Today is the first Sunday after the
Epiphany, the day we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord.
It is one of the five days appropriate for baptisms and/or renewal of
baptismal vows. The main reason I insist on renewing vows on these
days is because it is easy to get so caught up in our daily lives
that we need to be reminded of how we promised to live as Christians.
In just a bit we will renew our
baptismal vows (at 8), and have a baptism (at 10:15), reminding us of
how we choose to live. But what about Jesus? In today's gospel he
is baptized by John. Did he need to be cleansed from sin and made
new? Of course not. But that doesn't mean there hasn't been a lot
of discussion over the years about this event.
One view is that this is an act of
solidarity with sinners. We don't get this in today's gospel
reading, but Matthew records that the people of Jerusalem and Judea
were coming to John to confess their sins and repent. This baptism
was marking a new beginning for those being baptized.
Now Jesus certainly wasn't coming to
confess and repent of sins. But he was showing himself to be in
solidarity with those being baptized. In a very real and practical
way, Jesus is living into the meaning of his name from this gospel –
Emmanuel, “God is with us.”
This baptism of Jesus was also a new
beginning. In the synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) Jesus
goes into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil immediately after
his baptism. After which his public ministry begins. So in a very
real sense, Jesus' baptism leads to a new beginning for him just as
it leads to a new beginning for all those who are baptized.
Through our baptism and renewal we are
reminded that God is with us. Through our baptism and renewal we are
given the chance to make a new beginning.
Today I have the honor of baptizing
Emma Marie. Today we who are present have the honor of
welcoming her into the household of God. Today she will join us in
our mission to proclaim the love of God to the world.
Through this act of baptism, Emma will
join with Christ and be joined to Christ. God will be with her. But
that solidarity is not only with Christ – it is also with us.
Through Emma's baptism, she is joined with us. Through her baptism,
we will be joined with her.
This baptism is also a new beginning of
sorts. Emma is obviously too young to make a new beginning, so for
her it's more symbolic than actual. But for us this is very much a
new beginning.
It's a new beginning because we will
have welcomed a new person into the household of God. When we
welcome people into our midst, it's a new beginning. Dynamics
change. Plans change. Expectations change. Adding someone new
produces change.
In Emma's case, this may be a very
small change, but change and new beginnings are/will be present.
Among other things, everyone here will promise to support this person
in her life in Christ. That also means supporting her family.
Will we, for instance, ensure our
nursery is staffed so she can have a safe place to stay while
offering her parents a time to worship peacefully? Will we, as a
community, provide support if and when they reach out for assistance?
I could go on, but you get the idea – we are all now joined
together through our baptism in a community of faith.
The final thing I want to look at are
those words from heaven: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I
am well pleased.”
Note that, up until this point, and
from our point of view, Jesus hasn't done anything. From our view,
and from the view of all four gospels, Jesus hasn't done anything
remarkable up to his encounter with John – except for maybe that
incident in the temple when he was twelve. It stands to reason then,
that God the Father is well pleased with his Son even though he
hasn't done anything.
Emma, likewise, hasn't done anything
remarkable yet. She's not walking or talking. She hasn't composed a
sonata or played a musical instrument. She hasn't calculated the
value of Pi to seventeen digits. She is a rather unremarkable little
girl. But even so, her parents look down on her, just as most every
parent looks down upon their child, and says, “With you I am well
pleased.”
God is pleased with each and every one
of us just as we are. So as we continue in community and
relationship with each other in this wing of the household of God,
let us learn to be pleased with each other just as God is pleased
with us.
Today we are reminded that we have been
cleansed from sin and begin anew.
Today we are reminded of the promises
and vows we made in living into the Christian faith.
Today we are reminded that God is with
us, and we are with God.
Today we welcome Emma into the
household of God.
Today we are reminded that we are bound
together through the waters of baptism.
Today let us go forth in the power of
the Spirit, rejoicing in new beginnings and living into the promises
we made, supporting others in that journey, bound together, and well
pleased.
Amen.
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