Readings for the First Sunday after the Epiphany – The Baptism of Our Lord (Year C)
This sermon was preached at Christ Episcopal Church Eureka on Sunday January 12, 2025.
Eleven years ago, I was ordained to the priesthood at the Cathedral of St. John in the Diocese of Los Angeles, a diocese that welcomed and confirmed me as an Episcopalian in 2007 and then walked alongside me for another seven years, helping me discern and to eventually affirm my call to ordained ministry. Today, this same diocese is being ravaged by raging wildfires that have taken several peoples’ lives and destroyed thousands of buildings: homes, churches, synagogues, and libraries. Yesterday, four more priests were ordained at St. John’s Cathedral in Los Angeles and one new priest named Michael is currently serving at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Altadena, a parish with which I frequently collaborated in youth ministry, and which now grieves the tragic destruction of their beautiful church home. A home that boasted a colorful stained-glass window of Archbishop Desmond Tutu embracing two children, a window donated to the church by the youth group, and which was blessed by the archbishop himself. When he was asked what he wanted people to see when they looked at the window, Desmond Tutu said, “I want them to see the light that shines through it, and know it comes from God.” People can no longer see the light shining through that window; and thousands of others can no longer enjoy seeing the light that comes from shining through the windows of their own homes.
I honestly find the Scripture readings today troubling and disturbing in light of this tragic news. The Psalm describes the destructive voice of the Lord, breaking the cedar trees, shaking the wilderness, making the oak trees writhe, stripping the forests bare, and splitting the flames of fire. Both New Testament readings describe the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, which the incendiary prophet John the Baptist describes as a Baptism of Fire, which the Messiah uses as a “winnowing fork” to separate the wheat from the chaff, which “he will burn with unquenchable fire.” Now fire is a powerful metaphor for our encounters with the Holy. 14th century English mystic Richard Rolle used it in his magnum opus, The Fire of Love, and one of the most viewed videos on our YouTube channel is a sermon I preached on the “Controlled Burn” of God’s Love. However, this does not feel like the time to stress the healing and cleansing power of fire. The destruction in Los Angeles is too raw and the destruction continues even now.
Thank God we also have our reading from the prophet Isaiah who also speaks of fire but with a promise of companionship and friendship and loving care: “Thus says the Lord who created you, Do not fear, for I have called you by name. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. Because you are precious in my sight, and I love you. Do not fear, for I am with you.” These are words of hope and encouragement in the face of unspeakable tragedy. You are not alone. You are my beloved. You will get through this, and God will be with you each step of the way.
This promise of God’s companionship and friendship amidst tragedy is amplified by the fact that today is the Feast Day of St. Aelred of Rievaulx, the English Cistercian abbot who wrote the classic Christian text on friendship, De spirituali amicitia, On Spiritual Friendship. In this book, St. Aelred flirts with the idea that God is friendship. He defines friendship as a harmony between two people that is coupled with affection and goodwill, which involves wishing for the other person’s ultimate good. He says, “When we wish for what is good for our friends, we become guardians of their souls, rejoicing with them in their joys, and weeping in their sorrows. As best we can, we try to feel our friends’ feelings as if they were our own.”[1] May we extend this goodwill to our friends and neighbors in southern California, even now. I invite you to hold the people of southern California in your heart now and pray, “May you know you are not alone. May you be safe and protected. May you be at peace.”
When teaching his fellow monks, Aelred says, “Your spiritual journey, I’m sorry to say, will … include seasons of suffering [but] a patient friend will be your lifeline as you move through such stormy seasons. They will listen lovingly to you when your heart laments.”[2] May our friends and neighbors in LA find these spiritual lifelines as they move through this stormy season. May they find patient friends who will listen to their heart’s laments. May they experience the healing power of friendship, the healing power of the God who made them and loved them, the healing power of God who is friendship.
If you know someone else in your life who is passing through a fiery season of suffering, I invite you to offer them this same prayer, “May you know you are not alone. May you be safe and protected. May you be at peace.” If you yourself are passing through a stormy season of suffering, offer yourself this prayer, “May you know you are not alone. May you be safe and protected. May you be at peace.”
Before I conclude with a final prayer, I invite you to give generously during the offering today since today all the loose plate offerings will be given to Bishop Megan’s Discretionary Fund for Fire Recovery in the Los Angeles Diocese. May our gifts be tangible expressions of our prayer that they may know they are not alone, that they may be safe and protected, and that they may be at peace. May those who receive our gifts and prayers and friendship experience light shine through them; and may they know that light comes from God, who loves them and walks alongside them.
Let us pray.
Lord and Holy Protector, like the disciples who were caught in their small boat amid a mighty storm, we seek Your help for all in harm’s way in the Diocese of Los Angeles.
We pray you to calm this deadly storm of wind and fire, as we also ask your strong protection for all first responders, all who are evacuated, all offering hospitality, and for all the leaders and people in the region. Be with those who are fearful, who are in danger, who are lost in the fog of disaster.
We pray for your beautiful creation and for all wildlife and livestock in danger. We pray for willing and committed hearts, strong in support and loving response to our suffering neighbors. May we do all we can to be healers in the aftermath.
We know that You hear all prayers, and, confident in your love, we lift our petitions to You, our God, through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
[1] Daniel DeForest London, Spiritual Friendship Distilled (Apocryphile Press: Hannacroix NY, 2024), 9.
[2] Daniel DeForest London, Spiritual Friendship Distilled (Apocryphile Press: Hannacroix NY, 2024),47.
DANIEL DeFOREST LONDON 