Epiphany 1 (2015)

Grace and peace be yours from the Light of the World, Jesus Christ. Amen. The voice of the LORD is over the waters, says our psalm. the voice of the LORD thunders over mighty waters. The book of beginnings, the book of Genesis, and the first Gospel to be written, the book of Mark, open with the same image: water. Water is essential to life. Without water, life dies. The Spirit of God moves over the water at that first moment of creation, the Spirit calling forth peace out of the chaos, the Spirit calling forth light out of the gloom and the darkness. And God calls this ‘good.’ Jesus comes to the water at that first moment of public ministry; the Spirit of God moving over the water, descending as a dove, proclaiming that the One who is baptized is beloved by God. The four Sundays of Advent have passed where we heard the proclamation of John the Baptist, ‘prepare the way of the Lord.’ The twelve days of Christmas have passed where we heard the proclamation that the Messiah our Savior has come to us. The Day of the Epiphany has passed where we proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, and that Christ is the Light of the World. Today, the first Sunday after the Epiphany, we observe in our worship the Baptism of our Savior. ****************** We are following the lectionary, the assigned set of lessons, Scripture readings, for the days of the Christian Church calendar. There are always some who are unfamiliar with, or opposed to, the lectionary, who dismiss it as just so formality or silliness, a relic of the institution of the Church, saying that they are free from all of that old school stuff, that they are liberated from the traditions of the Christian Church. But why would one want to be separated from the historic practices of the Church of Jesus Christ? The Church of Jesus Christ is itself an institution created by the Holy Spirit, which moved over the various individual followers of our Savior and created them as a community, established them as the Church, the Body of Christ present in the world. When we were baptized we were made members of the community, made members of the Church, made members of the family. Now the reality is that the Church has been celebrating the Baptism of Jesus for almost a score of centuries so this morning we are united with Christians across time; as well, church bodies around the world follow the lectionary as an intentional witness to the one-ness of the Church. We are united today with Christians across space and time in our witness to the Gospel proclaimed today. *************** The Baptism of Jesus is not some minor event, unimportant, insignificant in the life and ministry of our Savior; it is not something that is optional for us to remember. All four Gospels are very clear that the ministry of Jesus begins with Baptism. Consider: only two of the Gospels, Matthew and Luke, make mention of the birth of Jesus, and even Matthew’s account is very brief. We make a big deal out of the Jesus’ birth. In contrast all four of the Gospels make it explicitly clear that the ministry of Jesus begins with the baptism at the Jordan by John; it is with the baptism that the Gospels of Mark and John begin; nothing that Jesus did as an adult is worthy of any comment by any of the Gospels until that day when Jesus is baptized. It is with the Baptism where it all begins for Jesus - and for us. If we want the faith that is revealed in the Scriptures, if you want me to share with you the traditional faith of the Church, if we want that old time religion… if we want meaning for our lives this day in this time and place… not something that is a relic of the past… but rather… understanding and direction for how we are called to live with integrity in the world today, how to experience life meaningful and blessed… then we begin, as the Gospels do, with baptism. Our lives, our faith: it all begins with and is centered in baptism. ******************** The Spirit of God moves over the waters, at creation and at baptism. God called forth light and there was light. The Light of the World is Jesus. Jesus entered the water; as Jesus emerged from the waters of baptism, the Spirit descended as a dove and the voice of God was heard; this is my Child, in whom I am well pleased. In summary, at the baptism of Jesus, present were God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We are reminded of the command of the Risen Savior just before the Ascension: ‘go into all the world… and baptize in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.’ This command of Jesus makes baptism into not something that we do because it is traditional — not something we may or may not do because in our modern world we consider it somehow archaic and unnecessary - we baptize because Jesus commanded us, and because through baptism we receive the gift of God’s grace. We are called to remember that the baptism that we received is not the same baptism that John performed: in our Gospel lesson this morning we are told that John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin. We hear John saying: ‘The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals… the One who comes after me will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ As the Spirit was present at the baptism of Christ, so was the Spirit present at our own baptisms. As each of us were baptized, we were called by name - remember that our first and middle names are called our “Christian names”- in baptism we are made members of Christ’s church - God said to each of us at our baptisms, “you are my beloved child; in you I am well pleased.” God called you good. Do we ever take time to stop and reflect that each one of us is God’s beloved child? How often in the various times of our lives, each one of us, in our own personal life experience, have we then time to ponder the reality that God said to each one of us, “you are my beloved child.” In baptism we are made members of Christ’s church, given our place in the family of God; God says to each one of us, you are my beloved child. No one can take that away from you. Nothing you do can take that away from you. There is nothing that can happen to you that can take that away. How often do you really take time to comprehend that: you are God’s child, God’s beloved child, and that is yours forever. I am not certain that each one of us grasps that gift, takes it to heart in both the good times and the painful times of one’s own life. We sing about it: in the hymn A Mighty Fortress Were they to take our house, goods, honor, child, or spouse, though life be wretched away, they cannot win the day. The Kingdom’s ours forever. We hear it proclaimed in the Scriptures: If God is for us, who can be9 against us?… Who shall bring any charge against God's elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? No. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. But how often do we grasp this in the very depth of our being? I experience too many anxious people in the course of my day - and one anxious person is too many - anxious that they may have done something that is too bad for God to forgive; anxious they may not believe exactly the right things as if God is going to give us a multiple choice test or a blue book exam someday anxious that they haven’t been good enough and God doesn’t truly love them, even though God has said, you are my beloved child; anxious that they may not be ‘right with God’ and how I abhor that phrase: it is not what you do that makes you right with God, is is God who made you right when at your baptism God said to you, you are my beloved child and nothing can change that… Yet, even so, there are those among us who will lie awake anxious in the night, unable to sleep, or who never know the full happiness and joy of each day because of worry, fear, pain… not trusting that God will be there for them. Our first lesson, remember, taught us that Spirit of God moved across the waters and called out light into existence.. Be mindful of the words of Psalm 139: Where can I go from your spirit? Or where can I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there; if I make my bed in the place of death, you are there… even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light around me become night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is as bright as the day, for darkness is as light to you. We lay in bed in the darkness of the night, in the gloom and despair and depression of our souls, unable to sleep consumed by our worries and anxieties, but remember that God calls forth light out of darkness and Christ who is the light of the world is the light of your life and is with you, God is with you, loving you… shining the light of love into you… …you have the Spirit of God within you, you are a baptized child of God - everything begins with baptism - when you have those moments of doubt, anxiety, depression, sadness… do not accept it - remember who you are, a baptized, beloved child of God, and claim that reality. Call out to God: let your prayer be: here I am God, I am yours, I am your baptized child. I claim your love, I need your help, your strength,
 I need you to reveal your power in my life. Claim what is yours, your baptism, your place in the family, God’s love. Claim the love of the God who loves you. Claim your light… be confident because your have been claimed by God in the water of baptism; be bold and claim your baptism as you claim what is yours, what has been given to you: God’s eternal, constant, and unchanging love. The Spirit of God is yours - feel it and if you cannot feel it ask God to renew you in the gift of God’s love forever. 11