This is the
first Sunday in the Season of Epiphany. Each
year, during the season of Epiphany, we remember Jesus’ baptism. Jesus’ baptism was an Epiphany. Epiphanies are when the divine is made manifest
on Earth. At Jesus’ baptism, God
announced Jesus was God’s beloved son. Jesus
was announced to the world – the divine had come down and dwelled among
us. An Epiphany is also a moment of clarity
– At Jesus baptism, all could see who he was: the messiah. It was clear that in Jesus the divine was
made human.
Let us turn to the Gospel of Mark and read the story of Jesus’ baptism as it was recorded in chapter one verses four through eleven:
Scripture Reading: Mark 1:4-11
4 And so
John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 The
whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him.
Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
6 John
wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his
waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And
this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps
of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I
baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
9 At that
time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in
the Jordan.
10 Just
as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the
Spirit descending on him like a dove.
11 And a
voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well
pleased.”
Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Prayer for Understanding
Heavenly
Father, we bow in your presence.
May your Word be our rule,
your Spirit our teacher,
and your greater glory our supreme concern,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Message “Defining Moments”
Covid-19 has changed how we do church
in countless ways. In the past few
months, our church has been blessed to welcome two new members into our fold
through baptism. On November 22, we
baptized Carrie during our 10:15 worship service. Carrie decided to become baptized after many
years of discernment – she has attended different churches, studied the
Christian faith, and made the choice for herself that she wanted to commit
herself to Jesus and also join this community of faith, Trinity Christian UCC
in Skippack, PA. One of the delights of
Carrie’s baptism was that she surprised her dad. Carrie and Diane, her stepmother, persuaded
Ed to come to church since Carrie was visiting from York. Even when Ed was called forward with Carrie,
he was not sure what was happening.
Together, we all got to watch Ed live on facebook as he realized his
daughter was solidifying her commitment to God as she was received into the
church through the sacrament of baptism.
A few weeks after Carrie’s baptism, we
held another special baptism. Little
Avery was born to Kristen and Kevin in October.
Kristen’s entire pregnancy was during the Covid-19 lockdown. Although all pregnant parents have things to
worry about during their 9 long months of waiting, I suspect having a pregnancy
and birth during our current pandemic was particularly stressful. We gathered to baptize baby Avery following
all of the current Covid guidelines.
Instead of a baptism in the middle of a worship service in a full
sanctuary, a small group of immediate family members (and the pastor) gathered
at 4 pm. We took our temperatures and
wore masks. For the first time since I
became a pastor, I did not hold the baby…in fact, I did not even physically
touch Avery. When she was baptized, I
sprinkled her with baptism waters that were lifted from our font by a large
seashell. Avery’s godmother held her
close as we all prayed that God would bless her life as a new Christian,
protect her from harm, and give us all strength as we continued to endure this
season of pandemic.
The first Sunday in the season of
Epiphany is the day we remember Jesus’ baptism.
Baptism was not an entirely new thing in the 1st
century. For centuries, Jewish believers
had “mikvahs” – these were baths used to ritually purify believers. In Jesus’s lifetime, these baths were taken
in the temple of Jerusalem. John the
Baptist was a devoted believer in God, but he was not necessarily someone who
embraced the institution of Jewish Temple regulations. Instead of offering Mikvahs in the Temple,
John the Baptist invited people to come and be baptized in the Jordan
River. The Jordan was the same river people
drew their drinking water from. They
also washed their clothing in the Jordan and watered their crops with waters
pulled from the Jordan. Both wild and domesticate
animals drank water from the shores of the Jordan. Therefore, the water was not exactly pristine.
But, the Jordan was hugely
symbolic. The Jordan was the river the
descendants of the Egyptian Hebrew slaves crossed when they entered the Holy
Land. When the Jordan poised an obstacle
to the prophets Prophets Elijah and Elisha, the ground rose and they crossed
the Jordan on dry ground. The Jordan was
considered the source of fertility for the land of Israel, for the Promised
Land. The waters of the Jordan were
precious for the Jewish people.
