Baptism of Christ 2019

Today we remember the baptism of Jesus, another of the incredible events in Jesus’ earthly life… Here, the person born to be the Saviour of the world joined us by offering himself to be baptised along with all the other people that were meeting John the Baptist. And in doing so he was aligning himself with us completely, and he was calling us into a relationship where we are active participants with him in his ministry…

During the week I read a quote from C S Lewis which said, "Don't shine so others can see you. Shine so that through you, others can see Him."  This is a real challenge I think because very often when we do good things, those things point to us not to God, but we are called to shine as people so that through us people can see Jesus… We are to work for him and with him…

The reading from Isaiah (43:1-7) is a great summary of what we mean to God. The previous chapter ends with God’s distress about the way people are behaving, and yet here God is still making promises about the future for his people…

‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.’ I think these words sum up so much of our faith and the nature of God who is gracious, merciful and loving. I think it’s still one of the most incredible things upon which to reflect – God doesn’t just know us as a part of the human race, he doesn’t just know us as a citizen of a country, or as a member of a church, but he knows us by name, and he calls us by name…

I was at a conference some years ago and one of the speakers said hello and mentioned my name when he did so – it was a little bit stupid of me but it felt nice that this speaker who spoke to thousands knew my name… And if it’s special when someone we respect knows our name, how much more special is it when God knows our name, and calls us by that name… He calls us into his family…

Our gospel reading (Luke 3:15-17,21,22) describes the baptism of Jesus. John the Baptist had been preaching and baptising in the River Jordan but promising that someone would be coming who would baptise with more than just water, he would baptise with the Holy Spirit.

And Jesus came and was baptised. He didn’t need to be baptised, he didn’t need any sort of cleansing or washing, symbolically or otherwise, and yet he was baptised to offer an example for others to follow, but also to align himself as one of us. Jesus’ life on earth wasn’t to be a sheltered, mysterious life, but a life lived at the heart of a community and society.

We’ve just come out of the Christmas season and it seemed that for a month before there were parties and on some of the streets there was chaos with shoppers pushing past one another, or with pubs and clubs packed sometimes with people who’d had rather too much to drink; and yet there were also people sleeping on the streets, struggling for food and for money…

We live at a time when food banks and night shelters are well occupied and  others struggle quietly along fighting battles which may never be seen by others…

In the United States, we have a billionaire President fighting with his opponents over the cost of a wall, and not paying nearly a million government employees while the argument continues and those people are caught up in the middle of something they can’t control – they’re the ones left without money, maybe without food…

The world, if we watch the news, can be a bit of a mess to put it mildly, but into this chaos Jesus came and he remains today… He didn’t use the walls of a palace to divide him from other people, he didn’t put guards around him, he didn’t throw money or power around to try and win battles or followers  that way…. Instead he came into the heart of a small place, seemingly of little consequence, and joined in with the world, immersing himself in the struggles of the day, in the issues of the day and trying to win the hearts of people everywhere through the simple yet ever so difficult weapon of love…

Jesus is in the middle of the chaos of the world… He came into the world to be part of the world and to be part of the lives of us all, and he wasn’t going to achieve that from a distance… And the sadness is that if we keep him at a distance then he still won’t achieve what he wants for and from us – fullness of life, an increase of hope and peace, the awareness of his love and a real relationship with him which changes us and changes others….

The baptism of Jesus led to the real beginning of his ministry. And for us too baptism, whenever it occurs, is a beginning – Martin Luther said that baptism is something that's done in church one day but takes the rest of our lives to complete…

As Jesus emerged from the water following his baptism he received the charge to begin his work of salvation. That work would take him into the hearts of people, both friends and enemies, it would take him on literal journeys through different parts of the country, meeting different people and it would involve times when he was hailed a hero, others a fool or far worse… Some would love him, some would ignore him and others would hate him.

And whilst our journey of faith and life may not be quite as dramatic, it is still a journey where God will be alongside us, but a journey where we choose to acknowledge that, or not.

When we are conceived God begins his work in our lives, when we are baptised we are welcomed into the Church family, and far more importantly into God’s family, but as we grow up we are called to make more decisions, and the most important one of all is how we respond to God.

As part of his family the full assortment of his gifts are available to us – God, as I said earlier, intended our lives to be full, full of love, joy and peace, and yet, so many people, even those who are part of the family, neglect these gifts, and rarely, if ever, turn to God as the potential provider of the gifts.

At baptism we become part of God’s family, but as we grow we seek to use the gift of the Holy Spirit and it is this gift that leads to a transformation in our lives. At baptism God pours out his love upon us, he shows his grace as he calls us, whether as an innocent child or an elderly person, but then we respond and we seek to get closer to him and to use this life transforming gift – the Holy Spirit.

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles (8:14-17) we heard of people at Samaria accepting the word of God, and Peter and John went and prayed with them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. They had received their identity badge but hadn’t received the tools they would need for their work.

And that is true for us all – in baptism we are identified as Christians, but with the Holy Spirit we are commissioned as disciples – a commission that is for all of us !

Much of Jesus’ life was spent amidst the carnage of day to day living - after his baptism, Jesus went into the wilderness, and spent time in prayer and reflection, and he had many times of quietness, but he also of course taught people, he healed on the Sabbath, he confronted the authorities and turned over the tables, and he spoke to people of all backgrounds and ideas…

Today Jesus is in the midst of our lives and the world and he still wants to challenge injustice, he wants to fight for the homeless, the neglected, the poor, he wants to bring an end to wars and  conflict, he wants people to understand and know true peace, he wants to challenge an often selfish, greedy, demanding, uncaring world with a message of love and compassion without limits !

And he has commissioned us to be part of his work… And to know that as we do it we are loved, we are treasured, we are called by name…

It is partly by our lives that people will see and make judgements about God and yet, in spite of the things we so often get wrong, He has called us by name to be in his family, a family seeking to share his love, a family living out his love…

And the promises keep coming because life isn’t always going to be easy and so we return to Isaiah as we’re reminded that with God at our side nothing can ever harm us. The Message Bible puts the start of that passage from Isaiah like this,

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name, you’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you. When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place, it won’t be a dead end – Because I am your God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Saviour…”

We’re the most privileged people alive when we recognise that God loves us, every one of us – and we’re called to enjoy and share that message with others as we celebrate that reality. AMEN