Sermon: May 22 2022 sixth Sunday after Easter

Preacher: Rev. Ryan Slifka

Scripture: Galatians 3: 26-29 | Acts 8: 26-39

Here we are in week four of our sermon series “Living Under Water” on baptism as a way of life. We’ve looked at baptism three different ways so far. First, baptism as washing, pointing to forgiveness. Second, baptism as birthing, pointing to rebirth. Last week we looked at baptism as burying. Dying to be raised to new life.

This week’s theme comes from today’s scripture from Paul’s letter to the Galatians. “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” Here Paul imagines baptism as clothing. As a garment, something we slip into when we’re baptized. Baptism is clothing. In baptism we put on Jesus.

It’s not the most intuitive image for baptism. We don’t literally hop into Jesus like we would a pair of shorts. Not only that, but we tend to take stuff off to swim.

Having said that, the image of clothing has its roots in the ancient baptismal practices of the church. Those who were preparing to be baptized would each wear white robes. Like the one I’m wearing right now, in fact. It’s an allusion to many passages of scripture, but most especially the book of Revelation, where the saints of God have “have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” The white robe is the sign of hope in God’s future. Ingrid and I wear these robes on the high holy days and seasons to specifically remind each of us of our baptisms. And the promise of a new creation, and eternal life.

But it’s also more than a piece of clothing. “As many of you were baptized into Christ,” Paul says. “As many of you were baptized into Christ, there is no longer Jew or Greek. There is no longer slave or free. There is no longer male or female. For all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” “There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female, for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

To be Jewish, or Greek—Paul’s talking about ethnic, or cultural identity. Where we come from, what our customs are. To be slave or free, he’s talking about economics, social class. To be male or female, he’s talking about gender. These are all identities in life that define us, how we should see ourselves, and how we see other people. It’s how we divide, how we categorize each other. This nation over that one, this culture or race against that. Free people over slaves, rich over poor. Men over women. Pious practitioners over loosey-goosey sinners. These identities confer status on us, or they dictate behaviours, and opportunities in life.

Here’s one of those radical, pioneering things about the Christian message. Paul says that the coming of God in Jesus short circuits all of these categories. The walls dividing people into these categories have been bulldozed by Christ in his death and resurrection, making human beings one in Christ Jesus. Baptism is the sign, the seal, of those walls being washed away by God’s grace.

I love our reading from the Acts of the Apostles because this is one of the earliest, most obvious stories of this in action.

Having been raised from the dead, Jesus sends his disciples out to proclaim the good news in word and deed to the ends of the earth. It’s at this point that they are re-Christened as “Apostles” rather than simply “disciples” literally meaning “one who is sent out.” This scene features one of the apostles—Phillip. Seemingly out of nowhere an angel of the Lord instructs one of the Apostles, Philip, to “get up and go” south. The angel sends Philip to the road between Jerusalem and Gaza.

On the way, Philip runs into a guy in a chariot. It’s not any just any guy. This guy’s the Minister of Finance for the nation of Ethiopia, reporting directly to Queen Candice herself. He’s a big deal.

What’s even more interesting, though, is that this guy’s just flippin’ through a copy of the Bible. Opened to the prophet Isaiah. You see, this guy, this prominent, influential, black, foreigner is on his way back home from Jerusalem. This guy’s traveled from what must have seemed like the end of the earth, to worship the God of Israel. This guy’s a believer.

There’s a problem, though. He’s from Ethiopia. He’s very obviously not a genetic member of God’s people. Not only that, but he doesn’t inhabit the sacred land. Not only that, but the culture of Ethiopia is way different than God’s people. There’s gotta be a culture clash. This guys an obvious outsider. His skin, his clothes, his mannerisms all say so.

The biggest problem, though, has to do with his sexuality. He’s a eunuch. If you’re not sure what it is. Let’s just say a certain part of his male anatomy—a pair of parts—has been removed. Probably before adulthood, to ensure that he won’t be distracted by family life and so he can be trusted around the females of the royal house. An extreme form of sex scandal prevention.

The thing about Eunuchs is that they aren’t allowed to join the assembly of God’s people according to the book of Deuteronomy. They can’t fulfil God’s commandment to be fruitful and multiply, to have children. And they’re considered mutilated. They are less-than. Impure, unclean. There are things they can do. They can participate in some ways. But they are always second-class citizens among God’s people.

And yet, Philip’s sent by an angel to him. Then he’s sent by the Holy Spirit to get in real close into the chariot beside him. The Ethiopian asks him to interpret the scriptures, and Philip proclaims to him the good news of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. That Jesus is the one who the prophet Isaiah spoke of. Jesus is the one who would know suffering and shame and rejection… just like the shame and rejection this Ethiopian has known.

And, you know what, things move pretty fast after this. There’s a river nearby. So the Ethiopian asks Philip if there’s anything keeping him from being baptized.

The answer? “Nope.” And right then and there, woosh, both of them go under. And as soon as they pop up, the Spirit snatches Philip up, sends him on his way. We’re told the Eunuch never saw him again. But he went home rejoicing.

Rejected as a foreigner, a cultural outsider, excluded and stigmatized, shoved to the sidelines for his sexuality. This Ethiopian returns home a child of God. He returns home rejoicing, baptized, rising up from the waters clothed in God’s inclusive grace. All on account of the Spirit’s prodding of Philip. On account of the Spirit’s boundary-breaking power.

Perhaps you’ve seen The Eyes of Tammy Faye on Disney+. It’s a dramatization of the life of famed televangelist Tammy Faye Baker, and her husband Jim. If you don’t know them they had their own TV station PTL (the Praise the Lord Network) in the 70’s and 80’s. Tammy Faye was well known for her over-the-top makeup, and wearing kitschy jewelry. Jim would later crash and burn thanks to embezzlement. But they were huge in evangelical Christian circles. TV Christian royalty.

There’s this remarkable scene in this movie where Tammy Faye, played by Jessica Chastain, is interviewing a man named Steve Pieters over satellite link. It’s based on reality.

Pieters was a pastor, which isn’t so remarkable. But he was gay, and openly so. In 1986. Not only that, but Steve had AIDS. In fact, a couple weeks before the interview he’d almost died from it. Not a lot was known about it, before any of the treatments we have now. Many of you will remember how hugely stigmatized it was. In the interview, Steve talks about how people wouldn’t want to be in the same room as him, they’d steam clean a glass of water he used, make him use paper plates, and wouldn’t go near him for fear of catching it.

But the worst part was the condemnation from fellow Christians. Not only was he condemned as gay man transgressing scripture, but many prominent Christian leaders proclaimed that AIDS was God’s judgment on homosexuality.  Like the Ethiopian in Acts, Pieters was considered less-than, unclean. Excluded from the assembly of God’s people.

The thing is, that these Christian leaders spoke for a lot of the people who tuned into PTL, into Tammy Faye’s show. And she had Pieters on her show, and interviewed him despite the risk of alienating her audience. And she did end up taking a lot of heat and condemnation herself in having a gay man with AIDS on her show. It created an outrage in her own Pentecostal denomination. But she still welcomed him on anyway, and let him tell his story.

And she didn’t just let him tell his story. She embraced him, and affirmed his belovedness in Christ.

“We Christians who are to be the salt of the earth,” she said. “We Christians who are to be the salt of the earth. And we are supposed to be able to love everyone, that we are so afraid of an AIDS patient that we will not go up to them and put out arm around them and tell them that we care…”

“I just want to tell you,” she continued. “I just want tell you that there’s a lot of Christians here who love you… and wouldn’t be afraid to put their arms around you, and tell you that we love you, and tell you that we care.”

In later interviews, Pieters pointed to this as a crucial moment in his life. He’s still alive, actually—though Tammy Faye died in 2008. He’s 69 years old, still pastoring. He’s the only AIDS survivor from those early days that he knows of. He says that this encounter with Tammy Faye stoked hope as he struggled to hold on to life.

But it wasn’t Tammy Faye who carried him through.

Though Pieters was excluded, and condemned by fellow believers on account of his illness, and his identity as a gay man. In this moment, Tammy Faye witnessed to the inclusive love, mercy, and grace of the gospel. His identity in Jesus Christ. Like Philip hopping into an Ethiopian chariot, Tammy Faye through her lot in with him, proclaiming to him the Good News. Not only that Pieters himself, in all his suffering and shame had been claimed as God’s own, that Jesus died for him. But that God’s love on the cross is poured out on all, even those who we’d rather not believe so. That there is no longer Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female. Healthy or sick, gay or straight. But that we are all one in Christ Jesus, and that in him there is no condemnation.

In that moment, both Steve Pieters in his suffering and shame, and Tammy Faye in her gaudy makeup were clothed in Christ. In Tammy Faye’s proclamation of grace, God wrapped his arms around Steve Pieters, and Jesus repurposed that white pantsuit as a makeshift baptismal gown.

And that, dear friends. Gets at the meaning of baptism.

Baptism is a set of clothes, a uniform, one that’s put on us, one that goes on over all these differences. It doesn’t mean these differences disappear or they don’t exist. Philip remained a Jew, while the Ethiopian was still an Ethiopian. Steve Pieters was still a gay pastor living with AIDS, and Tammy Faye still remained a kitschy Pentecostal evangelical. But it means that each of us has been given an identity that goes above, that transcends all others. It’s a garment that no one can ever remove. In Jesus Christ, the ancient promises God made to Abraham and Sarah, the promise of belonging, redemption, salvation, have been extended to all people. We are all one in Christ Jesus.

Regardless of what we may do, who we may be, or any other identity we may hold. Whatever shame, rejection, powerlessness you may feel. Whether prejudice, ignorance, or otherwise. The Holy Spirit has stamped her name on you. Above all other identities it’s who you are in Christ that ultimately, and truly matters. Baptism is the sign and seal for God’s claim on you. You are loved by Christ, bought by a price, and marked as his own forever. Nothing, no one, can ever change that fact. Not even you.

Which also means, dear friends, that we can no longer see anyone as apart from us, either. In the same way we have been claimed by Christ, so is our neighbor. Even the one we most despise. The Holy Spirit refuses to be bound by our human categorizations, but is always drawing the circle of grace wider and wider. And wider, and wider. And empowers us to do the same.

So every time you wash your face, remember this truth. Every time you go for a steam, or take your grandkids to the splash pad. Every time you walk by the baptismal font. Remember who you are in Christ—a child of the Living God. And so’s your neighbour. We are all one in Christ Jesus. May we be given the grace to draw the circle wider ‘round Him.

AMEN.