfold by the gate, guarding against all that threatens; the shepherd who opens the gate and leads out the sheep, who goes in front of them, leading them on the right path towards green pastures and still waters – the shepherd who cares equally for each sheep in the flock, and together for the safety of the whole flock; the shepherd who restores and saves. Friends in the faith, to be God’s sheep is to learn to listen to the shepherd’s voice, to follow where the shepherd is leading and to receive the gifts that the shepherd has promised. The gate is now open and God is calling you – follow the shepherd and then “surely goodness and mercy shall follow [you] all the days of [your] life and [you] will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps. 23:6). May it be so. Amen.

Sunday, April 30th, 2023 – Good Shepherd Sunday Philip’s Reflection: “The Shepherd and the Sheep” (Jn. 10:1-11) It might surprise you to know that sheep are one of my favourite animals and I’ve always felt they get rather unfair treatment – one of the reasons I like sheep is that, for over 200 years, my father’s family have been members of the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, in the City of London (England), and this membership has been passed down to me through the generations and now you too have a connection with the Clothworkers, who used to derive their income from supplying sheep’s wool to the textile industry in Britain – for clothing and yarn and of course for the knitting that I know that some of you enjoy. As a Clothworker, you can apply to receive the Freedom of the City of London and you might like to look afterwards at this Certificate, that I received in 2006, granting your Minister this Freedom. And lest you think that this reeks of privilege, you might like to know that, as far as I’m aware, the only right granted to a Citizen and Clothworker of the City of London is the freedom to lead a flock of sheep across London Bridge! When I think of sheep I also think at this time of year of the sound of the sheep and the little lambs in the fields around my mother’s home in the west of England. If you’re out walking, you hear the sheep before you see them and you hear the mother sheep, known as the ewes, calling out to their lambs and the lambs calling back in their distinctive and high pitched voices. And in the evening you see the shepherd arriving to feed and water the flock, a couple of collie dogs rounding them up and into the sheepfold; the shepherd knows and calls to them and, yes, the sheep really do seem to respond, they know the shepherd, they recognize the Shepherd’s voice and when the Shepherd opens the gate to lead them into a different, greener field, the next day, they trust the Shepherd and know it’s safe to follow. In fact, it seems, sheep aren’t at all the “dimwitted” animals they’re often unfairly portrayed – in the spectrum of animal intelligence sheep are in “mid-range”, their intelligence has been measured and is similar to all cattle. I read that they’re almost as smart as pigs and that’s saying something! Sheep are capable of problem-solving, can find their way through a maze, and yes, they do recognize a human face or voice and won’t follow a stranger. Sheep re gregarious, they prefer company, recognizing that for their safety it’s better to stay in a f lock, less likely to get picked off (as we heard in the Gospel reading) by a thief or a bandit. And of course they’re environmentally friendly: for any of you who have walked through a sheep pasture, you’ll know that they provide copious amounts of nutrients for the soil, they’re vegetarian, and one sheep on average produces around 8 lbs. of wool each year – about 80 miles of yarn per sheep – and, even better, it’s all biodegradable! But having done my bit to rehabilitate sheep, I don’t want to mislead you. These “sheep facts” might give you the impression that today’s gospel reading is only about sheep but I’m not sure how many of you would be here today if we called it “Sheep Sunday” – we call it “Good Shepherd Sunday” not just for marketing reasons! Is our gospel reading about the sheep or is it about the shepherd? It seems that those who first heard Jesus telling them about the sheepfold and the gate, and the gatekeeper and the shepherd and the sheep were also wondering – we’re told that “they did not understand what he was saying to them” (Jn. 10:8) and, importantly, that “Jesus used this figure of speech with them” (10:6). So we first need to be careful and, for all us who push back at being identified as sheep, however smart they might be, we need to understand, as is often the case, that Jesus uses an extended metaphor, he talks in poetic terms – using a metaphor that would, of course, be much more familiar in 1st century Palestine than perhaps it is for some of us today. How are we to understand Jesus as the Good Shepherd? First he tell us who he is not – he does not climb into the sheepfold furtively “by another way” – like the thief or bandit who doesn’t care about the sheep but only for their own gain; the good shepherd enters by the gate; he is recognized both by the gatekeeper, who “opens the gate for him”, and by the sheep who know his voice. When he calls the sheep, they follow him, and he leads them out to know the voice of strangers” (10:5). And then, when Jesus sees that his listeners don’t understand his “figure of speech”, he now adds another metaphor “I am the gate for the sheep”, the gate that keeps the sheep together in the sheepfold during the night, safe from predators; and the gate that opens in the day so that the sheep can go out, following their shepherd, “I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved and will come in and go out and find pasture.” (10:9). Sounds familiar? And of course it is because these words about shepherd and sheep echo the Psalm (23) also appointed for today – who is the shepherd? – the psalmist tells us - “The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures...” (Ps. 23: 1-2) And now I think we can understand what Good Shepherd Sunday is really about – it’s not about being a better shepherd or even perhaps about being a better sheep. It’s about the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. For “the Lord is my shepherd” and, particularly for those of us in positions of leadership, whether in ministry or in lay leadership roles, as many of you are, it’s a caution not to become so intent on being shepherds that we no longer listen as sheep to the voice of Jesus. The religious authorities, who Jesus is challenging, think they’re in charge, they’re the shepherds. Jesus tells them that it’s he, not them, who is the true shepherd, and that they need to listen to his voice, a voice that challenges their world, their power, with the new vision proclaimed in the kingdom of God. This is the challenge that Jesus puts before us too, you and me: to be God’s sheep, not shepherds; to be become better followers rather than better leaders. The Good News is that the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep that Jesus describes is the life of faith, one that he promises offers abundant life. It is to trust one’s life to the tender and watchful care of the shepherd. To listen to the shepherd’s voice, the shepherd who knows us and calls us by name; the shepherd who enters the sheepfold by the gate, guarding against all that threatens; the shepherd who opens the gate and leads out the sheep, who goes in front of them, leading them on the right path towards green pastures and still waters – the shepherd who cares equally for each sheep in the flock, and together for the safety of the whole flock; the shepherd who restores and saves. Friends in the faith, to be God’s sheep is to learn to listen to the shepherd’s voice, to follow where the shepherd is leading and to receive the gifts that the shepherd has promised. The gate is now open and God is calling you – follow the shepherd and then “surely goodness and mercy shall follow [you] all the days of [your] life and [you] will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” (Ps. 23:6). May it be so. Amen.

