Almost exactly a year ago I held a sermon where I related the gospel to the story “Mio, min Mio” – or in English “Mio my son” – written by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren.
Back then I used the story because the biblical readings were talking about hearts of stone versus hearts of flesh – something that is at the centerpiece of the story, “Mio, min Mio”.
It might not be a popular choice to reuse a story in this way in a sermon, but since I will not mainly be talking about hearts of flesh or stone today – but baptism instead – I figured it would be okay.
In the story, “Mio, min Mio”, a baptism does not occur directly, but as we have just witnessed in the baptism of Everett, a certain promise is given to all who are baptized, and I believe a similar promise is at the centerpiece of the story, “Mio, min Mio”.
Personally, I believe it from time to time can be very difficult to comprehend the promise given in baptism. And that is the exact reason why I want to elaborate on this in my sermon today.
How do we understand the gift that Everett have just received in his baptism? When will he need it? Why do we baptize?
If we look at the baptismal readings the promise given lies in the sentence: “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”
Baptism is a promise of an eternal companionship. God travels with us. A fact that despite being proclaimed – as I said earlier – can be hard to fully comprehend.
This is where the story, “Mio, min Mio”, springs forth in my mind because I do believe the story has one of the best descriptions of how this can be so. How the baptismal promise of companionship can be understood.
I am not sure whether you know the story or not. If not, I can totally recommend the book. Or the movie which features a young Christopher Lee as the evil knight and a 13-year-old Christian Bale.
Well, the story is about a little adaptive boy called Bo. He lives with his foster parents, who are not at all happy with him. They wanted a girl, not a boy.
Bo feels both unwanted and alone, but one evening as he was strolling down a street, a genie leads him to the ‘Land Far Away’.
In the ‘Land Far Away’ he is reunited with his biological father who is the king of the land. Also, he learns how his real name is not Bo. It is Mio.
He enjoys himself in the ‘Land Far Away’. All seems to be peace and quiet, but one day Mio’s father is upset. Some children have gone missing. And now Mio is told that the ‘Land Far Away’ shares its border with a place called the ‘Land Outside’, and in that land the evil knight Kato rules.
He has kidnapped the children and wants to transform them into birds so that they can sing about his cruelty, Mio’s father says. And while telling Mio this, Mio’s father also says that Mio has not come to the ‘Land Far Away’ for no reason. It has been foretold that he is the one that will fight against and defeat the evil knight Kato.
Hesitant, Mio accepts his fate and travels to the ‘Land Outside’ to fight against Kato.
During his fight against Kato, Mio often feels overwhelmed by both doubt and fear. But someone is with Mio supporting him. Not physically, but in spirit. And that someone shares a lot of similarities with God. It is of course the father.
In ‘Mio, min Mio’ it goes like this when Mio cries out in fear:
“Just when I was lying there behind the rock thinking like that, I thought I heard the voice of my father the king. It was just something I imagined, but I thought for sure that I heard his voice. “Mio, my Mio,” he said. Not anymore…
I understood that he wanted me to be brave and not lie there crying and bawling like a little child…I was a knight after all. I was no longer the Mio who built caves in the rose garden and wandered over the hills of Green Meadows Island and played the flute. I was a knight, a good knight, not one like Kato. And a knight must be brave and not cry.”
The promise given to us in baptism is such a comforting voice in our heads. A voice that forever will encourage us when we find ourselves down and troubled to stand up and continue down our path.
Our path might not be good, but on the path, we will never be left alone. We will always have God with us. We will always be told that we are knights, good knights, beloved knights.
Another time Mio is overwhelmed by fear he starts blaming the will of his Father. Some days throughout our lives we might be questioning God as well. In the story it goes like this:
I was all alone. I lay there weeping and regretting that I had come here, and I did not understand why my father – the king – could ever demand that I should go and fight against the evil knight Kato. I wished sincerely that my father the king had been there, then I would have told him.
“Do you see how lonely I am…. I am all alone and it is only because you want me to fight against the evil knight Kato.”
For the first time I almost thought my father the king was a little unfair in wanting me to go on such an adventure.
But as I lay there crying and thinking like that, it was completely as if I heard the voice of my father the king. I know it was just imagination, but I was sure I heard him. “Mio, my Mio,” he said. Not anymore.
Dear Everett,
It is hard to tell what a life you will have. But because of your baptism today one thing is certain. You have our heavenly Father with you by your side always – even unto the end of the world.
Your baptism was not as dramatic as the baptism we listened to in the New Testament Reading for today – the baptism of Paul the Apostle. I guess we do not want anything in our life to be as dramatic.
But rest assured that in whatever peace or struggle you throughout your life will find yourself in, you are of this day spiritually embraced. Because so are all who are baptized.
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen.