Take Me to the Water

            The sea is a dangerous foe in the eyes of Scripture. It is the swirling, chaotic waters of the sea that God brings under control at the beginning of creation in Genesis 1. The sea brings forth life according to God’s command, but that life includes the fearful beast Leviathan in Job and the whale that swallows Jonah and holds him in its belly for three days. To cross the sea is to make an uncertain voyage to a distant land, to be cut off from the good and certain shores of Israel. Yet for whatever reason, the path of the Hebrew people fleeing from Egypt leads them right up to the edge of the sea. It didn’t have to be this way. The exodus takes place three thousand years before the Suez Canal was built. There were land routes that would have completely avoided the sea. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, the Hebrew people find themselves at a dead end: the sea on one side, and the Egyptian army closing in on the other.

            Sing: Take me to the water. Take me to the water. Take me to the water to be baptized.

            Though the waters of the sea are fearsome to the writers of Scripture, the waters cannot overpower the hand of God. For centuries Christians have affirmed the doctrine of creation out of nothing; creatio ex nihilo is the technical term. Like all Christian doctrines creatio ex nihilo, creation out of nothing, is not just a paper doctrine, something good for reading and academic debates. Creation out of nothing is a fundamental belief for us, because it helps us speak clearly about who God is as Creator and who we are as part of the creation. God did not create the universe from an unformed lump of matter. God created the cosmos from, quite literally, nothing. If God had created the universe from an unformed lump, then there might be something outside of God, other than God, over which God has no say or authority.

            But we believe that all that is exists because of God. Nothing in creation is stronger than God, mightier than God, or beyond God’s reach. Not the powerful, destructive acts of fallen and sinful human beings. Nor the diseases that infect and threaten millions worldwide. Nor the cancer that preys on our bodies. And certainly not the sea, even with all its chaotic potential. Not even the sea is outside God’s providence, care, and authority.

            So when the Hebrew people find themselves at the edge of the sea, they do confront a danger as great as the Egyptian army that trails them. But there is hope. The angel that leads them and the pillar of cloud that hides them from the Egyptians are the Lord’s doing. The Lord does not lead his people out of Egypt only to abandon them at the edge of the sea. The God of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—yes, the God of Jesus Christ—is the Lord who makes all things well. Even the sea, even the mighty force of wondrous waters, is part of God’s creation—and part of his plan for salvation and deliverance.

Sing: So, take me to the water. Take me to the water. Take me to the water to be baptized.

God does not lead the Hebrew people around the waters of the sea. God leads the people through the waters. “The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night, and turned the sea into dry land; and the waters were divided.” “The sea looked and fled… Why is it, O sea, that you flee? Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.” God makes a way where no way can be found, a path where no path had existed. This is the baptism of the people of God. On one side of the sea they were slaves, people in name only whose humanity had been denied by a ruthless Pharaoh. When they cross to the other side, their identity as the people of God will be sealed. They will know the Lord not just as the God on intimate terms with their ancestors. On the other side of the sea, the Hebrews will know the Lord as their deliverer, as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob who brought them forth from the land of Egypt, as the God who faithfully will bring them—will bring us—forth from every Egypt that might arise, forevermore.

In leading the Hebrew people, the people of Israel, through the sea, God also establishes a precedent for the way of salvation. Salvation is through the waters. God’s salvation does not promise that the waters will be avoided at all costs. God’s salvation does not guide us around the waters. God leads his people through the waters to the other side, to the Promised Land. Whether held back through the outstretched arms of Moses at the edge of the sea or the outstretched arms of our Lord Jesus upon the cross, the waters must be crossed.

Sing: He’s my Savior. He’s my Savior. He’s my Savior. Yes he is.

Perhaps this morning you are also facing a sea in your life. Perhaps forces of chaos, destruction, and even death lie before you today, as real as the sea that stood between the Hebrews and their salvation. Maybe these forces present themselves as a bad diagnosis at the doctor’s office. Maybe they appear as uncertainty at work over the future of your job, or the employment of a loved one. Perhaps they show up as a relationship with your children, your siblings, or your parents that has fallen on hard times. Maybe they appear in the betrayal of a trusted friend. Facing these forces, you may wonder, “Isn’t there a way around this? Do I have to face this? Can I avoid these forces?” You may even be asking yourself, “Where is God now? Will God carry me through this difficult time? Will God save me from these forces?”

The waters of the chaos you face, the waters of every sea, are also the waters of holy baptism. At these waters God delivers us, carrying us through them, through a death, even, of sorts. On the other side of the waters God declares us to be God’s people, sealing us with the most holy and blessed name of the Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. God also speaks a promise to us: I have delivered you once before; I will deliver yet again. God says to us, “Set me as a seal upon your heart, as a seal upon your arm; for my love is as strong as death, passion as fierce as the grave… Many waters cannot quench my love, neither can floods drown it” (Song of Songs 8:6-7, modified). You may need to pass through the waters once more, but God will lead you through them and hold them at bay to bring you safely ashore on the other side.

Sing: So, take me to the water. Take me to the water. Take me to the water to be baptized.

Most of you know by now that I follow a set of readings for each Sunday called the Revised Common Lectionary. The lectionary has a lot going for it, but sometimes it skips over something important. This week we heard about crossing the sea; next week, we hear about the manna from heaven. What is skipped, in Exodus 15, is the Song of Miriam, a song of triumph for God’s mighty acts of salvation. God’s deliverance calls forth a response from us, a response of praise and thanksgiving. We here at Centre also know God’s saving power, and we’ll follow Moses’ lead by closing our worship this morning with the great hymn of the church, God of Grace and God of Glory. No matter what waters we traverse in following God, may we never forget to praise him for his great salvation.

Sing: Glory hallelujah. Glory hallelujah. Glory hallelujah to be baptized.