What’s to be done about death? A Sermon by Rev. Dal McCrindle, Minister Emeritus St. David’s United Church, West Vancouver (Written for March 26 Lent 5: delivered on April 16 Easter 2 ) With a voice, loud enough to wake the dead, Jesus cries out to Lazarus' tomb, "Unbind him, and let him go." These words ought to fill us with hope. After all, we, like Lazarus, are bound by the forces of death and decay. If something can't be done about our dying, then nothing much has been done for us. This was a curious gospel for a day, so deep in Lent. We hadn't come to Easter yet; however, we had this resuscitation text. A man is being raised from the dead, not raised in the same way that Jesus will be raised, not resurrected, but still raised from death to life. Doesn't this seem like an Easter story rather than a story fitting for Lent? I hear John saying, in effect, "Whenever Jesus shows up, even if he shows up late in Lent, the dead begin to rise, life begins to break out." Here, deep in Lent, perhaps these words of life strike us even more forcefully than if they had been spoken during the great fifty days following Easter. We are preparing, in the forty days of Lent, for Easter. One way to prepare ourselves is by being honest about the reality of death and the power of God in Jesus Christ to defeat death. Even as Ezekiel sees the Spirit of God enlivening a valley of dry, dead bones, even as Jesus raised Lazarus from the tomb, so Jesus comes to bring life to those of us who live in the valley of the shadow of death. Ezekiel sees a valley full of dry, dead bones. The bones are not only dead, they are dry, really dead. No hope here. Nothing can happen. But then, there comes this strange wind, this breath that brings the dead bones to life. Jesus is summoned to the bedside of his ailing friend Lazarus. Alas, he arrives too late. Lazarus has died. In fact, he has been entombed for three days by the time Jesus gets there. Jesus goes to the cemetery and, in a loud voice, cries out, "Lazarus, come out!" At once, dead Lazarus comes forth, bound up in his grave clothes. And Jesus commands, "Unbind him, and let him go." Although death seems to be in command of our lives, forcing us to evade and to deny its reality, Jesus is in command of death. When he gets to the cemetery, he takes charge, gives the orders, defeats death. It's not yet Easter, God's supreme defeat of death, yet even before Easter, Jesus is Lord of Life. Years ago when I was in University in Philosophy Class our professor spoke of the nobility and the grandeur of living life without the consolations of religion. It was kind of difficult for a theological student. But anyway, he noted all of the famous, good people who had been produced by atheistic and pure humanistic philosophy. So I asked something about death and the professor replied, "Well, yes, young man, death is definitely a problem for humanism. In the face of death, there really is not much to be said by an exclusively human based philosophy of life. Death tends to be the main defeat of secular points of view." Yes, it does. Death is the great, all powerful defeat of all attempts to speak positively about life without God. Though we humans have our virtues, even our most noble ideals and ideas are no match for death. And Jesus just hates death. He grieves when he learns of the death of his friend, Lazarus. "See how he loved him," people exclaim. Those of you who are presently grieving the death of a loved one know exactly what this means. Life, for all of its occasional beauty, loses its lustre because it all ends in death. Before all of our achievements and attainments, death speaks a devastating word. We say things in a vain attempt to comfort ourselves like, "She will live on in our memories; we shall never forget her." But we do. Memory is no match for mortality. We forget, her image gradually slips away from us, and death has the last word. Lazarus in the tomb is bound. And we are also bound. Death jerks us around, determines what we do, fills us with fear. We build, we achieve, accumulate, and acquire. But everything fades, withers, decays, dies. That sombre fact accounts for much of what we do in life. We build our fragile bridges over this great abyss. But we cannot deny that we face an abyss. We try to build some hedge against death, to take out some insurance against it. But then, once we have built, and attained, there is still that mocking voice, "It all ends out at the cemetery, everything finally finishes with me. I am death, and I will have everything. It all belongs to me." Into this sombre reality, a breeze blows, there is a breath, a life-giving breath. Old, dead, dry bones take on flesh, move, live. Jesus comes out to the cemetery and, in a loud, conquering voice, shouts, "Lazarus, come out!" This mummy-like form emerges from the tomb. Then Jesus commands, "Unbind him, and let him go." I think that he is shouting in order to overcome the strong, seemingly invincible voice of death. I think he shouts so that we might hear and look up, and live. On Palm Sunday, we followed Jesus as he goes toward that kingdom called death. We will note, in reading of his prayer in Gethsemane, that he does not want to die. Jesus loves life, this life. Yet he knows that this life doesn't last. We all move toward death, one way or another, today or another day. Watch how Jesus walks down that path toward death. He walks with a kind of serenity, a kind of confidence. He walks confident in the power of God, the giver of life, to give life even in the face of death. He walks not alone. Neither do we. Hear the voice; heed the words: Come out! Rise up! Be unbound! Let go! Live! At least that’s the way I see it! World Peace Prayer The prayer was first publicly used in July 1981 by Mother Teresa in the Anglican Church, St. James’, Piccadilly in London but has its roots as an adaptation of a Hindu mantra by Satish Kumar Lead me from death to life, from falsehood to truth; lead me from despair to hope, from fear to trust; lead me from hate to love, from war to peace. Let peace fill our heart, our world, our universe.

