Sermon at Bolton Abbey - Christ's Baptism

Mark 1:4-11
4John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Well, the Gospels begin with John the Baptist, my favourite bible character. What person he must have been – the most unlikely of people to represent God – I would have loved to have seen him getting through a Church of England selection conference. You probably heard enough about him during the Advent Season so we won’t focus on him to much – he would prefer it if we focused on the one who was to come after him, one more powerful and so full of the holy spirit.

Jesus comes humbly as one of the masses that thronged to John, one of the people, one of us – and as he goes down into the water, he has the amazing vision, the heavens opening, and Gods spirit coming as a dove, and those beautiful words of confirmation – you are my son, the beloved – with whom I am well pleased.

Nobody else heard it, not even John the Baptist, or else later he wouldn’t have had to send out his disciples just to make sure – no – this was a message to Jesus, a message of love and confirmation that gave birth to his amazing ministry that was to change the lives of billions of people. How wonderful it is to make a new start, knowing that you are loved and affirmed.


And it starts with water – baptism, the wake up call, the splash that makes you see things more clearly, the cold that forces you suddenly up from your slumber

Well, at the start of 2009, the world needs its splash of water in the face – for it seems that as a world we are happy to sleepwalk into disaster. We still seem to believe that we can solve problems by bombing our neighbours to oblivion; we still believe that our world can survive despite our addiction to consumption and energy use, we still believe that we can rescue global capitalism despite the evidence around us that it is causing misery and poverty around the world.

Christianity, like Jesus’ ministry, must be about awakening us to the realities of the world. We are called to repentance so that we may begin again afresh.

I love the word fresh, I love it’s connotations, fresh experiences, fresh understanding, fresh fruit, as Christians we are not called to be rotten, smelly, used up – we are called to be fresh.

My post is called ‘fresh expressions minister for young people in Bradford centre’ and the challenge that I have faced is how to be a splash of water in the face of a society that has become ‘comfortably numb’. It has called me to some unusual places and I have often got myself into all sorts of messes.

The most well known ministry is Bradford Street Angels, where teams of us walk the streets of Bradford on Friday and Saturday night, and look after people who have got themselves worse for ware, we invariable try to protect women and younger people who may have lost their mates and are vulnerable to violence.

The success of that ministry have been phenomenal – a reduction in drink related crime of 22% and violent crime against the person by up to 60% - and all we have to do is walk round and be pleasant to people.

Its great, but mostly for a reason that goes overlooked. It proves that the churches are relevant in the most surprising contexts and that instead of complaining about the problem, we can be creative in being part of a fresh solution.

Another aspect of my job has been working with the local Asylum seekers courts – a place where those who come from the horrors of Iraq, Afghanistan, Zimbabwe and the Congo come to tell their stories to hostile judges and home office representatives. 80% have their cases turned down mostly because they have no solicitor and don’t have the experience or the language skills to tell their stories effectively. We have worked with the staff at Phoenix House to go in and simply serve tea and coffee, offering a sympathetic ear to all, and often we can point them to community projects that may be able to offer them support.

Again, as Christians, our job must be to see the world as it is, and turn it around in the image of Christ – taking a situation of fear, and turning it into one of love and hospitality.

The only way that we can offer new things and have the confidence to do them, is by first offering ourselves to God, admitting our faults, and preparing ourselves to be subjected to the power of renewal. As the passage from Acts says, when we have been awakened to the world with water, the Baptism of John, we must be prepared to undergo a further baptism. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit – the only power in this world that can help us transform the world into the kingdom of God.

The Acts reading confuses us, is the Holy Spirit about speaking in strange tongues that we can’t understand? No, it is about an experience that builds us up, by allowing God to speak to us. The Baptism of Christ gives us a better picture of how the spirit works ; We know when the spirit is with us – it is when we feel God is near saying ‘you are a child of God, and I love you and with you I am well pleased’

God spirit builds us up in confidence so that we are transformed, and able to then do great things, things we never felt possible.

