Baptism of Our Lord
Isaiah 43:1-7 • Psalm 29 • Acts 8:14-17 • Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
"As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, 'I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.' 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, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'"
Isaiah 43:1-7 • Psalm 29 • Acts 8:14-17 • Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
"As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, 'I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.' 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, 'You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.'"
“Pastor, I have an emergency. Can we have coffee tomorrow asap?” This was the text message on the pastor’s cell phone. It was a parishoner. Someone who had been coming for a few months, but had confessed to having grown up Unitarian, and was unsure of what she was anymore. But she felt welcome, so she came. The pastor didn’t know her well, but hey, she trusted me enough to tell me she’s got to talk. So the pastor goes to the coffee shop the next day, expecting to hear about a death in the family, or about marital problems or something like that. No, this woman sits down and says, “I have a problem. I think I believe in Jesus.” “What?! That’s a problem?!” “I think I believe in Jesus!” she repeated. “I can’t shake it, these questions keep haunting me and all I keep coming back to is that I think I really do believe in Jesus!” “Well,” the pastor said, “ you know, the thing about Jesus, is that no matter how hard you try, Jesus is going to hunt you down…and Jesus is gonna find you!”
This is the real story that’s glowingly told by ELCA Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber, who serves as pastor and mission-developer of a young adult church start called “House for All Saints and Sinners” in Denver. But it just as well could have happened here. In fact, such transformations have happened here at United Lutheran since I’ve been here. We laugh at it, but it is so true: Jesus…God…the Spirit..they have a way of finding us, of seeing us, of pursuing us, of irresistibly calling forth to us to speak the love and presence of God made real in Jesus Christ into our lives, no matter what. But even as we doubt, even as we keep saying, “But…but how can God’s grace still be poured out for me after I did….” Even as we continue to wonder, “Am I meeting God’s expectations for my life?” “Am I good enough?” Even as we try to work our way around trusting that God’s covenant promise to always, no matter what, forgive and walk with us every step uf our way….God continues and continues to come to us, and to pursue us…to remind us that no storm can overwhelm us, and no trial by fire can consume us. The love of God in Jesus, made active in the power of the Holy Spirit, continues to find us and pursue us—that same triune God that was poured out to us in baptism.
Each Sunday, God continues that pursuit of embracing us at that time when we begin our worship together, when from the baptismal waters, we evoke that in-breaking of God into our life in water and Word. It is there where it is spoken to you: “We are mess ups. There are things that we do that draw us away from God. But, all that seeks to pull us away from God’s hold on us—our sin, our isolation, our sickness—cannot separate the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon us, which is the active and alive Christ begotten of God, alive and working out God’s grace and mercy in us.” And that proclamation, that reminder, is there for us, always, calling out to us to remind us of the dramatic drowning to sin that has happened there. Even though we will continue to struggle against our broken selves and against a hurting world, this sign of grace assures us God no longer looks on our imperfections or how impure we are, but rather as redeemed daughters and sons, welcomed and brought into a living relationship with God’s mercy incarnate, Jesus, who will find us and seek us out.
This Jesus who goes all out for us in these waters, he knows what it is like to be sought after by God. When Jesus is baptized, he’s about 30 years old, and he hasn’t done anything yet—niddly squat! He’s known to his parents as the Messiah, and to some shepherds and a few wise men, to Herod and a few others, but nothing warrants what happens to Jesus at his baptism! He’s praying after he’s been baptized, and then the sky opens, and right there, in front of everyone, God’s voice says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you and I am well pleased.” (Lk 3:22) That would brighten our day, wouldn’t it, hearing God speak that directly to us? From that blessing, in public view for all, God grants honor to Jesus which does more than just brighten his day, it gives him the authority of the Holy Spirit, poured out on him in the form of a dove. This is the Holy Spirit that goes with him and enables him to carry out his Earthly ministry, which is still yet to come at this point. Wouldn’t it be nice if God would open up the heavens, and make God’s intentions clear to us? It may not look as dramatic, but these baptismal waters, these are where we can touch and feel and recognize in a clear and unambiguous and coud-clearing way, the promise of God: “You are my child; with you, I am well pleased.”
This is very, very good news! And it is unconditional good news that is going after us and always pursuing us, no matter what. However, … let us not trust so fully in that outpouring of God’s forgiveness that we fall into the easy trap of seeing God’s love as only unconditional. God also expects a lot from us! The Holy Spirit that God pours out on us, does not just passively declare us liberated by God, but it is active…it moves in us…to struggle against the forces and things that drive us away from God. It moves in us and flows through us as we consciously make visible what amazing grace God has made real in us through these wet and wondrous waters.
Besides this font, there is another place for us to remember that baptismal promise…every day. There’s a place where God’s grace and active love appears to us every morning: the bathroom faucet. Martin Luther is attributed to saying, “Wash your face and remember your baptism.” In washing our faces, and recalling our own bath in God, God once again clears the sky to make known to us the real Jesus who comes after us, who continually does not relent in pouring out the Holy Spirit to us, who sends us out on our way—splashed with the Spirit—to carry the daily Earthly ministry that’s been entrusted to us through that very grace poured out to us. When we wash our faces tomorrow morning, we have an opportunity—an opportunity to once again rejoin our hearts to that baptismal outpouring that was not just once a long or short time ago. As the gathered people of God, God rejoins us always, in water and Word, back to one another, to member us back into the surrounding, sin-drowning, hope-giving, life-bringing and for-giving waters of grace. May we be a community that is always returning to these waters, which are God’s unending renewable resource to strengthen us on our journey, wherever we are sent! Amen.
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