When John baptized people, he baptized
them with water. John told the people he
baptized a messiah was coming who would baptize them with the Holy Spirit. John was rebellious. He wasn’t part of the institution. He wore weird clothing and he ate odd
food. But, in his rebellion, he had a
message….he invited people to repent for their sins. He symbolically washed away their sins with
the water of the Jordan River.
Jesus came to John for his own
baptism. He didn’t go to the
Temple. He didn’t go to a
synagogue. He didn’t go to a priest or
one of the people recognized as an official “holy person.” Instead, Jesus went
to a rebel….Jesus wanted to be baptized by John. Jesus also wasn’t into following protocol and
adhering to rules just to adhere to rules.
Sometimes, we have to break tradition and break out of a rut in order to
authentically follow God.
And, when Jesus came to John to be
baptized, John recognized Jesus was the messiah, the one John had been prophesying
about. Jesus was the one many of the
prophets had predicted was coming. Jesus
was the one who came as the anointed one of God, as the Messiah. As John dunked Jesus in the muddy waters of
the Jordan, the Holy Spirit of God descended on Jesus and God called out: “You
are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” Jesus was God’s beloved
child.
Jesus’ baptism was his public
“unveiling.” It was Jesus’ debut. After
Jesus was presented as God’s son at his baptism, he spent 40 days in the Desert
to contemplate his calling. After Jesus’
time of prayer, he began his public ministry of teaching, healing, preaching,
calling, and anointing.
When we baptize babies and adults, no
matter how old the person is, we say the same words: “I baptize you in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” These words are said in UCC churches and Catholic
churches and Mormon churches. When we
are baptized, we are welcomed into the Christian church “at large.” We officially become part of the body of Christ
and are united with all Christians in our common pursuit to live according to God’s
desire for humanity. Unlike the baptism
of John, we baptize with water and the Holy Spirit. We believe that we don’t do it alone….it is
not the minister who is doing the baptizing or the priest of the pastor, it is
the work of the Holy Spirit done thorough the body of Christ.
Baptism is our act in when we welcome
new members. As the church, when a
person is baptized, we promise our love, support and care of the person being baptized.
This promise is not just for babies. We
promise it for adults. We promise it for
teenagers. We promise it for senior citizens.
Whenever someone is baptized, we promise to love them, support them, and
care for them. So, when a fellow baptized
believer is hurting, we are called to console them. When a fellow baptized believer is sick, we
are called to tend to them. When fellow baptized
believer is grieving, we are called to comfort them. The promises we make at baptism are not only
promises for a day, they are promises that last a lifetime. And, the promises God makes to the baptized person,
that the Holy Spirit will be with them to comfort them and guide them, will not
only last a lifetime but will extend from this world to the next.
Today, we remember Jesus’ baptism. And, we also remember that we are the baptized. Whenever we welcome a new person into the
fold, we promise to be united with them as the baptized body of Christ. And, we promise to love, support and care for
one another. In this time of tension in
our world, with both a virus and political unrest, it is helpful for us to
remember our baptism promises. We are
loved, supported and cared for by our God and by the community of Christ. And, we are called to love, support and care
for each other. No matter how old the
other is. No matter the race the other
is. No matter the sexual orientation the
other is. No matter the profession the
other hold. No matter the political
views the other has. We are one in Christ,
and we are called to love, support and care for each other. No exceptions.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Renewal of Baptismal Promises (from Book of Worship)
Do you renew and affirm the
promises made at your Baptism?
People: Out loud, but
muted
I do.
Do you recognize the call of God to be God’s people always?
I do.
Do you embrace the way of Jesus in faith and ministry?
I do
Do you accept the nurture of the Holy Spirit who renews your spirit each day?
I do.
Do you accept and embrace others who seek a liberating faith in God?
I do.
In renewing your baptismal
vows,
remember your Baptism as a mark of acceptance
and welcome into the care of Christ’s church
where you may begin again your Christian faith and life.
A Unison Prayer:
O God, we rejoice in your
grace, given and received.
We thank you that you claim us,
that you wash us, strengthen us, and guide us,
that you empower us to live a life worthy of our calling.
In the way of Jesus, make us as water in a dry and thirsty world.
Establish us to be places of refreshment.
Root us and nurture us in love,
that with all your people, that we may rightly and justly serve you.
Fill us with your fullness
that our lives may overflow in service and love. Amen.
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