The Baptism Of The Lord
Baptism is perhaps the most significant thing that can happen to any of us as Christians. That’s why we set apart certain days for this primary Sacrament. One of those days, the one we celebrate today, is the observance of the Baptism of Jesus.
Perhaps you have asked this question, as I have, and as many others have: “Why did Jesus – the beloved son of God, who was without sin – need to be baptized?” It is true that part of the reason for our baptism is to cleanse us from sin … but that is only part of its significance. In the sacrament of baptism we become a full and unalterable part of the Body of Christ, and fully adopted children of God. And, in his baptism, Jesus showed his full humanity, his complete willingness to be one of us – a human being like us; and he showed his willingness to be counted among the people of God.# It was, in part, an act of solidarity with the world he came to redeem.
Jesus tells John, just before he is baptized, that his baptism must be accomplished in order to “fulfill all righteousness”. It has been suggested that another translation of the Greek word for ‘righteousness’ is ‘justice’. Jesus submits to baptism by John in order to bring about the justice that is part of his ministry and his role as Messiah. It is not an act of personal piety but, rather, a sign of something new – a new world order, in which God’s justice will be revealed. It begins the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, which we heard in our Old Testament lesson today: “See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare…”
In his baptism, Jesus fulfilled all righteousness, and initiated his ministry as the savior of the world. He began the radical, revolutionary, counter-cultural work of establishing God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
And as each of us is baptized, we take our places in that kingdom. We pledge our lives to Christ, and we promise to be part of that new thing, part of the revolutionary new order that he has established.
Today, Gia and Kayleigh will become part of the Body of Christ. They will be baptized into Christ’s new order and will be, from this day forward, full members of the revolutionary, counter-cultural life of Christ. They will be sealed with the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever. And nothing – nothing – can ever separate them from Christ or from all of us whom they join today as part of his Body.
Promises will be made for these girls, by their parents and godparents, and by all of us as well. We will all promise to uphold them in their lives in Christ, and to support them as they grow in the knowledge and love of God. And, even as we promise our support to Kayleigh and Gia and their families, we will also make promises for ourselves. We will renew the promises which we made, or which were made for us, at our own baptisms, and to which we have committed as Christians. The promises in which we have committed to be part of Christ’s new order, bringing God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.
We promise to continue in the weekly gathering of God’s people in this place. Not just when it’s convenient, or when there is nothing more interesting to do. We promise that we will continue to come together as a community, to share in the worship of God, in the fellowship of the Body of Christ. We promise that we will pray together, praise God together, and share in Christ’s Body and Blood at this altar. And as simple as that might sound, it’s pretty revolutionary. It means that our weekly fellowship will be the priority for us, that sharing in the Body and blood of Christ will be the most important thing we could possibly do on a Sunday morning. Because, if we are perfectly honest, what could possibly be more important than being strengthened and renewed within our community of faith, so that we can go out into the world and serve God in everything we do? Nothing else we can choose to do can sustain us throughout the week, and throughout our lives, like our common worship, our common prayers, and the spiritual nourishment of the Body and Blood of Christ shared with our faith community.
We promise that we will resist evil, and will always repent and return to God whenever we sin. That means that we will make conscious choices about our actions, our words, our thoughts and beliefs. It also means that we will not stand by and allow others to do things that we know are contrary to Christ’s life and teaching. We will not participate in or be a party to gossip and the tearing down of other people. We will not intentionally harm any part of God’s creation. We will not lie or steal or treat others in a way that is hurtful. We promise that we will resist evil in our own lives and in the world around us.
We also promise that we will use our voices and our lives to preach the Gospel. That doesn’t mean that we have to stand on a corner with a Bible, or that we all have to stand in this pulpit. But it also doesn’t mean that preaching is only the role of the clergy. There is a quote attributed to St. Francis of Assisi which says “Preach the Gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” Our entire lives should be sermons, should bear witness to the love and forgiveness we have received from God. Our lives should be lived in gratitude to God for all that we have and all that we are, and our gratitude should be visible to everyone we encounter. We ought to be living proof that God is good and that we are thankful for every blessing we receive. Our every action, every word, every thought should be a sermon, so that everyone around us can see what Christ’s love and forgiveness looks like.
And then we get to the really hard promises. We promise to seek and serve Christ in EVERY person, and to love our neighbors as ourselves. Every person. Every neighbor. Everyone, at all times. We promise to love our neighbor as much as we love ourselves. And our neighbor, as you know, is not simply the family next door, or the person in the pew next to you today. Our neighbor is the person who hurts or disappoints us. The person who drives us crazy, or who cuts us off in traffic. And we are supposed to love him or her as much as we love ourselves. We are supposed to want the best for them, and to work to make sure they get it.
Our neighbor is the child in Haiti, who lost his family a year ago in the earthquake, and who now suffers from cholera. We promise to make certain he has medicine and food, just as we do for ourselves and our own children. Our neighbor is a gang member, an estranged family member, a Muslim, a Buddhist, a Jew. And we promise to love them as we love ourselves.
Our neighbor is Christina Taylor Green, the nine-year-old girl who was murdered in Arizona yesterday, and Gabrielle Giffords, and even the man who shot them. Our neighbor is homeless, an addict, a conservative, a liberal, a Baptist, a mother, a prisoner, a child, a thief.
And we promise to seek out and really see Christ in them, and to serve them as we would serve Christ in our midst. Because they are Christ in our midst.
We promise to want the best for them, to be concerned for their welfare, and to act on those concerns. We promise to ensure that our neighbors, near and far, are fed and sheltered, educated and provided with medical care. We promise to desire and work as hard for their welfare as we do for our own.
And then we make the most difficult promise of all. We promise to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being. All people. Every human being.
That word, strive, is pretty powerful. It means more than just thinking about doing something. More than just trying. It means that we will endeavor, we will struggle to make sure that all people receive justice. And not only justice as we know it on earth, but the justice that Christ the Messiah brought to the earth.
Justice that says that no one should be treated as less than anyone else. Justice that says that the last will be first, that the poor will be made rich, and the weak made strong.
Justice that says that everyone will have enough…enough food , and clean water, and shelter, and meaningful work, and education, and opportunity and love.
And we promise to strive to make that happen. To work tirelessly until all people have justice, and until every person lives in peace. Peace within families, communities, nations.
And we promise to respect the dignity of every human being. Every one. The ones who play their music so loud you can feel it in the pit of your stomach at the stoplight. We promise to respect the dignity of those who believe things we find reprehensible. Whose clothes, or vocabularies, or living arrangements make us cringe. We promise that we will respect the dignity of family members who push all our buttons, and break our hearts…of acquaintances who lie to us and slander us… and even politicians who we are certain will ruin our lives.
As followers of Christ, we make all these promises. But the good news is that we don’t make them relying only on our own abilities. As we welcome Gia and Kayleigh into our community today and reaffirm our Baptismal vows in a few moments, we will promise to do each of these things with God’s help.# And as we make those promises, relying on God’s guidance and power, we know that we are capable of all that we promise. For, with God’s help, nothing is impossible.
We are the Body of Christ and, like Christ, we are God’s beloved children, with whom God is pleased. Like Gia and Kayleigh, we are baptized into Christ’s life death and resurrection. Each of us here today is part of the revolutionary new order that Christ brought to earth. Let’s share the hope of that new order with the world, starting with each one of us… starting right now.