“RAISED A RACIST” A Sermon by Rev. Dal McCrindle, February 5, 2023 Ever since Rev Philip asked me to preach this Sunday, I’ve been very conscious of the seriousness of the day and month: Back Awareness Sunday, or as it used to be called: Black History Month. Today kicks off the 8th Black Awareness month since the United Nations declared a Black Awareness Decade. It is estimated that roughly 200 million people, identify themselves as being of African descent, who live in the Americas while many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent. The more I thought and worried about this day, the more I reminisced on my personal experiences of relating to people of colour. The more I thought, the greater was the vast emptiness in my experience. Born on the west side of Vancouver in an all-white neighbourhood, save the Chinese family that lived at the back part of Allen’s grocery on 39th and Carnarvon, I only knew that people who were not so-called white lived in Africa and Asia. My awareness of Black or coloured people was through books, many now banned for their racist presentations. Even books that contained minor references have been lifted from the Library shelves or at least placed in a restricted section. Needless to say, my mind never considered Blacks, Indigenous, Asian, Latino or anyone else who might live and suffer racism. In those pre-television days, the only visual perspective was through movies, where people of colour were servants, porters, or slaves on the great plantations somewhere far away. Tarzan, one of my favorites at the Hollywood Theatre on Broadway seemed to have a good relationship with them, but those big white hunters, whom Tarzans seemed to be at odds with seemed to be pushing them around and treating them rather poorly. For some reason, even the kids from the Musqueam Reserve, less than a mile from my house remained invisible, in my sight. No, growing up, I didn’t encounter anyone, or at least didn’t take notice of anyone of colour. It wasn’t until my father’s fraternal lodge got into a very hot debate about whether to ban a certain member because he was black. You see, they had this insurance plan that if anything happened to the dads, their children and spouse were eligible to stay at a big sort of orphanage outside Chicago and coloureds were certainly ineligible. Many a discussion was held by my parents around the dining room table about Bill; one of the stalwarts of the Vancouver Moose Lodge, whose wife made the most wonderful apple pies that she would serve following the bowling nights. I never did understand how they resolved that issue since the Moose Organization did not permit blacks to becoming members. I became even more confused when it was declared that Bill wasn’t really black since he was born in the Caribbean; seemed logical, I guess, since blacks came from Africa! Unaware that between 10 and 12 million slaves were imported from Africa for the Caribbean sugar industry, the proceeds from which helped to finance the American revolution since Britain had outlawed slavery. Growing up, no one corrected me or my friends when we used the “N” word to describe the big black Brazil nuts at Christmas time; nor when we recited the rhyme “ennie meanie minnie moe, catch the “N” by the toe, if he hollers, let him go! or when we called all black N’s come home free when playing kick the can, a fanciful hide and seek game. Nor did we even know what we were saying. Disparaging words like monkey were used as normal to describe people of colour, especially blacks. For us and my friends, it was all normal. And no one corrected us or said anything that our words were inappropriate! Imagine the confusion when we were encouraged to sing Negro Spirituals at Sunday School, Scout Camp or Young Peoples Groups. Nice songs but their relevance, ignored. It was just the way things were. Even though slavery was abolished in Canada in 1834, segregation was practised throughout our land and considered just normal. In Vancouver, real estate deeds going back to at least 1928 and included as late as 1965 stated: "That the Grantee or his heirs, administrators, executor, successors or assigns will not sell to, agree to sell to, rent to, lease to, or permit or allow to occupy, the said lands and premises, or any part thereof, any person of the Chinese, Japanese or other Asiatic race or to any Indian or Negro.” The Theatre, kept certain seating for non-whites; the great Louis Armstrong was not permitted to stay at the Hotel Vancouver in 1950 while performing at the Cave Theatre restaurant because he was black! Racial prejudice affected all manner of life if you were not white. Growing up, I was astounded at the civil rights movement in the United States. Then came television. We got ours in 1954 and the immense struggle of black folk close by in the United States became a reality. There, in our living room on a daily basis we could hear and see the plight of citizens of the USA trying to go to school, University, shop, have a drink of water, sit on a bus. I was flabbergasted. Slowly, I came to understand and appreciate what racial prejudice meant. How could I have been so blind to how people could be treated in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Everyone wants to be free but not everyone was concerned that everyone be free. I knew I had been a racist without even knowing it! And no one corrected me! Surely, places like Montreal, Toronto and the Maritimes were more aware as the Underground railroad had enabled fleeing slaves from the States to be smuggled out of their captivity and arrive in Eastern Canada, prior to and following their Civil War. All those songs, couched in Biblical imagery were really about escape, sung right in front of the Masters’ faces: “Ain’t going to tarry here, Babylon’s falling, Children go where I send thee, Deep river, Don’t be weary traveler, My Lord what a morning, o’er the crossing, free at last, go in the wilderness, I must walk this lonesome valley, Children, go where I