Sermon: "A Vision of the Baptismal Covenant"
The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg
Third Bishop of East Tennessee

[This sermon by Bishop vonRosenberg was delivered using the following notes.]

I am grateful to be with you at St. John the Baptist once again, and I thank you for your warm welcome of me. In addition, I am grateful for your ministries in this place and beyond St. John's as well. Actually, several of you are active in the work of our diocese, and I especially appreciate that. Indeed, I give thanks that you lead your lives according to the Baptismal Covenant that we have with God.

This is the Baptismal Covenant that we all will have the opportunity to renew in just a few minutes. The Baptismal Covenant states the faith that we share - our faith, that is, in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As a part of that Covenant, we also indicate our intention to lead a Christian life of worship, or repentance, and of service to others, in the name of Jesus Christ.

Amid the church challenges of our day, we may be tempted to divert our attention and energy away from what is basic to our faith. For that reason, as I travel about the diocese this year, I am upholding central aspects of our mission as the Diocese of East Tennessee - that is, mission and ministry that are consistent with the Baptismal Covenant.

In the year to come, therefore, we will emphasize four diocesan ministries in particular. Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center provides a wonderful resource for Christian nurture and spiritual formation for all Episcopalians and for others as well. Lay ministry development focuses the attention of us all on living lives consistent with the call and intention of the Baptismal Covenant. Outreach ministries with the people of Appalachia and with native Americans in South Dakota give us practical ways to respond to Christ's call to love our neighbors. Also, these outreach ministries offer us ways to "seek and serve Christ in all persons," to "strive for justice and peace among all people," and to "respect the dignity of every human being" - affirmations from the Baptismal Covenant.

The last year has been one of trial, of sadness, and of challenge for many Episcopalians - although not for all of us in East Tennessee. However, this year - with a concentration on the ministries I am suggesting - perhaps we can refocus our attention on the call of our Baptismal Covenant. … Also, notice the first letters of those ministries I am emphasizing - Grace Point, lay ministry development, Appalachia, and the Dakotas. You see that I am proposing a "glad" year for us in East Tennessee! On the one hand, I think we all need it. And, on the other hand, this attention will bring our lives in line with our Lord's call, through the Baptismal Covenant.

As I have considered more seriously the Baptismal Covenant in recent weeks, I also have become aware, once again, of how important the theme of covenant is throughout holy scripture. Interestingly, too, the idea of a covenant among Anglican churches worldwide was quite prominent in the Windsor Report of the Lambeth Commission, published several weeks ago. Indeed, as we concentrate more intentionally on the theme of covenant, then we find a means of access to a profound practice of our faith. A covenant is an understanding and an agreement between two parties. Once the two have agreed to their covenant, then certain behavior may be expected as a result. Such is the call implied by the Windsor Report, and understanding such covenants also is crucial in reading the Bible.

For instance, in each of our readings this morning, an understanding of the covenant involved provides helpful insight. The prophet Isaiah writes of his vision for the world in peace and harmony with itself and with God. "The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing." He goes on, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. For waters shall break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert; the burning sand shall become a pool, and the thirsty ground springs of water." For this vision to be fulfilled, however, the people must live within the agreement, the understanding, the covenant with God. And, of course, we know that the story of our ancestors and of ourselves involves disobedience and failure to keep God's covenant. Nevertheless, the covenant continues to be in force, as do the prophetic vision and the promise of God.

Words from the Letter of James also imply the covenant behind them. The author encourages patience. Certainly in difficult times - times of testing and of persecution - patience especially needs to be upheld. In these several verses, James encourages his readers with the assurance that the Lord is coming soon and with the example of the prophets, "who spoke in the name of the Lord." Thus, you see, the covenant - the agreement - here involves the promise of God, on the one hand, that He will not dessert His creation, and the expectation of the faithful, on the other hand, that they will persevere in patience.

Finally, in St. Matthew's Gospel, we catch a glimpse of the understanding, the covenant, between Jesus and John the Baptist. The situation is that John has sent some of his students - his disciples - to question Jesus in this way: "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" That's another way of asking, "Are you the Messiah, for whom we have been waiting so long?" And Jesus' response indicates signs of fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, expected when the Messiah comes: "The blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them." Of course, the covenant between Jesus and John involved John's role as the forerunner, the one who proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. Now, Jesus is reporting to John that, yes, Jesus is indeed the one to whom John had been referring and for whom John had been preparing. Jesus goes on to explain this covenant between himself and John the Baptist - and their respective roles - to the crowds. John "is the one about whom it is written, 'See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you'." This, then, is the covenant - the understanding - between Jesus and John the Baptist, your patron saint.

Thus, in conclusion, I commend to you this morning the theme of covenant. That theme provides us with a significant viewpoint in our reading and study of holy scripture. And, in particular, the Baptismal Covenant identifies our understanding and agreement with God as individual Christians, as a church community, and as a diocese. We are all blessed by our covenant with God. May we also be blessings to God as we live into our covenant with Him! Amen.

Copyright © 2004 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee