IN SEARCH OF YOUR AXIS MUNDI
A sermon by the Rev. Dr. James G. Kirk
Harundale Presbyterian Church
Text: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” (Luke 3:16
First
Second
“The late
historian of religions Marcea Eliade claimed that all religions cherish some type
of axis mundi or axle around which
their world revolves. To this day many
tribal groups still build their homes around a single, sacred pole that extends
spiritually through the center of the earth and into the heavens. The function of this pole is to keep heaven
above and the earth beneath, for they are held together only by the axis mundi. A disaster was seen as a terrifying event
because it meant that the earth was being removed (dis) from the stars (aster). Whenever disasters occur, people always run
for protection beneath their axis mundi
that keeps the heavens from falling on them.” (M. Craig Barnes, Searching for Home
Once you
understand that we all seek some sort of axis
mundi in our lives then this whole conversation between John the Baptist and
the crowd begins to make sense. Just
prior to where we pick up the text we hear that “he went into all the region
around the
He turns to his audience and begins right away to warn them about seeking repentance without any thought of changing their lifestyles. If they claim that their axis mundi is Abraham that won’t make any difference. To seek John’s baptism means repentance. When they ask what that means he tells them. For example, if they have two coats they have to give one away. If they have food they have to share it with those who’re hungry. The tax collectors can’t collect more than they’re owed. The soldiers are not to use their positions of authority or power to demean people.
He then goes on to dispel any illusions those may have who want to make John the Baptist their axis mundi. The one he’s preparing the way for will baptize with the Holy Spirit and will gather believers into God’s kingdom and the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire. In other words, their axis mundi is not going to be just some sacred pole that extends spiritually through the center of the earth and into the heavens. It’s not going to be Abraham even though Abraham meant a great deal to them. It’s not going to be John the Baptist even though they are baptized by him into a new life of repentance. Rather, it’s going to be the cross of Christ that opens God’s kingdom of heaven to all who believe that the coming Messiah is none other than the babe who appears in Mary’s womb.
This brings the text right home to us. Many here in this sanctuary are in the midst of trying to find their axis mundi. And this time of year is a particularly stressful time for many because Christmas past has had some kind of aura about it. We remember it as a magical time when people were happy, the families were gathered, and the gifts we received were special. We remember Christmas as a time when a lot of love was shown in so many powerful ways. Now that the years have separated us from those earlier Christmases we remember so fondly things have changed. The families aren’t as close as they used to be and the whole sense of Christmas has taken on a much more rushed tone to it. I can remember when I used to look forward to Christmas all year long and it never seemed to get here soon enough. Now, it seems as though just two weeks ago we put the tree away from last year, vacuumed the carpet, got all the boxes put away and it’s time to get them out again. The magic’s gone and it’s just one more holiday to get through! Shiela said it well the other day. As soon as we celebrate All Saints Day, Christmas will seem like only a week away.
And that’s too bad, because what could have been an axis mundi has been stripped of its magic. But that’s with so much of life today, people are searching for their axis mundi and what could’ve been in the past is no longer the case today. I did a funeral service for someone this past week who used to be a member of Harundale in the sixties. He remembers when there were two services every Sunday and the sanctuary was filled. I didn’t tell him that such was the case in every Presbyterian church during those years. Then people were seeking their axis mundi in worship, in belonging to a church and, probably many found it. But that’s not the case today. Look around you and you’ll know that the numbers have dwindled drastically.
Many people seek their axis mundi at Ravens Stadium. During the Cal Ripken days, they sought it in Camden Yards. What accounts for the crowds on a Sunday afternoon at Ravens Stadium, the tailgating, the camaraderie, the roar when they score a touchdown, the delirium when the Ravens win and the frustration when they lose? Isn’t it that people are in search of something? They want something that will ground their life, give it some meaning and if it’s a team that’s winning then they can share in that win and vicariously participate in the glory that goes with it.
But you know as well as I do that there’s no lasting value to the Ravens winning on Sunday afternoon. Nor is there any lasting value in wishing for the “good old days gone by.” We’re living in the midst of a consumer driven search for meaning and the more toys we have to play with just don’t make the least bit of difference when it comes to really being content with life. And all the presents under the tree on Christmas Eve or morning aren’t going to make that much difference either.
John the Baptist is right! We have got to get to the point of repentance in life, turning our lives over to the God who implanted the babe of Christmas into Mary’s womb and then we’ll see things begin to make a difference. We will enter into the sanctuary seeking to feel better about ourselves and one another. We will enter into the sanctuary to praise God for all of God’s goodness shown to us in so many ways. We will enter into the sanctuary to commit our lives over and over again to that same God who enables us to love our neighbor in spite of how unlovable they may be, just because we’ve got nothing to lose and everything to gain. We will enter into the sanctuary to hear about and to experience ever anew God’s amazing grace showered upon us and the power of God’s Spirit surging through our veins. We will enter into the sanctuary to join with the living Christ in singing God’s praises and know that the cross of Jesus is more than some sacred pole that extends spiritually through the center of the earth and into the heavens.
All week long people have been asking me what an axis mundi is. It’s the center of your life, where you go to find meaning, what grounds you in the midst of all that is swirling about you. It could even be the cross of Jesus. If it were then each time you saw the cross you’d remember to what extent God went to give you life, to show you God’s love and that no matter what happens to you God will never forsake you. So, John the Baptist was right: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
Thanks be to God,
Amen