1 Epiphany

May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O Lord, my refuge and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

SEASON: 1 Epiphany
PROPER: A
PLACE: St. John's Parish, Kingsville
DATE: January 10,1999

TEXT: Matthew 3:13-17 - The Baptism of Jesus -
And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heavce said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

ISSUE: The baptismal experience of Jesus is common to all Gospel accounts. It is his birth for all account. He is the new Moses, lifted up out of the water. He is the Beloved, the one with whom God is well pleased. His paternity is revealed; he is the son of God. Out of this birthing and conversion experience, Jesus carries on the ministry of the son-servant of God. In each of our own baptisms we are claimed as the children (people) of God, and are called to faithful ministry. It is important for us to be aware of this fact for ourselves and for our children. We are the people of God in God's world.
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In recent weeks we have studied the birth narratives of Jesus. Luke told us of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem along with shepherds and angels in attendance. Luke is concerned that the poor and the outcasts know that the savior has come to them. Matthew tells us of the radiant star and the kings (wisemen) that came and how Jesus and the Holy Family had to escape from the evil ruler Herod into Egypt. Matthew was eager to associate Jesus as being the new Moses for God's people. He wants the Jewish community to accept Jesus as Lord, and eagerly attempts to relate Jesus to many Old Testament texts and prophecies. John had told how Jesus was the Word of God revealed to the world. Jesus is what God has to say to us in the Gospel of John. Mark, however, has no account of Jesus' birth. However, what all four gospel accounts share in common - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John - is that Jesus was baptized in the River Jordon by John the Baptist. This event was for all concerned in the early church a momentous one which marked something extraordinary and important about the ministry of Jesus. He was truly touched by God. In this momentous event he comes into his own as Son of God, the Messiah, but more than Messiah, the Anointed One of God.
The baptism of Jesus as it is told in the Gospels would have had great significance for the early Christians, especially the early Jewish Christians. Jesus coming up out of the water was a birthing experience. Jesus is for all intents and purposes the new Adam. In Genesis, in the beginning, God had scooped up the clay out of the water and molded Adam. That Adam had failed to be faithful, like so many people of the world. Jesus is the new Adam, scooped up out of the water and named as God's new son, his Beloved, with whom God is pleased. He is no longer just Mary and Joseph's son: He is Son of God the Father.
What's more, Jesus' baptism was reminiscent of Moses who had been a great leader that led his people out of oppression and slavery to the Promised Land. Moses had been found in water in the River Nile by Pharaoh's daughter and she raised him up and he became one of Israel's greatest leaders and one of God's greatest servants. He led God's people through the Red Sea (or Sea of Reeds) to their salvation from the evil that pursued them. The story of Moses is such a wonderful and profound story of leadership, of redemption, and hope for an oppressed people. What hope and joy it proclaimed.Now Jesus for the early church is the new Moses who coming up out of the Jordon River will lead his people away from oppression, sinfulness,and for all who follow him they will enter into the Kingdom of God, the new Promised Land of hope.
What seems clear in the accounts of the Baptism of Jesus is his searching out John, a religious prophet that called people to change repentance and renewal of their lives. He called them to be washed from their sins and become a new creatures. It was a call to a conversion. Jesus who is in search of his own destiny, and what it is he is to be, what he is to make of his life comes to John for baptism. He allows himself to be immersed in the human condition of sin. He is converted from carpenter to a new ministry of servanthood in the service of God. He is the witness to new birth, new beginnings, new hope, and a vital ministry in the world as he brings people to, and reveals to them the magnificent love and forgiveness of God. He calls all to fulfill their destinies as the people of God, children of God. He heals them in order that they may serve God more fully. He teaches them that they may appreciate the truth about God. He lives and dies for them that they may see the fulness of God's love and commitment to the establishment of a new world. Jesus himself is born again that all may see his uniqueness as a child and Son of God, servant of God. The voice from heaven declares: "This is is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." For the people first hearing this passage, they were reminded that these were also words from their ancient and beloved prophet Isaiah (42:1) "Here is my servant, who I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights: I have put my sprit upon him; he will bring froth justice to the nations." It is the passage from the O.T. that we read today which described a humble and gentle servant of God who would bring hope to his people. Jesus is that hope for the world.
In recent years the church has made an all out effort to restore the meaning and the of Holy Baptism. In the Episcopal Church, Baptism is not that thing we do to children on Sunday afternoon after everyone has gone home. We perform this sacramental rite at the main Sunday Service usually and normally so that all of us together can be refreshed in its importance, its meaning, and be reminded of our calling to be fellow and joint heirs with Jesus Christ in baptism. Baptism is our occasion of being born again. As we gather to all renew our baptismal vows and to share again in the Baptismal Covenant, we are all reminded of the fact that we too are the Sons and the Daughters of God in and through Jesus Christ. God who brought us into this world has called us to be his children and seeks to bestow his Spirit upon us. We are the Children and people of God in whom God is well pleased when we accept our call faithfully. We along with Christ and in the Spirit of God carry on the ministry of healing, caring, and sharing the love and forgiveness that has been so freely bestowed upon us.
Today we are bringing three infant children into the church for Holy Baptism. It is a momentous event in their lives and the lives of their families. They are being born again, and intiated into a fellowship we call the Church of God. All of us who are renewing our vows and commitments are recalling our new birth and our responsibility as children or people of God. It might well be argued that since the children are so small and perhaps to some degree unaware of what's really happening to them, what is the effect on them? We are here to witness. Their parents and their sponsors, or God-parents are here to help raise them in the tradition and faith of the church. They are to be their constant reminder as they grow up that they are children of God, and beloved sons of God. In order for parents and God-parents to do that well, they themselves must be close to and aware of their calling as baptized Christians. We all must keep close to the church, to the teachings, reach out for God, be prayerful in seeking God's presence and guidance. We all need to be converted and renewed in being Go's people and his servants. Jesus was a witness to the world of all that God wanted to say to the world and how God loved, redeemed, forgave the world. Jesus emphatically revealed God through his ministry, life, teaching, and was faithful to that calling and to that destiny.
Dear parents . . . . dear God-parents . . . . gathered here today: What is the destiny of the children you bring? Will they live out their lives as children of God. The example, the model, you give them, and the acceptance that they receive in this congregation will have a significant effect on their lives and their growing up. But before you can lead them, you yourselves may need renewal, conversion, being born again too. You must seek to know and to love God. You must embrace Jesus Christ as your Lord. You must have a mission, a purpose. Let these children see your concern for the sick, the poor, the dying, the oppressed. Let them see your faithful commitment to all the good and just and holy. In so doing you will lead these children to feel what real love and forgivness is. They will come to know that they are indeed God's beloved, and that they too have a calling, a ministry, a purpose as servants of God. Let them see that we are all about the business of joining Jesus Christ in bringing the world into God's Kingdom.
There is no question but that Jesus went through a profound religious experience at his baptism. It was a moment of conversion, a unique and powerful experience. May God help each and everyone of us to be touched by his Spirit. May we embrace his wonderful calling to reach out to the world with the love that God has given to each of us, that with Jesus Christ as our Lord, we may bring hope and love to the world. Pray that these children too may be his faithful children and servants. May they always know themselves as the Beloved of God with Christ, and carry on with him in the ministry of love and hope for the world.