send you, Michael rowed the boat ashore, one more river to cross, Peace in the valley, rise up shepherd and follow, swing low, sweet chariot.” Under the guise of freedom from this hard life for the sweetness of heaven, a troubled, oppressed people sang and dreamt of freedom. The writer of the first book of the Bible centuries before, put it right, when describing the creation of the world. Everything that God made was good. Following the description of all that God had made, finally ending with the human creature; humankind. God looked on the creation and said. It was very good! How can the way some people have been treated throughout the eons be very good? This cannot be what God intended. Has it always been this way? Some point to the Greeks of old as the best example of democracy and freedom the world has ever known. But did you know, that the average household of ancient Greece had between 4-5 slaves. Rome and the Aztecs were no better, nor any civilization since. Even aboriginal nations in the Americas held slaves. Almost every culture down through the eons enslaved their enemies, neighbours, those indebted or poor. Surely this is not what God intended for those created in the very image of God: to be enslaved, beaten and broken. Paul and Jesus mention slavery, not to condemn it but just a reality. But did Jesus not go further? Did Jesus not come to turn everything upside down – to really change things, as Dr. Hyuk Cho said last Sunday, so we could see everything from a different perspective. On the question of who was one’s neighbour. The example given was one who helped another. In speaking to the multitude. He called them salt and light. Does that not apply to everyone no matter society’s designation? Salt to give flavour, light to shine; showing the way – God’s way?. At the final judgment, Jesus says “...the righteous shall answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you in? or naked, and clothed you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to visit you? And the King shall answer and say to them, Verily I say to you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me.” History and circumstance affects our neighbourhoods. Here, on the West Coast, there may not be the concentrations of those of African Ancestry as there are elsewhere. But there are many people who experience discrimination for one reason or another. May this time that highlights those with African roots, be one that draws attention to any discrimination and celebrates the contributions of all people who add to our society and community for we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world bringing flavour and direction for all creation. This God has ordained when humankind was created and we are his children. Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, All are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world. And shouldn’t we? At least that’s the way I see it.

“RAISED A RACIST” A Sermon by Rev. Dal McCrindle, February 5, 2023 Ever since Rev Philip asked me to preach this Sunday, I’ve been very conscious of the seriousness of the day and month: Back Awareness Sunday, or as it used to be called: Black History Month. Today kicks off the 8th Black Awareness month since the United Nations declared a Black Awareness Decade. It is estimated that roughly 200 million people, identify themselves as being of African descent, who live in the Americas while many millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent. The more I thought and worried about this day, the more I reminisced on my personal experiences of relating to people of colour. The more I thought, the greater was the vast emptiness in my experience. Born on the west side of Vancouver in an all-white neighbourhood, save the Chinese family that lived at the back part of Allen’s grocery on 39th and Carnarvon, I only knew that people who were not so-called white lived in Africa and Asia. My awareness of Black or coloured people was through books, many now banned for their racist presentations. Even books that contained minor references have been lifted from the Library shelves or at least placed in a restricted section. Needless to say, my mind never considered Blacks, Indigenous, Asian, Latino or anyone else who might live and suffer racism. In those pre-television days, the only visual perspective was through movies, where people of colour were servants, porters, or slaves on the great plantations somewhere far away. Tarzan, one of my favorites at the Hollywood Theatre on Broadway seemed to have a good relationship with them, but those big white hunters, whom Tarzans seemed to be at odds with seemed to be pushing them around and treating them rather poorly. For some reason, even the kids from the Musqueam Reserve, less than a mile from my house remained invisible, in my sight. No, growing up, I didn’t encounter anyone, or at least didn’t take notice of anyone of colour. It wasn’t until my father’s fraternal lodge got into a very hot debate about whether to ban a certain member because he was black. You see, they had this insurance plan that if anything happened to the dads, their children and spouse were eligible to stay at a big sort of orphanage outside Chicago and coloureds were certainly ineligible. Many a discussion was held by my parents around the dining room table about Bill; one of the stalwarts of the Vancouver Moose Lodge, whose wife made the most wonderful apple pies that she would serve following the bowling nights. I never did understand how they resolved that issue since the Moose Organization did not permit blacks to becoming members. I became even more confused when it was declared that Bill wasn’t really black since he was born in the Caribbean; seemed logical, I guess, since blacks came from Africa! Unaware that between 10 and 12 million slaves were imported from Africa for the Caribbean sugar industry, the proceeds from which helped to finance the American revolution since Britain had outlawed slavery. Growing up, no one