Chosen

I hesitate to bring this issue up; the furor has finally seemed to die down, and that’s good. And you can relax, no, I’m not going to talk about anything related to General Convention, at least not today, although I certainly do not believe that avoidance or denial are appropriate responses to those issues. The issue on my mind today, speaking partly tongue-in-cheek and partly with great seriousness, is tag on the playground. Do you remember not so long ago when it was all over the news that some school districts or communities had banned the playing of tag on school playgrounds? Ironically, I can’t remember now exactly what the concern was. Whether it was felt that children would be hurt by always being "it" or by never being "it"… In any case, some adults felt strongly that this was an important issue for children and that the children would feel marginalized and their self-esteem would be tarnished if the children’s hopes (to be it or not to be it) were not fulfilled. (When I was growing up, the playground game of choice was red rover—which was considerably rougher on both the body and the psyche than tag could ever be.)

Seriously, the playground does provide many true metaphors for life. For example, along with the image of a gaggle of children playing tag, there is the image of choosing up sides for team endeavors. Two captains, who one by one, pick their teams. Choose me; choose me, every child is thinking. Self-esteem, self-image really is on the line. Every child deeply, desperately wanting to be chosen. No one wants to be the last one left… not really chosen at all… just assigned by default to whatever group is left… not desired or chosen. Not valued.

The so-called Servant Songs are beautiful passages in Isaiah. We heard from the First Servant Song in this morning’s Old Testament reading. Scholars debate about who the servant is… who is addressed in these passages. It is God who speaks, God’s voice that is heard. To whom is God speaking? If you hear God speaking to you, that is good. "Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights." You are my chosen, God says. You are the one in whom my soul delights.

This First Sunday after the Epiphany is the day on which the church always remembers the Baptism of Jesus. We hear the voice of God speaking to Jesus: You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. At baptism, Jesus heard God’s voice say specifically to him: You are my Beloved. With you I am well pleased. Today is also a day on which we offer baptism. This morning we baptize Rolan Daniel Frye. Today God will speak directly, personally to Rolan. You, Rolan, are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. In baptism, God will speak to Rolan. You are chosen, forever chosen as Christ’s own. You are my beloved. You are one in whom my soul delights. With you, little one, God says, I am well pleased.

(As a lighthearted aside, I just have to mention that Rolan, of course, could claim to be chosen regardless of baptism. Or at least half chosen. Since his mother is a Kjosen.)

At baptism, we are chosen by God, adopted as God’s beloved. The solution to the tag problem if it is a problem is not to ban tag; the solution is to ensure that children know they are valued and loved regardless of whether or not they are "it" on the playground. This is good psychology and even better theology. Whether you are picked first or last for red rover, you are God’s chosen; God’s beloved. That is the message of baptism.

We all have a role to play to ensure that Rolan grows up knowing he is God’s chosen. We will take that vow this morning. It is here that, day by day, he will learn that he is God’s cherished, experience himself as God’s beloved. It is here that he will hear, again and again, God’s voice speaking to him, claiming him as Christ’s own.

All of us have at least two very important reasons to come to church, to attend worship regularly and to participate in the life of this congregation. Two reasons. One is to be a part of Rolan’s growing up to know himself as God’s chosen. We all share that sacred responsibility towards him and, of course, towards all of our other fellow, baptized Christians. But the other reason to come to church often is to hear God’s voice for ourselves. Here, in this place, in our worship, in our community, here is where God speaks directly, personally to each of us saying again and again: You are my chosen. You are the one in whom my soul delights. You are my beloved.

There is a hymn in our hymnal most appropriately used after Communion. As I thought of it I was misremembering it, thinking the first line was "Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands that you have chosen." The hymn does remind us, as does Isaiah, that it is for service that we are chosen. As God’s chosen, God’s beloved, we are to serve God and God’s purpose in the world. As Isaiah says, we are chosen to be bearers of God’s hope and God’s justice. "Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands that you have chosen." The hymn actually begins, "Strengthen for service, Lord, the hands that holy things have taken." Which, if you think about it, is an even more powerful way to say the same thing. Our hands have been chosen, we have been chosen, to receive holy things… the holy Body and Blood of Jesus Christ. Every time we gather here to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, God says to us: I have chosen you to share in the holy wondrous life Christ. I have chosen you to participate in this sacred mystery. I have chosen you to be a part of this Holy Communion. That is what God’s voice says to us, if we are listening, every time we come here to this altar.

The text on which this hymn is based has an ancient history. Its roots are in the fifth century church of south India. In Victorian England an English version was written by John Mason Neale. Listen. These words remind us that, every time we gather for worship, in that worship God says to us: You are my chosen ones.

Strengthen, O Lord, the hands that are stretched out to receive the Holy Things: Those are Neale’s words. God says to us: I have chosen you to receive these holy things. I have chosen you. Vouchsafe that [these hands] may daily bring forth fruit to thy divinity; that they may be worthy of all things that they have sung to thy praise within thy sanctuary, and may ever laud thee. It is to serve and to praise that we are chosen. Grant moreover, my Lord, that the ears which have heard the voice of thy songs, may never hear the voice of clamor and dispute. Our ears. God has chosen our ears to hear the voice of heaven’s song. Here we hear God’s own song. Grant also that the eyes which have seen thy great love may also behold thy blessed hope; God has chosen our eyes to behold his great love. [Grant] that the tongues which have sung the Sanctus may speak the truth. Our own tongues have been chosen to sing the Sanctus, the Holy, Holy, Holy. God has chosen us to join with angels and archangels and all the company of heaven to sing God’s praise. Grant that the feet which have walked in the church may walk in the region of light; that the bodies which have tasted thy living Body may be restored in newness of life. We are God’s chosen; God’s beloved. Each of us in baptism and marked as Christ’s own forever. We have been chosen to receive… here… today… newness of life. Thanks be to God. Amen.