Year C, Epiphany 1 (Luke 3:15-17, 21-22; Ps. 29)
(Video starts at 18:25)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts, be always acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength and our redeemer. Amen.
Good Morning –
Today is the day that we celebrate baptism. We celebrate the baptism of Jesus and we celebrate our own baptism. And in this celebration, we should come to recognize that these baptisms are not different but are very much the same.
Let’s look at the gospel lesson today. Luke writes: “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven saying: ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” The gospel does not tell us, and it seems unlikely, that anyone else saw the Spirit or heard the voice. This revelation was personal and particular to Jesus himself at this time.
When we read the baptismal account, the first thing we should notice is the fullness of the presentation of the Trinity. We have the voice of the Father in heaven that we read about in the Psalm, we have the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus as a dove, and we have Jesus being proclaimed as the Son, the Beloved, in whom the Father is well-pleased. The Greek word for “well-pleased” means “delighted.” And so the Son is in whom the Father takes delight.
In each of the Gospel accounts Jesus begins his ministry immediately after his baptism. For in his baptism, Jesus receives a confidence and a self-understanding as to who he is and as to his mission – a mission to bind-up the brokenhearted, to release those imprisoned by sin and the demonic, and to bring the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven to the poor and the marginalized. It is this mission that will take him to the Cross and the Empty Tomb and to victory over sin and death. The light who enlightens everyone has come into the world, and that light begins to radiantly shine at the baptism.
But, Jesus’ baptism is not simply a nice theological story within the Biblical narrative. It is not an event that takes place only once to be read about in history like George Washington crossing the Delaware or Neil Armstrong walking on the moon. Rather, like the Last Supper that we participate in every week in the Eucharist, so too is his baptism an event we participate in at our own baptism. Christ’s baptism is an event that we not only read about, but that we also experience in our lives. For in our baptism, the fullness of the Trinity is made manifest within our own lives and within the life of the church.
The promise of the Gospel is not about where we go when we die, rather it is about our becoming who Jesus is. St. Paul writes in Romans 8 “When we cry out, “Abba!, Father!” it is the Holy Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs: heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ.” We are, as Paul later writes in Galatians, the adopted children of God.
In our own baptism, that same Spirit that moved over the waters at Creation and led the children of Israel out of bondage likewise descends upon us and empowers us. Just as the Holy Spirit guided Jesus in his ministry, so too does the Spirit guide us in our ministry and enable us to grow in the likeness of Christ.
In our own baptism, that same Voice that brings creation out of nothingness, that Voice that the Psalm we just read says “thunders upon the waters, shakes the forest, and stips the cedars bare” speaks to us as well. At your baptism, it is this voice of the Father in heaven which also says “You are my child. You are my Beloved. The object of my affection. In you, I take delight.” In your baptism, you too are becoming who he is – a child of God and, as Peter writes, a participant in the divine nature. THIS is the promise of our salvation, that is given to us at our baptism.
And just as Jesus received a confidence and a self-understanding as to who he is and as to his mission; so to do you receive that same confidence and understanding to carry your unique calling to be a light within this world of darkness.
Now, most of us were baptized as infants. We don’t remember our baptism or the promises made on our behalf. This is why we have the Rite of Confirmation so that we have the specific opportunity to remember our baptism. But more than that, every time we join in the baptism of someone else (like in Jessie’s baptism a few months ago), we are partaking of our own baptism. And every time we renew our baptismal vows, so too do we partake of own baptism once more.
In a few moments, we will renew our Baptismal Covenant and once more participate in our baptism and in the baptism of Jesus. As we go through the renewal of our vows, I want you to pay attention. Pay attention to the very personal and particular presence of the Trinity in your life.
As we go through the Rite, I want you to open your eyes and recognize the Holy Spirit coming upon you. Feel the power of the Spirit that gives each of us the confidence to proclaim Jesus as Lord, and the confidence to go out to be a great light into the world. See the power of the Spirit who gives Life, and gives it abundantly.
I want you to open your ears and hear that YOU are a Child of God. That YOU are God’s beloved. And it is YOU in whom the Father takes great delight. Listen to God speak your name.
And never let anyone, even yourself, tell you something different. God’s love for you and his delight in you is unconditional and nothing you do can ever change that. No matter how prodigal you may be, the Father will also be there with open arms because you are his beloved. No matter how much you stray, the Shepherd will always find you, because you are his delight.
And as we go through the renewal of the Baptismal Covenant, open your heart to the mission field to which we have been called. Jesus tells us “You are the light of the world, and let your light so shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” Love your neighbor as yourself. Strive for peace and justice. And respect the dignity of every human being.
And Always. Always remember who YOU ARE in your baptism. See the Spirit. Hear the Father. And never forget that you are a Child of the Most High.