corrected me or my friends when we used the “N” word to describe the big black Brazil nuts at Christmas time; nor when we recited the rhyme “ennie meanie minnie moe, catch the “N” by the toe, if he hollers, let him go! or when we called all black N’s come home free when playing kick the can, a fanciful hide and seek game. Nor did we even know what we were saying. Disparaging words like monkey were used as normal to describe people of colour, especially blacks. For us and my friends, it was all normal. And no one corrected us or said anything that our words were inappropriate! Imagine the confusion when we were encouraged to sing Negro Spirituals at Sunday School, Scout Camp or Young Peoples Groups. Nice songs but their relevance, ignored. It was just the way things were. Even though slavery was abolished in Canada in 1834, segregation was practised throughout our land and considered just normal. In Vancouver, real estate deeds going back to at least 1928 and included as late as 1965 stated: "That the Grantee or his heirs, administrators, executor, successors or assigns will not sell to, agree to sell to, rent to, lease to, or permit or allow to occupy, the said lands and premises, or any part thereof, any person of the Chinese, Japanese or other Asiatic race or to any Indian or Negro.” The Theatre, kept certain seating for non-whites; the great Louis Armstrong was not permitted to stay at the Hotel Vancouver in 1950 while performing at the Cave Theatre restaurant because he was black! Racial prejudice affected all manner of life if you were not white. Growing up, I was astounded at the civil rights movement in the United States. Then came television. We got ours in 1954 and the immense struggle of black folk close by in the United States became a reality. There, in our living room on a daily basis we could hear and see the plight of citizens of the USA trying to go to school, University, shop, have a drink of water, sit on a bus. I was flabbergasted. Slowly, I came to understand and appreciate what racial prejudice meant. How could I have been so blind to how people could be treated in the “land of the free and the home of the brave.” Everyone wants to be free but not everyone was concerned that everyone be free. I knew I had been a racist without even knowing it! And no one corrected me! Surely, places like Montreal, Toronto and the Maritimes were more aware as the Underground railroad had enabled fleeing slaves from the States to be smuggled out of their captivity and arrive in Eastern Canada, prior to and following their Civil War. All those songs, couched in Biblical imagery were really about escape, sung right in front of the Masters’ faces: “Ain’t going to tarry here, Babylon’s falling, Children go where I send thee, Deep river, Don’t be weary traveler, My Lord what a morning, o’er the crossing, free at last, go in the wilderness, I must walk this lonesome valley, Children, go where I send you, Michael rowed the boat ashore, one more river to cross, Peace in the valley, rise up shepherd and follow, swing low, sweet chariot.” Under the guise of freedom from this hard life for the sweetness of heaven, a troubled, oppressed people sang and dreamt of freedom. The writer of the first book of the Bible centuries before, put it right, when describing the creation of the world. Everything that God made was good. Following the description of all that God had made, finally ending with the human creature; humankind. God looked on the creation and said. It was very good! How can the way some people have been treated throughout the eons be very good? This cannot be what God intended. Has it always been this way? Some point to the Greeks of old as the best example of democracy and freedom the world has ever known. But did you know, that the average household of ancient Greece had between 4-5 slaves. Rome and the Aztecs were no better, nor any civilization since. Even aboriginal nations in the Americas held slaves. Almost every culture down through the eons enslaved their enemies, neighbours, those indebted or poor. Surely this is not what God intended for those created in the very image of God: to be enslaved, beaten and broken. Paul and Jesus mention slavery, not to condemn it but just a reality. But did Jesus not go further? Did Jesus not come to turn everything upside down – to really change things, as Dr. Hyuk Cho said last Sunday, so we could see everything from a different perspective. On the question of who was one’s neighbour. The example given was one who helped another. In speaking to the multitude. He called them salt and light. Does that not apply to everyone no matter society’s designation? Salt to give flavour, light to shine; showing the way – God’s way?. At the final judgment, Jesus says “...the righteous shall answer him, saying, Lord, when did we see you hungry, and fed you? or thirsty, and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger, and take you in? or naked, and clothed you? Or when did we see you sick, or in prison, and came to visit you? And the King shall answer and say to them, Verily I say to you, inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you have done it to me.” History and circumstance affects our neighbourhoods. Here, on the West Coast, there may not be the concentrations of those of African Ancestry as there are elsewhere. But there are many people who experience discrimination for one reason or another. May this time that highlights those with African roots, be one that draws attention to any discrimination and celebrates the contributions of all people who add to our society and community for we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world bringing flavour and direction for all creation. This God has ordained when humankind was created and we are his children. Jesus loves the little children, All the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, All are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world. And shouldn’t we? At least that’s the way I see it.

