Something in the Water

Luke 3:15-22

Acts 8:14-17

 “Something in the Water”

10 January 2016 St. Andrew’s Military Chapel Singapore

I want to tell you a story about Carl and Jessie. These two grew up in the rural South as children of farmers. They were neighbors, but unlike most of our definitions of neighbor, it was quite a hike to get from one’s house to the other as they lived a fur bit from each other. Just like their fathers they spent a lot of time on the farm, when they weren’t going down to the river to hang out, build forts, letting their imaginations run wild. Everything kids growing up in the country do to avoid the work on the farm.

Eventually, they graduated high school, but never really put much work into their studies, because they knew they would take over the family farms one day. Now, don’t let that fool you though for Carl was an engineering genius and Jessie possessed a keen business sense. Together they combined their knowledge and increased their harvest many times over making their farms the envy of the county.

Jessie and Carl were your typical Christians in America. They went to church every Sunday, knew their Bibles, volunteered as they needed to help out. It wasn’t a very active faith, but it wasn’t a faithless life either.

Then, one month this new preacher came to town to conduct a sort of revival. He was a weird one, this outsider. He had this sort of out of control beard that the youngins were convinced birds lived in and no one really understood his diet or his fashion sense. Jessie, thought it was all a pretty good business gimmick. Nothing she would ever do to make a buck, but whatever this John guy was doing it was bringing in the crowds. It was all anyone could talk about. Carl’s barber wouldn’t shut up about this guy and how he could really put people on the straight and narrow. It was nearing the end of his revival run when curiosity, well that and fear of missing out, got the best of Carl and Jessie and they went down to the revival site.

Well it wasn’t much of a revival site, there wasn’t a tent or any real way to keep people out of the shade. Carl leaned over to Jessie and whispered, “Hope this guy isn’t long winded cause people might start passing out.” To their relief, John had a real short message. “Repent of your sins because someone better than me is coming soon. He’s much better than I. I’m not even worthy to tie his boots.” Jessie looks at Carl and asks, “then what’s he even here preaching for?”

Oddly, this simple message just settled into their hearts and stuck. After about 15 minutes, John did an altar call and asked those who had made the decision to repent to come on down into the river and get baptized to demonstrate their desire to clean themselves of their sin. Both Jessie and Carl felt convicted, but just a moment apart from each other. As they fell in line Jessie was in front of Carl, but there was some guy not from around here standing right between them. A real quiet one, this intruder.

After a few more minutes, Jessie goes into the water. John takes hold of her and fully immerses her, giving praise for her decision. Jessie comes back up, gives Carl the all clear thumbs up and heads back to the riverbank. Right on her heels the outsider gets in the river and has a few words with John. John appears to hesitate which draws a bit of attention as the line had been moving pretty steadily. The hesitation was just enough to get everyone looking.

What happened next is still legend in those parts. People still try to put the pieces together as well as study what exactly happened in that moment. I don’t think they’ll ever fully understand, especially as John was arrested soon after on some money laundering charges that no one really believes as that guy looked as poor and destitute as they come. But, Carl and Jessie’s reactions give us a glimpse into what all happened that summer day at the river.

Carl remembers sitting on the bank with Jessie and everyone else who had been baptized drying off when he glanced at the outsider sitting right along the river in a long prayer. It just seemed odd as everyone else was hurrying off to whatever else was next in the day, this guy that had no real place to be. As he was looking over, it was like the sun just burst through the sky ripping it in half. He’d never seen a light so bright. At first he thought somebody was attacking the US with nukes. But, then it got real peaceful. I mean just a quiet warmth where you know everything is going to be ok. And then he hears a voice say, “You are my son, the Beloved.”

He looked around and saw everyone looking up so he knows they all heard the same thing. And the weird thing was the light was brightest around the stranger, so Carl’s convinced this is who that voice is talking to. And the crazy thing is that guy finished his prayer, smiled, and then just plain walked away. CNN was there a few hours later looking for the guy, but never found him.

Jessie’s recollection is a bit different. She remembers thinking how cold that water was and that Carl looked like a wet hunting dog when he stepped out of the water. The thought still makes her chuckle. Just then she saw the bright light and this tearing sound like someone had ripped the sky right in two. Just thinking of the sound still sends chills up her spine. Well right then, she could have swore that a dove just floated down and sat on the stranger and that’s when he heard the voice speak, “This is my son, the Beloved with whom I am well pleased.” Jessie clearly remembers her first thought, “I need to get me some of that water.”

Jessie also saw the guy smile and then immediately head out towards the woods. She remembers looking at Carl and saying, “Who was that guy and what just happened.”

Because of the 24 hour news cycle, the story quickly faded. All of the eyewitnesses had varying memories, the cell phone videos were grainy or pointed in the wrong direction, and John was arrested and shortly died in jail, while the mystery man just disappeared for over a month. Later Jessie and Carl remember hearing about some miraculous healer and really smart teacher preaching a new message. They are sure it was the same buy, but he too ended up dead for what he said and did. They wonder what would have happened had they just followed that guy right then and there. I mean, he didn’t specifically ask them to do that, but what if?

Jessie and Carl remember a few things from that day. First, John was baptizing everyone, even the non-religious hippies that had come to town for the revival. It was really refreshing to see forgiveness provided for anyone who was there, not like the typical sermons they had heard that tried to exclude people from a faith group.

They also thought it was pretty amazing for this important guy to get in line with everyone else. When everyone else tries to use their status for their own gain or to separate themselves from others, this really stood out for Jessie and Carl.

Both of them ended up changed. Something happened to them. They felt like they belonged to something bigger than themselves, something important. It was like they finally knew who they were and what they were living for. When trying to describe the exact feeling, Jessie said her favorite musician really summed up how everything changed for her that day. (Play Video).

When they both saw news stories about this Jesus guy, they stopped and paid attention to what he was doing and saying. They knew they had witnessed something big that day and wanted to learn all they could about the guy that caused all heaven to break loose. Because of their experience and listening to Jesus and not the media’s reporting on him, they learned how to be a part of his movement from afar.

Carl’s farm has expanded to now include a training program for people down on their luck to learn how to fix machinery and then he helps them find jobs. Jake makes sure that everyone who wants food can come and reap some of her harvest each season. After she takes the machinery through there is always a good amount left over so she invites people to come and glean the leftovers. The local soup kitchens usually send a large number of volunteers to get some much appreciated fresh veggies for their clients and even those living on the street swing by and grab what they need. Carl and Jessie really like seeing everyone in the community working together for each other. So much so that they have started a community garden with classes on how to grow food to help alleviate hunger in their area.

Because there was something in that water that changed them, they always ask the same question of anyone to whom they tell their story. How has the water changed you?