Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

You will probably remember that a few weeks ago I shared my personal experience of being one of the first non-residents allowed back onto the island of Key West, Florida following Hurricane Wilma in 2005. I am not going to retell that entire story once again, but a good word to summarize my experience was that everything was in chaos.

Just a few short weeks before Hurricane Wilma ravaged Key West, Hurricane Katrina did its own chaotic work on the city of New Orleans, leaving behind 1300 dead bodies of people. And it was just 8 months earlier than Katrina when unbelievably chaotic pictures littered our television screens on Christmas Day of the Indian Ocean tsunami, triggered by the world’s most powerful earthquake in 40 years, with a loss of life estimated at 230,000 people.

You’ve probably already noticed that I have three times used together in close proximity the words “water” and “chaos.” Our English word “chaos” comes from the same Greek word, meaning “gaping void” or “nothingness.”

It’s that exact word that appears in the second verse of the entire Bible – “In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty” [Genesis 1:1-2]. There was a gaping void. There was a nothingness. There was chaos. Then God hovered over that chaos and began to speak. Order resulted as things, one by one, got separated out of that chaos by the powerful Word of God and began to peacefully define God’s beautiful creation. Chaos changed into creation.

Throughout the Bible, water is often closely related to chaos. Think of the chaos that resulted from Noah’s great flood [Genesis 6-9]. Think of the chaos of the Red Sea after the Children of Israel passed through on dry ground only to look back and see the horsemen and chariots of Egypt being swallowed up by the returning waters [Exodus 14]. You will also remember that event on the Sea of Galilee when a sudden storm came out of nowhere with Jesus soundly sleeping in the stern of the boat while the disciples fought for their lives, finally waking Jesus with those words, “Don’t You care if we drown?” [Mark 4:35-41]. And then there that evening on that same sea when the disciples again found themselves in the midst of a storm – this time without Jesus – when Peter got the chance to walk a few steps toward Jesus on the water [Mark 6:45-51]. Throughout the Bible, water is often closely related to chaos.

That’s also the case in our Gospel today [Mark 1:4-11]. John the Baptist created quite the carnival scene out at the Jordan River. With stringy hair and a camel’s hair loin cloth and shoving globs of wild honey into his mouth, John called people to repent. And people were flocking to see that carnival scene. Then out of that chaotic crowd walked a familiar face – John’s cousin, Jesus, the Messiah, the One Who should have been there at the Jordan baptizing. That sent John into a personal chaos, wondering the meaning of his far-greater cousin coming to him to be baptized. Then things got even more chaotic as John and Jesus walked into the water and the Heavens opened and a dove descended and a voice boomed, “This is My Son, Whom I love. With You I am well pleased.” You can imagine the startled look on John’s face as Jesus’ face probably sported a big grin. You can imagine people fearfully running in every direction. Once again, water often closely related to chaos.

But there is something more in that scene. That something more comes through those words spoken because similar to the beginning of all time, when God hovered over the nothingness void and spoke peace and order into that chaos, so God hovered over the Jordan River that day and spoke peace and order into that chaos.

Chaos results when things are out of order, when things are seemingly out of control. Does that sound like your life? I bet it does because it sounds like my life. It sounds like us because about 60% of our bodies are water. That’s 60% chaos, past the tipping point.

Just recently we heard about some deaths of friends and family members on Christmas Day. Talk about chaos. Just recently we heard about friends and loved ones being diagnosed with cancer. Talk about chaos. There have been jobs lost and no jobs to be found. Talk about chaos. Workplace massacres. Chaos. Emergency hospitalizations and surgeries. Chaos. Lawsuits. Chaos. Broken bones and illnesses. Chaos. Windstorms. Chaos.

But above all that chaos our God continues to hover! Into all that chaos our God continues to speak! Out of all that chaos our God continues to bring order and peace!

How does He do all that? In a very strange way. Through water.

While it often causes chaos, when water is combined with the Word of God, order and peace result. It happened that way at the creation of the world. It happened that way at the baptism of Jesus. It happened that way – and continues to happen that way – in our own baptism. For there, as water was applied to our bodies, the Word of God was spoken: “I baptize you in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” and God’s own voice was heard: “You are My child whom I love. With you I am well pleased.”

St. Paul tells us that our baptism links us to Christ’s death [Romans 6:1-11]. And there on that crazy chaotic hill called Calvary, flowing blood and water marked the death of the Babe of Bethlehem, the One with Whom God was pleased, the One Who could command the wind and the waves to be still, the One Who would said to His disciples – “Why do you have so little faith?” [Matthew 8:26].

A chaotic three days later the women went to the tomb. Their faces were dirty with tears and dust. They were going to anoint Jesus’ body. But just before they got to the tomb, true chaos occurred. A massive earthquake shook the earth, so substantial that the stone was rolled back from the tomb and the Roman soldiers scattered. The women were greeted not with a dead body but with the very Word of God Himself spoken through the attending angels – “He is not here! [Chaos is not the victor!] He is Risen just as He said!” [Matthew 28:6].

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” [Hebrews 13:8]. My friends, that is powerful because it means that even today – and on every tomorrow – the all-powerful Creator of the universe continues to hover over our chaos just as He has covered over chaos throughout all time. He continues to speak into our chaos. He continues to creates order and peace out of our chaos for He is not lying in any tomb, but He is alive and He is with us always, unto the very end of the earth [Matthew 28:20].

But even then chaos is not the victor. No, you remember that scene told us by St. John in his Revelation. When John was shown Heaven [Revelation 4], He first saw a throne with someone seated on it. He then saw a beautiful rainbow surrounding the throne. Then he saw 24 white-robed elders wearing crowns of gold. Then he saw a sea of glass, as clear as crystal, not one single ripple in that sea, not one hint of any chaos.

In true Lutheran fashion I ask, “What does this mean?” For you and for me it means that while there is indeed chaos in our lives on a daily basis – sometimes less severe; sometimes more severe – no matter what is happening with us, Jesus is sitting on His Throne and He is looking out at us over that peaceful, serene Crystal Sea. And He continues to speak into the chaos of our world by saying, “Come unto Me, all ye who labor and are burdened [all ye who are in the midst of chaos] and I will give Thee rest” [Matthew 11:28]. He can say those words because in His world, because of His baptism, His death and His Resurrection, there is no chaos. There’s only order. There’s only that peace that passes all human understanding. All that belongs to us as His dearly loved children, brought into His family through the waters of Holy Baptism, simply and solely because of Jesus if we only listen to His Word spoken into our chaos.

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.

Pastor Christopher Schaar
Historic First Lutheran Church of Pasadena