How Honourable You Are Micah 6:1-8; Matthew 5:1-12 January 29, 2023 St. David’s United Church, West Vancouver Hyuk Cho (The Rev. Dr., Director of UC Formation and Studies) Good morning! I bring you greetings on behalf of the Vancouver School of Theology. It is my great honour and pleasure to be your guest preacher on VST Sunday. I heard about your fascinating ministries from Rev. Bob Burrows, who is working with me at West Point Point Grey United. Congratulations to Rev. Philip Francis for your new ministry and witness to God’s mission here at St. David’s United. This is my hope and Rev. Fransis’ that St. David’s could offer much to VST as a potential learning site in various ministries, particularly in the further development of intercultural ministries and VST also could offer various leadership and learning opportunities to St. David’s. I hope we can develop a mutual relationship for God’s mission together. Let us pray: May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in your sight, O God, our rock and our source of hope. Amen. When I was young, I used to watch my father practise yoga. He would assume various positions and meditate. He often said, “Yoga is good for the body and the mind,” but it did not seem important to me at the time. One day he caught my attention by standing on his head. He braced his elbows on the ground, lifted his back, straightened his knees and then lifted his feet up toward the ceiling. It looked great. I wanted to learn that pose so I could show off to my friends. I practised that headstand pose over and over, but I kept falling down; it was not easy. Even though I couldn’t hold the pose for long, after much repetition, I gradually learned to do it. Interestingly, when I stood on my head, I saw the world differently. The world was upside down. Grass stretched up in front of my eyes. Trees grew down. Birds and clouds flew under my feet. When I stood on my head, I saw everything in a new way. There was not much difference among the height of human beings, the grass, lumps of earth and stones on the ground; all were relatively the same from my new perspective. The ants no longer seemed as small as I recalled. Adults seemed no taller or bigger than children. And even small children looked tall. Here in Canada, I took lessons in yoga; there were only two men out of the dozen people in our class. It looked to me as if yoga was for women, but, of course, it is for anyone. Some scholars even suggest that Jesus must have learned yoga. During the “lost years,” those between Jesus being 12 and 30, we don’t have any record of Jesus’ life. According to the history of the Mar Thoma Church in South India, Jesus spent some time in India. I don’t know if he learned to do headstands there, but I do know that, in the record of the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks as if he were looking at life and the world upside down from the conventional perspective. I muse that Jesus must often have stood on his head to see things differently, because his messages often turn conventional wisdom and the world’s value system upside down and inside out. At that time, conventional wisdom must have put it this way: blessed are the clever, for they shall not be fooled; blessed are the strong, for their enemies shall fear them; blessed are the wealthy, for they shall never go hungry. Doesn’t that sound more familiar? This is still our conventional wisdom today. We are trying to be clever, strong, and wealthy. We believe these aspirations will surely make us happy. However, Jesus sees things differently. He says, blessed are the poor, the meek and the sorrowful. We might react by thinking he is making a bad joke or being sarcastic. Whoever finds happiness through being hungry and thirsty for righteousness or by being reviled and persecuted? Rejoice and be glad in that! No one with any sense is going to agree with any of these biblical descriptors of happiness and values. But Jesus does not ask for anyone’s approval; he just invites us to view the world differently. We see this view in the prophet Micah. The prophet Micah lives in a time of difficulty and hopelessness. Micah observes rampant injustice in his society. Throughout his book, Micah asks how God can use Israel as the medium of God’s blessing on the nations when Israel is sinful and shameful. In their unjust society, Micah challenges himself and his people to how such a nation can be the instrument of God. He asks, “what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God (6:8)? In Jesus’ time, the people were politically oppressed, culturally colonized by the Roman Empire and economically forced to pay huge amounts of taxes and religiously stigmatized as “sinners.” The people had absolutely no room to step backwards from keeping the law. Out of the depth of the people’s suffering, Jesus sees his ministry. His inaugural sermon grows out of these circumstances. So, we too can hear his message. I am wondering what Jesus’ message would be to us if he were living in our time. In our human history there were frequent epidemics and pandemics. The medieval Black Death (1347-51) and the Spanish flu (1918) caused many deaths and severe illness to human beings. However, in our day, the quality of health care has been greatly improved. With a disease prevention system, public health and personal hygiene in place, we human beings have been successful in overcoming the outbreaks. I am confident we are going to overcome this pandemic, COVID-19. In this pandemic, the entire world has learned how to control viruses and we know how to prevent their spread. Perhaps more fearful than the new virus is the virus of hate and exclusion. The most dangerous virus is a mix of fearmongering and racial stereotyping. In Jesus’ sermon on the Mount, his message is about the blessing of the oppressed – the poor, the mourners, the meek and those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. If Jesus were here today, he would bless healthcare workers and those who are suffering from the virus. From the ground level, we may begin to see more clearly God’s blessed ones in places it would hardly have occurred to us to look. We may begin to realize that the blessed ones are not just people we can help but people who can help us to see what we can do together for the common good. From a different perspective, we may begin to see that those who have been bruised for peace and justice are not the sad ones but the happy ones, because they have found something worth being bruised for, something worth living for and something worth dying for. 3 From a different perspective, we begin to see what God sees and how God acts. We can be companions with God and with God’s blessed ones. According to a Biblical scholar, the Beatitudes would be translated in our day as: “How honourable” or “How full of honour.” In this regard, I would say how honourable you are the people at St. David’s United. How honourable you are who do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with your God. We are all blessed, as we, when we stand on our heads, share God’s dreams for the world. Perhaps I should resume the yoga practice of standing on my head and meditating. So that I too gain a new perspective, God’s dream, and, of course, to maintain a healthy life. Will you join me in practising yoga? Thanks be to God for this new dream from the ground. Amen.

