Jesus’ Baptism for Us January 7th, 2024
I suspect that, having entered thus far into new year, you would say that you have successfully survived the holidays. True? The celebration of our Saviour’s birth — Christmas; then the New Year; finally Epiphany, the Feast of the Three Kings on January 6th (which for many has become the Feast of Taking Down the Decorations!).
Today I want to suggest that there is one more holiday we should be observing – today - the one that marks the Baptism of Jesus.
If the witness of scripture is to be taken seriously, perhaps the day that marks the end of the 12 days of Christmas might be the most important, over all the others. In centuries past the church did celebrate this day, but as time moved on we relegated to minor importance an event that should give us a sense of enthusiasm and joy.
Think about the scene down by the Jordan riverside for a moment. There’s a throng of people from all walks of life who have made this mini-pilgrimage into the countryside to see an itinerant preacher who is more than passing strange — a coarse camel’s hair tunic with a leather belt around his waist – just like the prophets in the days of Elijah. It was curiosity and anticipation that brought them — there was a sense that something was missing in their walk with God, so they were ready to listen to a new voice.
And John’s was a powerful voice: “You pack of snakes! Who warned you to run from the anger of God that is coming on you? Clean up your act! And do not presume to rely on that fact that you are Israelites — God’s chosen people ‒ to save you. Get right and do right.”
The crowds asked what to do. He responded, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.” Tax collectors were told, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.” Soldiers were instructed, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.” It was a message that affirmed what they already knew: if they would be right with God, they had to be right with God’s children too.
Then as a sign of their commitment to repentance and a new way of living, they made their way into the water and allowed John to “bury” their old ways, then raise them again to a better life. When you think of this kind of baptism, it’s a neat little ceremony – but it is filled with symbolism. In those days it was so forceful and impressive that some were led to think that John was the promised Messiah finally come. He downplayed it when he said, “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
Then one day among the people waiting for John in the water, it happened... Jesus’ request for baptism. At first, John was reluctant. But then came the Big Moment. As our lesson has it, “As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
What an image! It is as if God the Father at this fantastic moment and in euphoric frustration rips and tears the very fabric of the universe to lay claim upon the son. It is a cosmic Yes, arms raised high and feet dancing. It is love spilling out, the cup overflowing.
Fellow believers, the baptism of Jesus changed everything! From the very moment when Jesus rose from the waters, Christian baptism became not just a washing away of sin, but an invitation to obedience that brought the power of the Holy Spirit to bear on us as God’s children.
Jesus’ baptism ushered in a new baptism – a baptism for us to carry forward in our own lives and in our own time. And this happened simply because God chose to do it.
That is worth a holiday, in my book.
Perhaps we should be used to receiving unmerited blessing by now. After all, we are the recipients of grace upon grace; gift upon gift, all because of God’s love for us and for the whole of creation. It is not about us, or a reward for anything we’ve done. But Baptism is the very path upon which God’s plans for his kingdom will appear.
It started with the ruler of the entire universe entering this world as an utterly helpless infant. As life went on, Jesus best friends were the down and dirty, the outcasts, those on life’s fringes. And at the end of it all, instead of doing the really smart thing and not dying, he dies. Then three days later, surprise!
Why should we be startled when we learn that God loves us for no more reason than good parents do? Well, it’s just because God is God.
But there’s more! The love and grace of God is only half of the message that begins with Jesus’ baptism. Most folks understand that we are loved. And that is why we get all warm and fuzzy when it comes to presenting our little ones for the sacrament of baptism.
But there is another half, and it is this: we have work to do.
Remember, Jesus’ baptism happened at the start of his public, adult work. This was his commissioning service. Now, over twenty centuries later, when someone is baptized in the church (infants or adults), it is no different. There is surely the affirmation of God’s incredible and unconditional love, but... this is a big... baptism is also a commissioning to service in the name of Jesus Christ. That is why we take so seriously the promises that new disciples make or their parents make on their behalf — to live the Christian faith and to teach that faith to our children even as we work it out for ourselves. We even go for extra help: we ask the congregation, “Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture, by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging these new disciples to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church? New disciples have work to do, and they need all the help they can get.
Folks, both of the elements of Jesus’ baptism and of ours are important: the affirmation of affection and the proclamation of purpose. If either one is missing or weak, we are incomplete – and so is the kingdom work to which we are called.
Victor Frankl was one of the millions of Jews imprisoned by the Nazis in the death camps of the thirties and forties who survived. All around him, next to him, each day of his ordeal, dozens, hundreds, thousands of fellow Jews and others died, many of them, of course, in the ovens. Frankl survived, however, because two forces sustained him: one was the certainty of his wife’s love. The other was an inner drive to rewrite the manuscript of a book he had completed after years of labour but which the Nazis had destroyed. From this experience, Frankl wrote eloquently about his discovery and certainty of today’s message - of being loved, and, second, of having a clear and controlling purpose in life.
And so I will be honest. I tremble and grow weak when I do baptisms. And I sometimes weep. This is not because of some cute-little-baby-warm-fuzzy-isn’t-this-a-nice-family picture kind of feeling, but because I think it is the most radical and dangerous thing I do. Maybe because it is so radical, so dangerous, so threatening, that people either flee the church as they get older, or they weep when they have the opportunity to reaffirm their baptismal vows.
Folks, the baptism of the Lord was a big deal. And it is much bigger than the credit we give it in terms of its implications for you and me. Perhaps if we celebrated this day as a real holy day – and not just an excuse to lengthen Christmas to 12 days - we might reclaim the importance of the sacrament. After all, what we do in those sacred moments at the font has the potential for unleashing incredible power – the power that comes from knowing that you are loved and that you have a purpose; that you are Somebody.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson is a well-known and often-quoted American civil rights activist and an incredibly motivating, powerful speaker. One of the places he enjoys speaking the most is school auditoriums. He loves addressing students, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, to give them a sense of their own worth; a new self-esteem, and a vision of a better future.
Some years ago, he began concluding his speeches by having the youngsters respond to his urgings with a litany of self- affirmation. He would say something or ask some question and the kids would respond, “I am somebody!” Over and over again, the youngsters would be asked about themselves and the response would be, “I am somebody.” By the time Jesse would be done, those students would be positively bellowing, “I am somebody,” and they would leave with a sense of worth that, for many, would be brand new.
And so it is for us. The message of your baptism and my baptism is that in God’s grand scheme of things, you and I are somebody. You are somebody; I am somebody God loves, put in this place and this time to affect he world for him. We are somebodies who share in the baptism of Jesus and who dedicate our lives to his service because of his love. We are somebodies who understand that God’s creation is still unfolding because our work is to use our spiritual gifts to make it happen.
On this day, many Christians in congregations around the world will reaffirm their baptism. This deserves a holiday, because the heart of baptism teaches that, in spite of all our fears and failures, worries and wonder, we are loved and our purpose is to share in Jesus’ work in the world because of his baptism for us. We too are Somebody.
May God be praised. AMEN