Sermon, Epiphany 1A, Matthew 3:13-17

Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. There is alot to unpack in this particular passage and we could spend hours doing so. Just to give you an idea of the depth of this passage, let me give you a few examples of what I'm talking talking about.

Galilee is a mountainous region and his higher than the Jordan; so this is the first time that Jesus comes down from a mountain to be with people. John recognizing that a sinless Jesus has no need of baptism. This is a communal action, everything we do is done in community; hence Jesus could not baptize himself. The opening of the heavens that brings down the Spirit of God, as opposed to the last time the heavens were opened and God destroyed all living things in the flood. And, of course, this theophany where we hear the voice of God, see the Son of God, and witness the Spirit of God. So you can see that there really is a lot going on in this passage; and that's a good thing, because it gives me all kinds of material to preach for the next several years on this first Sunday after the Epiphany.

And like last week, this passage is more than a feel good story about Jesus, or a simple retelling of the beginning of his ministry, or the tying together of the old and the new. It can be all of those things, and more, but the question we need to ask ourselves of this passage, and of any other biblical passage for that matter, is this: how does it relate to my life right now?

Let's look at that question. You may be thinking, "Yes, this story is part of the gospel but it doesn't really say anything other than reiterating Jesus' special place as Messiah." Bluntly speaking, you would be wrong; because at the heart of this passage is the baptism of Jesus. Jesus goes to John to be baptized in a communal act, after which the heavens are opened and the Spirit of God descends on Jesus. The baptism is central to this story. It is such a central act that this day, the first Sunday after the Epiphany, has been celebrated for centuries in the church as a special feast day. And it should lead us to take our baptism as seriously as Jesus took his and as seriously as the church views it, as one of only two sacraments specifically given by Christ to the church. With that in mind, I want to take a look at our own baptism.

The heart of today's collect says, "Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior." Let's look at that covenant and those promises we made, or were made on our behalf, and which we will renew here again in a few moments. Granted, not everyone here was baptized in the Episcopal Church, but everyone here has participated in a renewal of baptismal vows before; so let's delve into those promises, shall we?

First we have a series of general questions about God -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is basically a summation of the Apostles' Creed and the doctrine of the Trinity. So much for us being an apostate and heretical church. Remember that the next time someone tries to tell you that the Episcopal Church has turned its back on traditional Christianity. After that confirmation of our belief, we get to the heart of the covenant.

Will you continue in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the prayers? In other words, will you continue to read and study scripture, participate in the Eucharist and pray for the Church and the world? Notice that word fellowship. We can't do this alone. Reading scripture alone, without the benefit of community, often leads to inward and closed thinking because you have nobody to question your thoughts. We can't participate in the Eucharist alone. If nobody shows up for Sunday service, I have to do Morning Prayer because Eucharist must be done in community. Prayers can be done in solitude, and often are, but there is a benefit to praying together. When I pray for Bob, we know that we all pray for him together, and he knows that he is being prayed for by this family. What this means in essence is that we are not at liberty to stomp off with our thurible and say, "I have no need of you."

Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? We all sin, some days worse than others. Whether it's a lie because you think it's the lesser of two evils (which, by the way, is still evil), or cheating on your income tax, or talking about somebody in a negative way, we all sin. Are you willing to recognize that fact and repent? This is why there's a period of silence at the confession, so that we have time to think about how we have sinned and that our desire for repentance and forgiveness is heartfelt and not just another paragraph on the way to communion.

Will you proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ? This means that we are asked to do more than sit in the pew on Sunday morning. Proclaiming by word doesn't necessarily mean standing on the corner with your Big Floppy Bible yelling, "REPENNNNNTTTT!!!" But it does mean inviting people to church and telling people why your church and your faith are important to you. Proclaiming by example means just that. Are you living your life in a way that people would know you are a Christian? Are you offering your time to the church (remember last week's sermon about gifts)? Do you believe that what we are dong here is important enough that you pledge accordingly? Asked another way, are you pledging more to the cable company than you are to your parish? All of these are ways of proclaiming the Good News by word and example.

Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself? And its twin, will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? In other words, treat others like you want to be treated. In the epistle today, Luke records Peter as saying, "God shows no partiality. Anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him." We are called to proclaim the Good News and guard the faith. One of the ways we do that is by looking for Christ in others; not just in your friends and family, not just in the people of this parish, but in outsiders, in people of different political affiliations, in different genders and races and sexual orientation and nationalities. We are called to look for Christ in everybody, no exceptions. And we are called to treat them with respect and honor their dignity. In short, we are called to treat people as people, not as a derogatory caricature that belittles them and reduces them to an it.

This is our baptismal covenant. As we continue to move forward in playing a vital role for God's kingdom in this valley, I urge you to think about and meditate on these vows we are renewing, maybe take a moment to read them over again; and then, live boldly into that covenant to the best of your ability.