The Baptism of Our Lord
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Although I forgot to mention it last week, for those who are interested, there’s a basket of chalk in the parish hall, along with instructions for chalking your door for Epiphany. Some people say that chalking the door brings good luck, or keeps evil spirits away. But that’s not why we do it. We put chalk on our doors to remind ourselves that God is with us, not to dispel demons. As I remind us, over and over again, God does not save us from trouble; God saves us in our troubles.
We worship a God who specializes in resurrections, new beginnings, hope for the hopeless, love for the unloved. All the miracles of Jesus are about setting things right: restoration of sight, healing of disease, raising the dead back to life. Chalking our door reminds us that Jesus is with us; that’s why we do it, despite what troubles might come our way.
And speaking of Jesus' being with us, today we celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord. It’s a big deal in the Christian Church; it gets its own Sunday every year. And in today’s version of his baptism, from Luke, we have John the Baptist with his dramatic speech to set the stage. He’s really building Jesus up to be a scary guy, baptizing with fire, a winnowing fork in his hand, with unquenchable fire! The drama is off the charts here. “Ladies and gentlemen, I give you JESUS!”
And then Luke writes, “when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also was baptized . . .” That’s it. That’s the entrance. Jesus gets baptized right along with everyone else—a parenthetical thought on the Feast Day of Our Lord’s Baptism. Luke doesn’t give us any details about the baptism. Jesus is just . . . baptized along with everybody else. Or, as Luke says, right along with “ALL the people.” All the people were baptized, and Jesus also was baptized. Kind of an understated entrance for the guy John the Baptist has been stumping for, isn’t it? I mean, the set-up seems a little overblown.
But, of course, you know what happens next. Jesus is praying, the heavens open up, the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove, and there is a voice from heaven saying, “You are my son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Whole theological careers have been built on this sentence. And mine will not be among them. There are too many questions about what this means for Jesus’ own sense of his Messianic identity for me to wade into. But this voice from heaven sounds remarkably similar to what comes just prior to the reading we heard from Isaiah this morning.
In Isaiah 42 we read, “Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.” Of course, we might conclude that Luke intends for it to sound remarkably similar, and that’s why it does. But the echo is certainly there, and it would make the connection clear for anyone familiar with the writings of Isaiah.
And just after that prophecy, in today’s reading from Isaiah, we have a series of promises. I have called you by name and you are mine. Do not fear; I am with you. You are precious in my sight. I am the Lord your God, your Savior. These are promises to God’s people. These are promises to you and me.
And these texts from Isaiah parallel the announcement at Jesus’ baptism along with the people. I mean, ALL the people. Isaiah 43:2—When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. When you pass through the water, God is with you. You are God’s beloved child. In you, God is well pleased. And how do we know God is with us when we pass through the water?
Because as we heard, Jesus meets the people being baptized in the water, and God is well pleased. Jesus joins with each of us in the waters of baptism, just as he meets us at this Altar in the sacrament. When Jesus joins us in the baptismal water, the water overflows with promise--forgiveness, new life, God calling us by name, God proclaiming us beloved. Like Jesus, we are named precious, honored, and loved. God is with us always; we do not need to be afraid, because Jesus is the fulfillment and embodiment of God's promise.
And, after meeting us in the water, Jesus meets us in every circumstance, every season of life, even in the moment of death—especially there. From the water, Jesus walks with us on the journey of our lives, ending at the cross, and the empty tomb. Jesus has gone before us, and is always with us, whether or not we chalk our doors.
But there’s a sticky point in the Baptism of Jesus, and maybe it’s a thought you’ve had yourself, and it is this: If Baptism is for the remission of sin (you know, forgiveness of sin), and since Jesus is without sin, then why does Jesus have to be baptized? Why does Jesus get baptized along with ALL the people? Well, two thoughts on that . . .
First, we kind of have the shoe on the wrong foot here. It’s not that Jesus is baptized like us; it’s that we are baptized like Jesus. Jesus isn’t doing what we do in baptism; rather, in our baptism, we are doing what Jesus does. We are joining in the baptism of Jesus.
And secondly, baptism is not a requirement; baptism is a gift. God doesn’t love us because we have been baptized. Instead, we get to be baptized because God loves us. And that’s particularly clear when we remember those words from Isaiah. God says when you pass through the waters I will be with you. Which is quite different from saying, after you have passed through the waters, I will consider loving you.
And as we saw in today’s gospel reading, when ALL the people were baptized, Jesus was with them. Not just watching them from the shore, nodding in approval. No, Jesus is baptized with them. Not in some special, private, rock-star baptism, but right along with them.
Which suggests that rather than looking up to heaven for God, maybe we should look around the room. Because that’s where Jesus is.
In our own Baptismal Covenant, we promise to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves. We renew that covenant every time we witness a baptism. Every time we see someone get confirmed. Every time the Bishop visits. Every Easter. And today as well, on the Baptism of our Lord. And, as with all the promises we make in church, we make the promises along with the phrase, “with God’s help.” We promise to do the impossible, with God’s help. To seek and serve Christ in all persons, with God’s help. Because God is with us.
I encourage you to hear these words again, because God says to you, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you . . . For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Because you are precious in my sight, and honored, and I love you.”
God loves you. Exactly as you are. And whether or not there is chalk on your door, Jesus is always with you.
Amen.
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