To listen to the sermon as it was given at the 9:00 am service click here.
To listen to the sermon as it was given at the 10:45 am service click here. (Text below.)

St. Charles’ Episcopal Church - Saint Charles, IL

The First Sunday after the Epiphany - Epiphany 1 RCL – Year C

Sunday, January 10, 2010 - The Baptism of our Lord – Renewal of Baptismal Vows

Isaiah 43:1-7 – Psalm 29 – Acts 8:14-17 – Luke 3:15-17,21-22

Rev. William R. Nesbit, Jr.

In the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, Amen.

Today we celebrate the baptism of our Lord. Much has been debated about the baptism of Jesus. Different interpretations of this event have lead to some of the greatest heresies of the church. It is dangerous water to navigate. Dangerous, but most beneficial. This Baptism comes in the wake of the feast of Epiphany, the arrival of the Wise men from the East, and the revelation of Christ to the Gentile world, indeed the whole world, which we celebrated this past Wednesday. Two weeks ago we were waiting for the impending birth. On Wednesday the Wise men arrived from the East, bearing gifts for the toddling Christ child. Today, Jesus is an adult. Boy, the kids grow up fast these days. Last week, one of the optional Gospels that we could have heard was the story of Jesus at twelve, on the verge of teenagerhood, hanging out with the elders in the temple, but I chose to stay with the Christmas story from Luke. So this week....Bang! Instant adulthood.

This is year C in our lectionary, the year of Luke, so this week we heard the story of Jesus’ baptism as told by Luke. As often happens with the great stories in Gospels, we tend to remember a conglomerated version that is made up of bits and pieces from all the different versions. In general this is a bad thing because the different writers wrote for different reasons and relate their specific versions differently because they speak out of different experiences. We all bring different life experiences to our understanding of who God is. Life experiences color our perceptions of God just as they color our perceptions of each other. Luke was writing his Gospel principally to the Gentiles, the Greek and Roman Christians of the first century, a wider audience than just the Christian Jews of Jerusalem, the audience that Matthew writes to. Luke’s Gospel is one of inclusion; “The Gospel of the nations, full of mercy and hope, assured to the world by the love of a suffering Savior.” His vision is no more correct than John’s or Mark’s or Matthew’s, just different. It is important to see the differences. They are different for a reason. To try and combine them all into one inclusive story would be like smoothing over the facets in a diamond. It is the different facets and edges that give the diamond it’s fire. So too with the Gospels.

In the version of Jesus’ baptism that we heard this morning there are two principal differences from the other versions. They are subtle.....but clear. The first is that Jesus is not baptized alone, but in a group of people, and not even at the head of the group. For Luke it was important that we remember that Jesus was both one of us and one with us. In the midst of that mob of people in the Jordan receiving their baptism of repentance and cleansing from sin, stood the very son of God. The reality of the incarnation and the Christmas story, Emmanuel – God with us, is further reinforced in Luke’s story of baptism. It is almost as if Luke is reminding us, look around. God is still with us. The second difference in Luke’s version is that the Spirit descends upon Jesus, not at his baptism, but while he was praying after his baptism. Did you notice? Luke is reminding us that the Spirit of God fills our lives, not because of who we are, but because of what we do. It isn’t enough for us to be Jew or Gentile or even Christian for that matter. For Luke, the Holy Spirit descends upon us, energizing and enlivening our ministry when we do God’s will. Throughout his life Jesus models a life of prayer. It is central to his understanding of his own calling. Looking back, Luke saw how important prayer was to Jesus’ entire ministry. Lest we miss the point, Luke calls our attention to this reality by having the Spirit descending on him during prayer.

So the way Luke relates the story begs the question: Which was more important, Jesus’ baptism or Jesus’ prayers? And also, what does that say about the importance of our baptism and our prayers? And I’m sure there’s another question that may have crossed your mind as well, though I doubt anyone would have the guts to ask out loud. (That’s what you pay me for!) Why in the world does Jesus pray to God? Isn’t Jesus God? The quick answer is that Jesus is a teacher. Teaching his disciples; teaching us. In modeling a life of prayer he is modeling the ideal of human life... for them and for us. Luke reminds us throughout his Gospel that Jesus prays for us on many different levels, and that is the long answer. Jesus prays to his Father in heaven for us. Prays for us because we can’t, or won’t, or don’t know how. Prays for us to show us how. And Jesus also prays for us because he knows us, and cares for us, and loves us, as his Father loves him.

As we remember today the baptism of our Lord, I invite you to think back and reflect on your own baptism and what it has meant to you over the years. Most of us, I suspect, were infants at the time and have very few direct memories of the actual event. Some of us may have heard stories, told by parents, or grandparents, or Godparents. Either way, we can look back with our mind’s eye, with the added perspective of our own history and see the importance of that day. Much like Luke, who was not a direct observer of the Gospel story, but collected the reflections and stories of those who had, we can remember that day when we were held in the arms of a man, or perhaps in more recent time a woman, of God and our voices cried out at the shock of the water being poured over our heads. When we heard our names spoken, perhaps the only words we could understand at the time, followed by the incomprehensible words, “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” When our noses experienced for the very first time the sweet smell of chrism as our foreheads were marked and our souls were sealed as Christ’s own forever. Think of all those eyes shining at you as a whole church full of people beamed love at you. Or maybe it was a private ceremony and it was only the eyes of priest, parents, and Godparents. Either way, the love in those eyes would leave a lasting impression. Though I have no way of proving it, I know that a voice, heard and known by that child alone, says, “You are my child, my beloved; with you I am well pleased!” The tragedy is that we forget, that we always forget.

There is an old wives tale that says, when we were babies in the womb, we were taught by God, all the great mysteries of life. But then, just before we were born, an angel came and swore us to silence, sealing our lips with a vertical finger and a shhh, thereby giving us the indentation on the upper lip. Perhaps it is in our baptism that we begin the great work of remembering all those mysteries. Well, today is our day to remember. To remember again, as we renew our Baptismal vows, that the Lord loves each and every one of us as a cherished and beloved child; Forgives our faults, takes delight and joy in all that we have been, and all that we are, and all that we will be. Even if it is only for today, remember this truth and treasure it! Treasure it always! Amen.