Hold
on we’re in fast-forward mode! Last Sunday, the Magi visited the Christ Child,
leaving town in a hurry to avoid Herod. In between then and now Joseph received
a dream that caused him to take Mary and the Child to Egypt as Herod was
killing all the male children under two. It was after Herod’s death, three
years later, that Joseph, Mary, and Jesus returned to settle in Nazareth. While
there is no historical evidence of Herod’s actions, it is certainly consistent
with what we generally know of him. And now we pick up where we left off in
Advent just after John the Baptist called the Pharisees and Sadducees a “brood
of vipers” for their false piety when they presented themselves for Baptism.
John is a God-sent herald to warn them to turn away from their corruption. As
he says “one more powerful than I is coming” and now, this week Jesus, a grown
man beginning his public ministry, comes to John for Baptism.
But why does Jesus ask to be baptized? Even John wonders and is reluctant.
After all Jesus, as Messiah, is without sin; God’s own Son brought to human
incarnation to lead Israel from the old Law of Moses into the new Way of the
Greatest Commandment and the Great Commission [Matthew 22:36-40, Matthew 28:19-20]. Yet Jesus prevails – as he does with Peter and the
foot-washing later on – and chooses to identify as the good Jew he was raised
to be. Through Baptism he claims the sinfulness of the Hebrew nation in this
communal rite of repentance and purification. In a very short time, he will
claim the sinfulness of the World – past, present, and future – to take to his
crucifixion.
As Jesus rises from the water, God announces from on high, "This is my
Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." The Holy Spirit descended as a
dove to mark this man Jesus as God-sent, of God-nature, One with God, God’s own
Human Image.
In this awakening time of Epiphany, let us begin again to discover and define
our own public and private ministry. With the glitter of Christmas put away,
all the turmoil in every corner of the world claims our attention and repels us
and it’s easy to be distracted and distanced from the calling of Jesus. Whether
you were officially baptized or not, take some time to think about the ritual
of Baptism and its deep significance. For many Christians, though not all,
Baptism is a Sacrament of purification, a Rite of Initiation, a formal adoption
into the Christian faith. A simple definition is that the word comes from a
hybrid of Latin and Greek and literally means "washing." This
Sacrament is intended to be a means of and a visible form of God’s grace, just
as the dove descending was for Jesus. It was, for Jesus, the beginning of his
journey as Messiah.
You can read and pray through the ritual of the US Episcopal Church, learn or
revisit its purpose and understanding at www.BCP.org and clicking Holy Baptism on
the left sidebar. The five questions are asked of and answered by either
the one being Baptized or, in the case of a child, a Godparent or Sponsor.
Along with the five promises that are part of the Baptismal
Covenant, these questions and promises are our operating principles,
our acceptance of our charge and responsibilities as followers of Jesus. They
are intensely serious and not meant as mere platitudes in a sweet ceremony. We
revisit them at least five times per year in the Liturgy to remind us of what
we might need to work on, a chance to reflect on how we managed at the end of a
day or a month. One or more of them may even point to possibilities to shape
our mindset for daily activities, or perhaps a new direction in vocation or
volunteering as we make our way through our short human existence.
My favorite part of this Sacrament is near the end, after all the
words have been spoken and the water has been poured. It is then that the
Celebrant takes the chrism that was blessed in Holy Week and anoints the
forehead of the one Baptized. The words at that moment stir my heart and my
self-reckoning: you are sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and
marked as Christ's own for ever.
Whether by actual Baptism or a Baptism of desire, and whether or not officially
anointed, we are each claimed as Christ’s own for ever. As
mortal beings we will fail and fall away yet we can and may always return to
the One who raises us with Him. Our hearts love to claim the Babe in the
Manger.
From the waters of Creation, to the waters
of Baptism, Christ is our bridge over waters troubled and calm and who comes to
set our souls ablaze with the infusion of the Holy Spirit. It is time to be
refreshed and renewed as we begin our own ministry again. Come on in and wade
in the water.** Let us
now stake our souls’ claim to the Christ who leads us on His Way to our
Salvation.
*Readings for our Parish in this Year C are from The Rev.
Dr. Wilda [Wil] Gafney, Womanist biblical scholar, and the Right Rev. Sam B. Hulsey
Professor of Hebrew Bible at Brite Divinity School in Fort Worth, Texas. She is
the author of A Women’s Lectionary for the Whole Church Yr C,
and others in her series, and translator of its biblical selections. I definitely
commend her book for the complete readings, to Clergy and Laity, for her Text Notes,
and “Preaching Prompts” whether or not you will use them in your
Liturgies or Preaching. There is much to learn from her work to inform
every facet of our lives in Christ. To learn more about her and her work,
see her website: https://www.wilgafney.com/
LET
US, GOD’S PEOPLE, PRAY
Leader: ~ Jesus, God’s Beloved, You are
the Savior the MOST HIGH God has given us all, the bright beacon of love that
can reach into the darkest of hearts and blindest of eyes. Animate our wills to be full members of Your body, the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit within, and to
worship You by and with our lives.
Jesus, Messiah
RESPONSE:
Our Hope and our
Salvation
~ Jesus, God’s Beloved, as a Light to the Nations give
strength to Your people and the blessing of peace. Grant open hearts filled
with mercy and justice to all who lead the governments of this World, this
Country, and this Community, that they may work together, with us and for
us all, serving with humility, honesty, and integrity. We pray especially
for: add your own petitions
Jesus, Messiah
Our Hope and our Salvation
~ Jesus, God’s Beloved, shower Your healing mercies upon all
those who are ill or filled with worry and dread, and refreshment for those who
give them care. We now join our hearts to pray for those in need… add
your own petitions
Jesus, Messiah
Our Hope and our Salvation
~ Jesus, God’s Beloved, grant solace for those in sorrow
through joy in the memories of those well-loved, now returned in eternal glory
to You. We pray especially for… add your own petitions
Jesus, Messiah
Our Hope and our Salvation
~ Jesus, God’s Beloved, we pause in
this moment to offer You our other heartfelt thanksgivings, intercessions,
petitions, and memorials, aloud or silently… add your own petitions
Jesus, Messiah
Our Hope and our Salvation
~ Jesus, God’s Beloved, endow all who lead us in Your Church
with the grace, wisdom, and strength of spirit to shake us from the wilderness
of apathy and self-absorption, to guide us to the fullness of faith and
forgiveness in You. We pray especially for: add your own petitions
Jesus, Messiah
Our
Hope and our Salvation
The Celebrant adds: Living Jesus, in Whom God’s
soul delights, You rose from the waters of Baptism to bring new life to God’s
people. Raise us with You that through repentance to purify our souls, we may
give the glory due Your name, and claim You, always, as our Redeemer Christ. We
ask through the Holy Spirit, the Fire of our Faith; and our SHELTERING GOD, Creator
of All That Is; who together with You are One God, now and for ever. Amen.
**Baptism,
for some a rite of initiation and adoption into the Christian faith, for others
a sacrament of the Christian Church, required by some, deemed unimportant by
others. Whether by aspersion (sprinkling), affusion (pouring),
immersion (total or partial, standing or kneeling, or submersion), as an
infant, child, or adult, water is the channel of holiness, although there is
admission through Baptism of Desire - if you want it, you have it. But John is
clear that only Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit. Yet many of us who
have been baptized as infants or, even as older children or adults, take this
Blessing for granted.
We are called by Jesus to follow, why not begin at the beginning? The
words of an old Negro Spiritual say it best. God will trouble the water ~ that
is to stir it up ~ so we can see the right place to enter:
Wade in the water
Wade in the water, children,
Wade in the water
God's a-going to trouble the water
Look over yonder, what do you see?
God's a-going to trouble the water
The Holy Ghost a-coming on me
God's a-going to trouble the water
To hear this moving message in music here is a link to
Sweet Honey in the Rock, Wade in the Water: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRpzEnq14Hs
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