Isaiah
42:1-9
Matthew 3:13-17
If you need evidence that God is moving
in this place, here at FCUCC… When Stephanie and Dylan and I worked out the day
to baptize Silas, I had no idea that the lectionary scripture for this week was
about Christs’ baptism. That was God,
working out His synchronicity here in our community. But what a wonderful opportunity to talk about
baptism – all of our baptisms!
Many of us are baptized as children,
with our parents, godparents and grandparents present to pledge their
commitment to our well-being. Others are
baptized as adults. I was baptized at
age 13. During my internship I become
Godmother to a woman in her baptism - who was only 6 months younger than
me. She and her three children, aged 16,
12 and 6 were all being baptized on the same day.
John the Baptist was baptizing people in
the River Jordan, calling on people to repent.
Now, in my quest to drop tidbits about Israel into all my sermons until
Jared visits in February, I want to put this in geographical context. Last week
I mentioned that the Sea of Galilee, as we hear about sometimes in scripture
where Jesus did a lot of his ministry, is not a Sea at all but a lake. In Hebrew, the lake is named the Kinnerit - in
the region known as the Galilee. This
lake, the Kinnerit, is actually a part of the Jordan River in the Jordan River
Valley. The Jordan flows into this lake
and flows out of it on the other side.
This lake is the lowest freshwater
body on earth (the Dead Sea is actually the lowest body of water on earth, but
it is salt-water). The Sea of Galilee is
situated near a fissure in the techtonic plates. There are 17 hot springs
surrounding the Western side of this lake, with water as hot as 140 degrees F and
full of minerals. The area has been used for healing baths for centuries,
and this could be is why Jesus centered his ministry in this area – because
there were a preponderance of sick people in need of healing.
John wasn’t just using any water for his
Baptism. This was the mighty River
Jordan; symbolically the last body of water the Israelites had to cross to
escape the oppressive conditions of Egypt.
When they crossed the Jordan to find their promised land from
God, they entered into a new communal life to be shaped by God’s will instead
of oppressive Egyptian power.
What does this new communal life look
like? Well, we know it is not what was
happening in Egypt. It does not exploit
the slave or worker and does not exalt violence. It shelters the widow, the
orphan, and the immigrant. It embraces hospitality for the stranger and respect
for the other. It involves loving God with all our being, and loving our
neighbor as ourselves. The prophet
Isaiah describes a servant of God who will bring a new covenant to the people –
but will do it without raising his voice, without breaking even a reed. This perfect servant will be God’s delight. This perfect servant is Jesus.
John, like the prophets before him, felt
that Israel had wandered away from these values and its mission as a just society
serving God. In his Baptisms, John’s idea of repentance was less about
renouncing our sinful natures, but more about turning towards God and aligning
ourselves with God’s will. It’s not
‘come and confess your sins’, it’s ‘change your hearts and lives’. Baptism was an outward ritual to signify this
change of heart, a commitment to live into God’s will.
Our Baptisms hold this promise. Baptism
proclaims we are starting out on a journey to live within God’s
community. It’s the public pledge that
we take for ourselves, or for our children – that we will strive to understand
God’s mission for us in our lives; that we may also become servants of
God. We pledge that will strive to love
God with all our hearts, all our minds, all our being and all our strength. And that we will love our neighbor as
ourselves. That’s why here, in the UCC, our baptisms include the congregation;
this congregation – this family – commits to hold Silas in this web of loving
community. Baptism is about taking
responsibility for each other’s growth and well-being. We make this promise to each other.
In THIS moment, however, this moment
with John and Jesus, it goes beyond repentance.
When John recognizes Jesus, he recognizes one who is already aligned
with God. This moment of Baptism becomes
the one where Jesus publicly commits to do the work God would have him do. This is the start of Jesus’ ministry; in the
book of Matthew, all that we’ve been hearing about since Christmas – his birth,
the visit from the Magi, the flight to Egypt, and his return to be baptized
–all this takes place before Jesus begins God’s work. This is where Jesus accepts his charge as
God’s servant.
When Jesus submits to this Baptism,
God’s voice is heard across the waters.
Heaven opens up, and Jesus sees the spirit of God descend upon him. God’s voice rings out; “this is my son, the
beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
There is something powerful about
seeing greatness in someone before that person even realizes how great they
are.
This is the moment when Jesus is claimed
by God. Jesus is claimed, and named – my
son, the beloved. Jesus is given an
identity and a purpose. According
to Matthew's gospel, before Jesus performed any miracles . . . before he
intervened on behalf of the weak and the afflicted . . . before he taught
in the temple and had a following . . . before he went to the cross . . . Jesus
was affirmed by God. And the power of that affirmation prior to Jesus' mission
is precisely what guided Jesus' mission. It becomes
clear to all who are present that this is a relationship that is so intimate
and so profound that it will propel every action and every decision. From here, Jesus sets out on God’s path. Jesus presents himself to this commitment,
and God reciprocates that commitment by equipping Jesus for
ministry. Through his
spirit Jesus will reveal a part of God to us.
He will fulfill the scripture and reveal the Gospel to all humanity.
Our baptisms are the same. Just as this baptism is the moment when Jesus
is claimed by God, our baptism into the Body of Christ – into this fabric of a
loving community - it is the same. With
our baptism, we are affirmed as a beloved child of God, already blessed and
cherished by our Creator and by our parents, godparents, grandparents, and the
extended family here of this church.
With our Baptism, we are claimed, we are named by God as one of God’s
children. With our baptism, we are given
belonging in this community, in the wider this body of Christ, and sent on a
path of service to God.
Today, celebrating this baptism gives us
cause to remember our own. And
remembering our baptism is about remembering whom we belong to – and to what we
are called to do. If you are taking this
journey of faith, it needs a beginning, and baptism is that beginning. If you are taking this journey of faith, you
need to know you are pleasing to your Creator – and baptism is that recognition. If you are taking this journey of faith, you
need the support of other pilgrims with you on the journey, to affirm your
value and your service to God – baptism is that affirmation. If you are taking this journey of faith, you
need time and space to turn back to God and remember to whom you belong –
remembering our baptism provides that opportunity.
Our Baptism is a good reminder of our own
commitment to be that servant – to our community, to each other, and to God. Sometimes we need a reminder that we are beloved,
touched by God and held in the loving web of a congregation. Sometimes we need a nudge to have us turn back
towards God. And that’s what John the
Baptists’ repentance is about – it’s not a one-and-done kind of thing, it’s a
constant effort to align ourselves with God’s will – God’s will for us and for
our community.
Jesus taught us that realizing
God's kingdom is all about recognizing what God has placed within
us. And in learning that, learning how we serve God, we are able to better
learn and remember our own identity.
For us, it’s the same. Like Jesus, we
are claimed by God. Like Jesus, we are
set on a path understanding we are God’s children. And like Jesus, it is in the
acting out that purpose that we know who we are.
You are a beloved child of God, turning
towards God again and again, and with you God is well-pleased.
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