What are the things that need transforming here in this church? Things appear so tranquil and perfect, but we all know that below the surface there are always currents and eddies!– And what about you? What are the things in your life that need to be let go of to allow a new birth and a new confidence? Do you sense God’s spirit hovering over you? Can you hear God letting you know that you are his child, and that you are loved beyond imagining? You are Gods child, and you are loved. Don’t ever forget that.

Day 3 Protest

On the third day of January, the blogging stopped, and protest began. We waited in infirmary fields to steward a march of what we hoped would be 200-300 people. At one o'clock, it looked nearer 2000 people, and by the end of the march, as we gathered in town, it could have been as many as 3000. Anger at the bombing of Gaza is huge, though mainly in the Muslim community. It was the largest demo we had seen in Bradford since the huge anti war demo in January 2003 - but this was the first time that young Muslims had dared showed so much courage in standing up for the Palestinians. Since 9/11, many have been to worried about being labelled extremists.

The march was peaceful and powerful. Even the police we surprised at how well managed it was. Our organisation - 'United for Palestine' will be a force to be reckoned with. The council have tried to silence it, but people cannot help but resist the bombing and inhumanity that they are seeing on their screens.

Following the demo, there has been vigils, occupations, blockades of companies supporting Israel and a large national demo which we were able to send 5 coaches to from Bradford. Until the bombing stops, until the siege of Gaza ends, the protests will not end.

2009 - Day 2 'Free Gaza Now!'

The Gospel is from John 1 verses 19-28, with John the Baptist pointing to Jesus as he baptises people with repentance. A crucial part of our journey in life is to know who we are. John is offered the chance to be like a great prophet or even the messiah. He knows the calls are a temptation and he knows their danger. We are children of God, not set apart from our brothers and sisters, but one of them. Yet the desire for recognition and authority is always with us. John points to a better way, refusing labels of greatness, and humbling himself before God.

I awoke to see a large piece of graffiti adorning the university wall opposite our house. 'Free Gaza Now'. When I was a lot younger, I used to do my fair share of graffiti writing. We all used to have a 'tag' an identification to demonstrate who had done the most impressive scrawl in the most imaginative place. This graffiti writer was a modern John the Baptist - not pointing to himself, but to greater truths of the kingdom - one day, all will be made free. Those who imprison and cause suffering will be held to account, for their values are not those of God. Repent, the kingdom of God is at hand!

2009 - Day 1

My Lectionary begins the year with Luke 2: 16-21 the shepherds coming and discovering the newborn Jesus. A great way to begin - A God who reveals her nature in the tenderness of a tiny baby, born in poverty and despair (homelessness and insecurity). The shepherds, the poor of their day, often despised and excluded are to be the first witnesses of this new creation. What joy. Our task for this new year, and all fresh starts, is to be joyful that God is with us, and creates hope amongst our despair. We bear witness to this changemaker, we celebrate this life and herald a new beginning, full of the promise of peace, love and joy.

How we do this in a world so full of conflict and unhappiness is a more complex question to answer. One way was unfolded to me at the cinema on the 1st day of January in the form of 'Che - parts 1 and 2'. On this, the 50th anniversary of the Cuban victory (The dictator Batista fled Havana on 1st Jan 1959) a new set of films have been made, portraying the life and death of one of the 20th centuries most important figures. Part 1 is a marvel, it shows how a small group of determined people with a desire to change an unequal world achieved the almost impossible. The direction is light, and the real history is allowed to tell the story.

The achievements for the poor in Cuba have been immense, and the victory of the revolution should continue to inspire and change us.

Part 2 focuses on Che's time in Bolivia, prior to his execution. It is altogether more chilling and disturbing. It was a disastrous expedition from the start. It displays though, that the true revolutionary cannot afford not to take risks. Che would never have left the legacy that he has without being prepared to die for the sake of humanity. This is the crossover with our Christian faith. We live it out, we take risks, and we must be even prepared to die for it. That is all too easy to say in the comfort of 2 Ashgrove, but we must be in solidarity with those in Cuba, Venezuela, Palestine, Iraq, Zimbabwe, and all those who risk death struggling for a world of justice and peace.