“The Baptism of a Jewish Boy” A Reflection by Leslie Buerschaper – January 9, 2023 On May 15, 1927, a baby boy was born in Herford, Germany to a Christian mother and a Jewish father. It is important to note here that by Jewish law, a baby is only Jewish if born of a Jewish mother. Despite family tradition, the boy’s mother decided not to have the baby baptized. Now this baby lived with his mother, father, his mother’s three sisters, and their husbands, in the hotel the baby’s maternal grandparents owned and operated. One of the boy’s uncles was particularly upset with his sister-in-law’s decision to not baptize his nephew. So, one night, the uncle snuck the infant out of their home and took him down the street to the family church. The minister was waiting for them and, in secret, baptized the baby. Unlike the secret baptism of the baby boy with the Jewish father, the baptism of Jesus was a more public event. Matthew 3 verse 5-6 says this: “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.” John was following the ancient Jewish practice of baptism: a practice of ritual bathing or cleansing. The Hebrew word for ritual bathing is Mikveh. Mikveh has many meanings depending on the context. It can mean something waited for, a collection of water, a caravan, gathering together, hope or pool of water. In Jeremiah 17 we are told that God is the Mikveh of Israel and that those who turn away from God will be dried out. The practice of ritual cleansing performed by John was a practice of renewing one’s relationship with God, or in simple terms, turning back to God. When Jesus came to his cousin John to be baptized, John didn’t want to do, he didn’t feel worthy. John argues that Jesus should be baptizing him. John is steering us to the fact that Jesus is not the typical candidate for baptism. We learn about the baptism of Jesus in all three of the synoptic Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that John baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. These three Gospels also tell us that after the Baptism, the Heavens opened up, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and God said “this is my son and I am well pleased.” Matthew, however, is the only gospel that has the brief conversation between John and Jesus. Jesus says to John “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Why is this? Scholars believe that Luke’s audience was Gentiles, Mark’s Gentile converts, predominantly in Rome, but Matthew’s Gospel was geared to a Jewish audience and baptism was a ritual of the Jewish people at the time. Does Matthew suspect his readers may believe Jesus needs to be cleansed of sin? Maybe. Or is Matthew showing that John is obeying God and paving the way for God’s proclamation: “this is my son.” These words from God dispel any question as to who Jesus is. The baptism also places Jesus at the same starting point as the people he has come to save. Six years after the boy with the Jewish father was secretly baptized, Adolf Hitler gained power. Information quickly began to flow about the Nazi’s plans for the Jewish people. The baby boy was now six and his father began to panic. He secured passage for his family to San Francisco. It was time for the boy’s uncle to reveal his secret. He told the boy’s parents about the secret baptism and gave them the baptism certificate. As a result, the boy’s mother refused to leave Germany and her family. She believed her son was safe. The boy’s father moved to San Francisco and never saw his family again. The family believed the boy’s baptism had literally saved his life. In 1943, Nazi authorities declared that Germany had been cleansed of the Jewish people and they temporarily halted deportation to concentration camps. At this time, fewer than 20,000 Jewish people remained in Germany. Some were in hiding, others were not deported “because race laws classified them as of mixed ancestry, or part Jewish.” , like the boy with the Jewish father. The word to note here is temporarily. At some point the boy with the Jewish father was placed on the Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutes list. His reference number was 5532001 and his document ID was 70662095. Sometime in early 1944, the SS stormed into the family home and took the now 16-year-old boy. The family resisted and presented the boy’s baptism certificate. It was dismissed. The boy was seized, put on a train and transported to a concentration camp. Although often at odds with each other, the German Christian movement had a strong role to play in the Nazi’s plan to create the perfect Arian race. Churches of the German Christian movement provided baptism records of children, their parents and grandparent to prove that they were Christian. However, if both maternal and paternal grandparents were not baptized, children were put on the Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutes list even if the children themselves had been baptized. It was the belief of the German Christian movement that baptism did not , and I quote, “change the status of a Jew...baptism could not make a Jew a German.. and baptism could not make a Jew a Christian.” Another one of the boy’s uncles was a personal chef for a Nazi colonel. This uncle learned of his nephew’s detainment and forged papers to secure his release. He took the boy home and put him in to hiding where he stayed until the end of the war. The uncle was caught and sentenced to fight within one of the Nazi’s penal battalions in Poland at the Russian front. He was captured and sent to a labor camp in Russia. Somehow, he escaped and made his way home. When he arrived, he weighed a mere 85 pounds. In 1951, the uncle moved his family to Canada and never saw the nephew he saved again. That baptized Jewish boy was my dad’s cousin: the uncle that saved him, my beloved grandfather. It is likely that our own baptism experience was very different from the boy with the Jewish father’s. The reasons for his baptism are also likely very different. Jesus’ baptism experience was also very different from our own experience. Jesus’ baptism mirrors the prophecy of Isaiah that we heard in the Isaiah reading today: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” And although God’s Spirit descended like a dove and alighted on him, we know Jesus was from the Spirit, he did not receive it. The moment of baptism for Jesus was the recognition that he was chosen: chosen to teach, chosen to serve faithfully, chosen to be in community, chosen to create a disciple family, chosen to advance justice and equality, chosen for his time, chosen for our time. The moment of baptism or confirmation for Christians is the recognition of a calling to God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. A calling to us to teach, serve faithfully, be in community, create a disciple family, to advance justice and equality in our time. May it be so.

