Baptism of Our Lord
Isaiah 42:1-9
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17
Psalm 29
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
When John the baptizer objects to Jesus coming to be baptized, Jesus says “Let it be so now; for it is proper in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Different translations offer a different word for “proper” here, and I have to say I’m not a fan of proper. Because to our ears it has connotations of uppity Anglican decorum. Like proper etiquette. Or leaving the Christmas tree up until Epiphany; you know like a proper household. The word “appropriate” is also offered, but it sounds a bit grudging, with hints of “just enough.” So of all the options I’ve seen, I think “fitting” is the best choice. It is not required, but it is fitting. There was no need for Jesus to be baptized, but it is fitting, to fulfill all righteousness. It is fitting. Or, as we might say in Rite I, “It is meet and right so to do.”
So, people are coming to John to be baptized, to wash away their sins and as a sign of repentance. But Jesus has no sin and no need to repent, so John objects. Like Jesus is messing it all up, right? Why should Jesus be baptized? Because it is fitting. It is not necessary, but it is fitting. You could say, Jesus is standing in the water with us as an act of solidarity. It is not necessary, but it is fitting, to fulfill all righteousness.
And maybe that’s the lesson for us today. A call to do what we don’t have to do for the sake of standing with others. Things that are not necessary, but are fitting. And maybe Jesus is setting an example for us. Particularly contrary to our individualistic American mindset. We often react to things with an attitude of, “Don’t tell me what to do!” Or, before we do something for someone, we might ask ourselves, “What’s in it for me?” And in today’s example, there’s nothing in it for Jesus to be baptized. None of the benefits come to him. He is without sin, without need of repentance. For Jesus to be baptized is not necessary, but it is fitting.
We have lots of things we already do that fall into this pattern. We don’t have to decorate the Altars with linens and flowers, but it is fitting. We don’t have to have music or a choir, but it is fitting. We don’t have to open our doors to the Girl Scouts or recovery groups, but it is fitting. We don’t have to let our neighbors park their cars in our parking lot, but it is fitting. We don’t have to commit a certain amount each month to the Rector’s Discretionary Fund to help the poor, but it is fitting. In all of these ways, and so many more, we are consistently pushing against the grain of the self-sufficient independent culture that surrounds us. The “what’s in it for me” way of relating to others. We don’t have to do it, but it is fitting.
And since I sure do love to wade into the waters of a controversy, I’ll note that we are currently in the midst of a surge of both the flu and covid in Ohio, and the recommendation is to wear masks again for a while when we’re in close quarters. We don’t have to wear masks or get vaccinated in order to protect the health of our neighbors, but it is fitting.
Shortly after I began my time as your Rector, Anne Smith of blessed memory mentioned to me that she had gotten her flu shot because the chemo treatments had weakened her immunity, and the flu was particularly dangerous for her. And I said, “Yeah, I don’t get flu shots because if I do get the flu, it’s not going to kill me.” And she said, “Yes, but it could kill me!” And the next day I went and got a flu shot—not for myself, but for Anne. And since then, I get a flu shot every year, as Cristin and I just did on Friday. It’s not in the Rector’s contract that they have to get a flu shot, but it is fitting.
I’m sure you have heard what happened in Minneapolis this past week. And I’m sure you have an opinion about it. In fact, given how divided we have become in our country, one could guess your political voting pattern based solely on your reaction to what happened in Minnesota. But no matter where you come down on the finer points of the direction of a car’s tires, and whether any of this needed to happen, three children are now orphans because their mother was executed. We don’t have to care about Renee’ Good or her children, but it is fitting that we do.
And, I might as well just say it. We don’t have to care what happens to refugees and foreigners in our country, but it is fitting that we do. And I’m not the first one to say this . . .
When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God. — Leviticus 19:33-34
Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns. — Deuteronomy 24:14
This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. — Jeremiah 22:3
And I’ll say it again: we don’t have to care what happens to refugees and foreigners, but it is fitting that we do.
In a few minutes, we will renew our Baptismal Covenant together. The rubrics allow us to replace the Creed with the Covenant a few times a year, and the Baptism of Jesus is one of the days. And in that time, you and I will make some promises before God and one another. Specifically, promises about honoring God in other people, and treating our neighbors with respect and dignity. They are promises, not requirements. And there it is again: We don’t have to do those things, but it is fitting. And I believe we can and we will, with God’s help.
Meanwhile, the thing to hold onto this morning is this:
There is no need for Jesus to be baptized by John. But he is, because it is fitting. People come to be baptized to have their sin washed away. Jesus (who knew no sin) stands in the water with us (the ones who need repentance) as an act of solidarity in order to fulfill all righteousness. You can think of it as Jesus saying, “Come on in! The water’s fine!” We don’t have to get in the water with him, but it is fitting that we do.
Amen
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