A sermon for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost: Proper 17
The Baptisms of Karen Etter and James Baxter
September 1, 2024 at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Jazz Mass
Readings: Song of Solomon 2:8-13
Our first reading today is from the Song of Solomon, also called the Song of Songs. It’s a peculiar little book. I call it peculiar because this small book in the Old Testament never mentions God, or Torah, or covenant. It is a series of love poems, full of desire. Love poems between two young people full of passion worthy of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. One can almost hear it: Juliet, from her balcony in fair Verona, calling for Romeo: Wherefore art thou, Romeo? Arise, my love, my fair one, and come away. Because of that, this Scripture is most often used at weddings. But it is about much more than romantic love.
For centuries Jews and Christians alike have wrestled with this book and its sacred significance. For our Jewish brothers and sisters, this poem of two star-crossed lovers is an allegory of God’s love for Israel. Because of that, one Rabbi said, “If all the writings are holy, the Song of Songs is holy of holies.” Similarly, for the early Church fathers, the Song of Songs is an allegory for the love between Christ and his Church. And indeed, Origen, a second and third century philosophy and theologian, in a comment on this passage specifically, argued that it was Christ himself who stands at our wall, peering through the lattice. He argued that the lattice was Holy Scripture. That it is through Holy Scripture and its proper interpretation that we are able to know Christ, to see him pursuing us and calling us his own.
It is a beautiful image, and it is rather countercultural. Most often, when we talk about baptism or living the Christian life, we talk about our action, about our choosing Christ. And many of us have had that experience of choosing Christ. Today, in her baptism, Karen is choosing Christ. As for Jaime, just over 1 year old, he cannot choose yet. But his parents and godparents are choosing Christ for him. There will come a day, at his Confirmation, when Jaime will be asked to accept these promises for himself and to choose to follow Jesus.
Oh yes, we like to talk about choosing Christ. But here is the gospel, the good news: Christ chose us first. It was Christ standing at the lattice, calling our name. It has always been Christ who has pursued us, even from the foundation of the world, before we knew him. Christ acts first–period. And because Christ chooses us, we have the grace to choose him. The only reason we can decide to follow Jesus is because Jesus has already called our names, and calls us still. For there is nowhere we can go, not even into the depths of hell, where Christ will not stand at the door of our hearts and knock.
There are all kinds of messages to the contrary out there. Messages like–well, until you get your act together, God’s not going to be interested in you. Not true. Christ stands at the door of your heart and knocks.
Messages like–well, you’re too far gone for forgiveness and grace. You’ve done too much. You’ve crossed too many lines. Not true. Christ stands at the door of your heart and knocks.
Messages like–well, you don’t really need Christ. You can figure it out on your own because you’re a capable individual. Not true. Christ stands at the door of your heart and knocks.
Messages like–well, they’re too young, or too old, or too impaired, or too whatever. Not true. Christ has already chosen you, and he stands at the door of your heart and knocks.
Messages like–well, I’m so different from all those other people who call themselves Christians; maybe Jesus wouldn’t want me as I am. Not true. Christ, who already knows the real you and wants you to be your authentic self, has already chosen you, and he stands at the door of your heart and knocks.
Christ stands and knocks because Christ loves you. He always has and he always will. He chooses you–the real you–now and forever. And he desires for you to know him. Open the door and let him in.
Storied Grace 