Sermon - Baptism of the Lord Sunday

Genesis 1:1-5; Mark 1:4-11            January 11, 2015

A child is born.  Let’s say that it is a girl child.  She is a daughter, sister, and eventually a wife and a
mother.  She moves in and out of relationships throughout a lifetime.  She is baptized as an infant and grows up in the Church as at least an "average" Christian.  She hears about God, has read much of the Bible, attends youth group and Sunday School most Sundays, works in the nursery when her own children are there, and takes a turn at teaching Sunday School.  She works outside the home, at first part time and then full time.  She provides volunteers in the community.  She cares for her parents' when the time comes. 

People think that they know her, but just when they think they have her pegged, she surprises them.  In reality, people know only a little bit about her.  It would take all of the chapters in a very large book to know her so well that we would never be surprised or disappointed.  And even then we could not know her as she knows herself or as well as God does.

And if we can't really know one of our fellow creatures, how can we expect to know everything there is to know about God? Throughout the ages, the Church has incorporated the telling of its family story each week in worship.  The story defines the way we think about a year.  Our year starts at Advent, not on January 1st, in the story of the Holy Family, throughout Jesus’ ministry, on Holy Thursday and on Good Friday, on All Saint’s Day and at Pentecost.   We celebrate the whole story through the whole year, and we know who we are through the stories of Palm Sunday and Easter as well as in the stories of Christmastide.  

Baptismal Font - Freudenstadt, Germany

Holy Scripture is a vehicle for that knowing.  God is, in part, known through relationship with the created.  In the readings for today we hear of the relationships between Father, Son, and Spirit. Through the readings we share in intimate moments, moments that are some of  the most revealing.  Especially in the Hebrew Bible lesson and the gospel, God introduces Himself to us and invites us to meet the rest of the family.

If you close you eyes and imagine the first five verses of Genesis, what would you see?  What would you hear?  At first, there is darkness, and then the sound of water.   Water, water, everywhere.   And God stirs the water around and starts the creative process.   Darkness and light, day and night, earth and heaven.  Animals and human beings.  It all began with the water.

Water plays such an elemental role in our lives and in the lives of the Biblical characters.   How many stories can you think of where water was a symbol pointing to the greatness of God?  Crossing the Red Sea, Jonah and the whale, water from a rock in the wilderness, Noah and the flood, water into wine, Jesus walking on water… and many more.   And water is present even the story most familiar to us.   In the baptism liturgy it goes like this:  “In the fullness of time you sent Jesus, nurtured in the water of a womb, baptized by John, and anointed by your Spirit.”

Born in a stable… baptized with sinners in the Jordan River… This is a scene of epic proportions. Jesus’ ministry begins so simply.  John in his holy lunacy mingles with the crowd from the villages, people aching for some Good News.  This good news comes in two forms: the baptism of John which is a forgiveness of sins, and his prophecy of the one who is greater and who will follow.  Indded, there is more to come. There will be a baptism of the Spirit.  In the end, there will not be a human intermediary with this new baptism.  It will be straight from God.

Jesus, the righteous one, goes to John and enters the water of the Jordan.  And with water John baptizes Jesus, even under duress.  Mark tells us that as he leaves the water he sees the "heaven torn apart."  Now, that is a picture worthy of the best filmmaker.  "You are my Son, the Beloved."  It is as if God the Father cannot get close enough to his child.  It is as if the parent is confined to heaven at this intimate moment and in euphoric frustration rips and tears the very fabric of the universe to lay his claim upon his Son.  It is a cosmic YES, arms raised high and feet dancing.  It is love spilling out, the cup overflowing. God knows, and from Scripture we too know what will be the result of this descent of the Spirit to Jesus.  Justice and mercy will be preached to all people.  He will go about doing good and reminding people of God’s real intentions for his creation.

Baptismal Font
Salisbury Cathedral, England

Where are we in this story? We stand with the crowd at the Jordan. We have trudged out from town, weighed down by our sins and hopeful that the madman from the desert will give us a new purpose for living.  We don’t know that the man in our midst is one born without stain.  We probably don't recognize him as the Messiah.  But we go back to the village and step back into our routines.  We are refreshed and feel the sense of a clean start. We know that something has changed.

What do we learn of God in this moment?   We are introduced to the Son, the Servant.  We see the Holy Parent leaning down from heaven to give us our first glimpse of the Holy Spirit.

God wants to be known by us.  He sought out the prophets and, piece by piece, the knowledge which can change lives and make them whole was given to humankind.  It was given flesh in his Son who was sustained by the Spirit in his labors.  This Creator God is our Parent as well.  We are not so small that we can be overlooked by his love and protection.  It is impossible for us to be excluded.  We only need to respond to one whose response is eternal and unchanging.  One who is in three persons, Creator, Redeemer, Sanctifier … the one who is all that we need. 

Baptismal Font -
Our Lady Cathedral
Krakow, Poland

Baptism is the church’s symbol, the sacrament, that says that we are anointed and accepted and recognized by God.  It is our way of handing ourselves and our children and our church over to the God, the one who created us and our world.  Through baptism we are cleansed.  Through baptism we are marked.  Through baptism we are set apart to be in ministry, to perform acts of justice and mercy, and to know and be known by God even better.

It is not a small thing we do when we come to the fountain of life, even if we had nothing to say about it.  How many of you remember your baptisms?  Have a story to tell?  How many of you do not remember you baptism?  Do not know the date or the circumstances? 

Your assignment is to find out what you can… to hear or tell the story as you know it… and to celebrate that day of recognition and initiation into the life of the church.  After all, isn’t that what we need more of… days to celebrate and thanks to give to God for a job well done.

Jesus’ baptism by John is one more piece in the puzzle of  of our Christian story.  Jesus knows me a little bit better because he too has felt the coolness of the water and heard the voice of God, sending him out to serve.  And I know him better because I hear the story of God actively participating in what baptism is all about.

Jesus’ baptism propels him into the world – to teach, to serve, to live and to love. And it does the same for us. God claims us at our baptisms – this is my child with whom I am well pleased – and sends us out to go and do the same… to live and serve and love in him name. Thanks be to God!

Amen.

My baptism day - August 30, 1959