“The Baptism of a Jewish Boy” A Reflection by Leslie Buerschaper – January 9, 2023 On May 15, 1927, a baby boy was born in Herford, Germany to a Christian mother and a Jewish father. It is important to note here that by Jewish law, a baby is only Jewish if born of a Jewish mother. Despite family tradition, the boy’s mother decided not to have the baby baptized. Now this baby lived with his mother, father, his mother’s three sisters, and their husbands, in the hotel the baby’s maternal grandparents owned and operated. One of the boy’s uncles was particularly upset with his sister-in-law’s decision to not baptize his nephew. So, one night, the uncle snuck the infant out of their home and took him down the street to the family church. The minister was waiting for them and, in secret, baptized the baby. Unlike the secret baptism of the baby boy with the Jewish father, the baptism of Jesus was a more public event. Matthew 3 verse 5-6 says this: “Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, 6and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.” John was following the ancient Jewish practice of baptism: a practice of ritual bathing or cleansing. The Hebrew word for ritual bathing is Mikveh. Mikveh has many meanings depending on the context. It can mean something waited for, a collection of water, a caravan, gathering together, hope or pool of water. In Jeremiah 17 we are told that God is the Mikveh of Israel and that those who turn away from God will be dried out. The practice of ritual cleansing performed by John was a practice of renewing one’s relationship with God, or in simple terms, turning back to God. When Jesus came to his cousin John to be baptized, John didn’t want to do, he didn’t feel worthy. John argues that Jesus should be baptizing him. John is steering us to the fact that Jesus is not the typical candidate for baptism. We learn about the baptism of Jesus in all three of the synoptic Gospels. Matthew, Mark and Luke all tell us that John baptized Jesus in the river Jordan. These three Gospels also tell us that after the Baptism, the Heavens opened up, the Holy Spirit came down like a dove and God said “this is my son and I am well pleased.” Matthew, however, is the only gospel that has the brief conversation between John and Jesus. Jesus says to John “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Why is this? Scholars believe that Luke’s audience was Gentiles, Mark’s Gentile converts, predominantly in Rome, but Matthew’s Gospel was geared to a Jewish audience and baptism was a ritual of the Jewish people at the time. Does Matthew suspect his readers may believe Jesus needs to be cleansed of sin? Maybe. Or is Matthew showing that John is obeying God and paving the way for God’s proclamation: “this is my son.” These words from God dispel any question as to who Jesus is. The baptism also places Jesus at the same starting point as the people he has come to save. Six years after the boy with the Jewish father was secretly baptized, Adolf Hitler gained power. Information quickly began to flow about the Nazi’s plans for the Jewish people. The baby boy was now six and his father began to panic. He secured passage for his family to San Francisco. It was time for the boy’s uncle to reveal his secret. He told the boy’s parents about the secret baptism and gave them the baptism certificate. As a result, the boy’s mother refused to leave Germany and her family. She believed her son was safe. The boy’s father moved to San Francisco and never saw his family again. The family believed the boy’s baptism had literally saved his life. In 1943, Nazi authorities declared that Germany had been cleansed of the Jewish people and they temporarily halted deportation to concentration camps. At this time, fewer than 20,000 Jewish people remained in Germany. Some were in hiding, others were not deported “because race laws classified them as of mixed ancestry, or part Jewish.” , like the boy with the Jewish father. The word to note here is temporarily. At some point the boy with the Jewish father was placed on the Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutes list. His reference number was 5532001 and his document ID was 70662095. Sometime in early 1944, the SS stormed into the family home and took the now 16-year-old boy. The family resisted and presented the boy’s baptism certificate. It was dismissed. The boy was seized, put on a train and transported to a concentration camp. Although often at odds with each other, the German Christian movement had a strong role to play in the Nazi’s plan to create the perfect Arian race. Churches of the German Christian movement provided baptism records of children, their parents and grandparent to prove that they were Christian. However, if both maternal and paternal grandparents were not baptized, children were put on the Registration of Foreigners and German Persecutes list even if the children themselves had been baptized. It was the belief of the German Christian movement that baptism did not , and I quote, “change the status of a Jew...baptism could not make a Jew a German.. and baptism could not make a Jew a Christian.” Another one of the boy’s uncles was a personal chef for a Nazi colonel. This uncle learned of his nephew’s detainment and forged papers to secure his release. He took the boy home and put him in to hiding where he stayed until the end of the war. The uncle was caught and sentenced to fight within one of the Nazi’s penal battalions in Poland at the Russian front. He was captured and sent to a labor camp in Russia. Somehow, he escaped and made his way home. When he arrived, he weighed a mere 85 pounds. In 1951, the uncle moved his family to Canada and never saw the nephew he saved again. That baptized Jewish boy was my dad’s cousin: the uncle that saved him, my beloved grandfather. It is likely that our own baptism experience was very different from the boy with the Jewish father’s. The reasons for his baptism are also likely very different. Jesus’ baptism experience was also very different from our own experience. Jesus’ baptism mirrors the prophecy of Isaiah that we heard in the Isaiah reading today: “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” And although God’s Spirit descended like a dove and alighted on him, we know Jesus was from the Spirit, he did not receive it. The moment of baptism for Jesus was the recognition that he was chosen: chosen to teach, chosen to serve faithfully, chosen to be in community, chosen to create a disciple family, chosen to advance justice and equality, chosen for his time, chosen for our time. The moment of baptism or confirmation for Christians is the recognition of a calling to God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. A calling to us to teach, serve faithfully, be in community, create a disciple family, to advance justice and equality in our time. May it be so.