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What Is Expected of the Baptized?

Lectionary Reflections for the First Sunday of Lent (A)

By Angela Ifill

Readings for Lent 1, Year A, Feb. 13, 2005

Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7
Psalm 32
Romans 5:12-19

Matthew 4:1-11

Is going to church on Sundays to meet with friends and acquaintances the be-all and end-all of baptism? Is it about enjoying coffee hour (in some instances to the exclusion of the stranger in the house), or is it about being exclusively involved with one's own congregation?

The gospel lesson assigned for the first Sunday of Lent offers some direction. Jesus was baptized and was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness. Jesus was famished and being famished was tempted. Jesus rejected the temptation to be the “Man” and instead went on to Galilee and began a ministry in the world that remains an example for all of the baptized.

Jesus first turned water into wine, raised the dead, healed the sick, caused the blind to see, the mute to speak and the deaf to hear. Of course Jesus was Jesus; he had power. But “Who am I? What can I do that will make any difference?” These questions and more keep many people out of the arena of ministry in the wider world.

When God called Moses to go to Egypt to deliver the Israelites, Moses had the same question: Who am I to go to Egypt to deliver anybody? God's answer to Moses then, is God's answer to us today. I AM WITH YOU. We can use the power of God within and around us to make a difference in the world.

Yet the same power that Jesus had surrounds us also. When God called Moses to go to Egypt to deliver the Israelites, Moses had the same question: Who am I to go to Egypt to deliver anybody? God's answer to Moses then, is God's answer to us today. I AM WITH YOU. We can use the power of God within and around us to make a difference in the world.

There is no shortage of areas needing the voice of the church where the church could work to improve the lives of human beings, both at home and abroad. Our gifts and skills point us in different directions to continue Christ's ministry in the world. The hands and ears and voice of the church are needed in the areas of poverty, healthcare, education and peace and justice and more.

Let us look at the “justice system,” for instance. That body does not mete out justice equally for all people. The issue of sentencing guidelines alone is a problem. These laws send more young black and Latino males to prison than any other offender group. Blacks are more likely to be sentenced for longer periods of time than other offender groups. Does this issue need the attention of the church? Of course it does.

Then there is the problem of poverty. About 15 million children in this country live below the official poverty line. Twenty-two percent of Americans under the age of 18, and 25 percent under age 12, are hungry or are at risk of being hungry. Children and families are the fastest growing group in the homeless population. And at the same time that the United States is the richest industrial nation, it has the highest percentage of poor children among the 21 most affluent nations. Is that a situation that could benefit from the voice of the church? Of course it could.

Then there is public education. Where school funding is central and equal in other countries, school funding in the United States is local and unequal. Across the country, the richest communities spend at least 10 times more on each student than the poorest communities.

And there are many other areas that need the voice of the church.

Is it the place of the church to get involved in these matters. Some ask the question: Is it the place of the church to be political? The Rev. Bob Edgar noted in his article Public Schools Have Allies: “The faith community has played a vital role in American social movements since the country began. In the 1800s it was instrumental in wiping out slavery. During the 1920s religious leaders and their congregations backed the passage of child labor laws. During the 1950s and 1960s, the faith community helped to bring together people from all walks of life to march and speak out support of the civil rights movement.”

We in the Episcopal Church renew our Baptismal Covenant on a regular basis. Among others, we promise to follow and obey Christ as Lord; to seek and serve Christ in all persons; to love our neighbors as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being.

When the Baptismal Covenant is taken to heart, it calls for as radical a ministry as that of Jesus' ministry. Surely it is not for the faint of heart. To know how each of us is called requires careful discernment that takes us into the wilderness for prayer and fasting until our souls and minds and bodies are relinquished to God for his service.

The temptations we face are many. “One voice does not matter. Someone else will do whatever needs to be done. Do I need to trouble myself? I wouldn't know what to do. I do not have the time.”

We also need to overcome the temptation to see nothing, hear nothing and do nothing. What we must consider is to prayerfully enter into those places that challenge us and our perspectives. To risk being uncomfortable, and to confront those places that stretch our imaginations so that we might discern what we capable of accomplishing with God's help. Can we do it? Of course we can, because God promises to be with us always.

The Rev. Angela Ifill is the national missioner for Black Ministries for the Episcopal Church. Born in Trinidad, she has served parishes in the Dioceses of Long Island, Newark, and Ohio. Angela may be reached by email at aifill@episcopalchurch.org .