The Baptism of Our Lord

Richard Davenport January 8, 2023 - The Baptism of Our Lord Romans 6:1-11 We've been talking a lot over the last couple of weeks about baptism. We've talked about how God uses it to bring life. We've talked about how baptism restores to the image of God and our lost humanity. We've talked about how it connects us to the promise of God for the world to come. Of course there's also forgiveness and grace to be found in the waters of baptism as well, grace that is with us and covering us for an eternal lifetime. Since last week I talked about how circumcision and baptism are linked, it shouldn't be surprising that those events would be close together in Scripture as well. Obviously some time passes between when Jesus is circumcised and when he's beginning his public ministry, around 30 years at least. But, we don't have a lot of details of what happened in between. The gospel writers, at the direction of the Holy Spirit, skim over that time pretty heavily. The visit of the magi happens in there some time after Jesus is born, likely a couple of years, and there's a scene with Jesus at the temple, but little else. Jesus' naming and circumcision close out the story of his birth. Epiphany marks a time of transition. The star has appeared in the sky. The world is starting to wake up and notice. The savior has been born. God himself has taken on human flesh and now dwells with his people in a new and special way. Nothing will ever be the same again. It can't be. God's plan has taken a great leap forward. All creation holds its breath as it waits eagerly to see what will happen next. In the beginning of World War II, after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor they quickly realized what a problem they had on their hands. It took a little time, but soon enough the United States had retooled its industry and was fully engaged in the war, a war that was won, to some degree, by the huge supply of troops and war machines America was able to dedicate on both fronts of the war. Jesus' baptism marks the point when that wait is over. The battle has been joined. Like pushing a huge boulder, it moves very slowly at first but once it's rolling there is no stopping it. Satan has been waging war against the people of God for thousands of years and now the Father sends the commander of his armies, his own Son, to take the fight into the enemy's own stronghold. Jesus' baptism changes everything. It changes the direction of his life. Not that Jesus had to be coerced into it or that he came to it by happenstance, but things are new and different. Jesus is the forerunner, the one who goes ahead of the group to establish the trail to follow. Jesus is posting a sign for us here that this is the way we should go. What he does here is something everyone should do. This is the way out of darkness and into light. Jesus couldn't go back to the way his life was before, even if he wanted to. He has made a statement to the world. His baptism is the turning point and there is no going back. Now everything he does will be marked by that baptism, the affirmation from his Father in heaven and the blessing of the Holy Spirit. Though Mark's gospel and John's gospel don't really discuss Jesus' birth, all four gospels have details of his baptism. Each gospel introduces John the Baptist in his ministry, as he sets the stage for Christ, and then each describes his baptism in at least a little detail. For it to be the first act of Christ to be reported by all four gospels tells us how important this point is, the point when everything changes. Is that what we think of his baptism though? It does get a Sunday in the church year and comes up every year. We hear the story that launches us into Jesus' ministry, but it doesn't really come up much after that. The gospels don't really refer to it again. You might hear it preached on from time to time, especially around the Ascension and the end of the church year if we have the passage with Jesus' command on the mountaintop to make disciples by teaching and baptizing. We talk about baptism as being a gift of the Holy Spirit of grace and forgiveness. It binds us into the body of Christ. But these are all things Jesus didn't need, he already had. So what does he really get out of being baptized? What do you get out of it? How much does baptism come up in your thoughts and actions? Does your own baptism make much difference to your Christian life? If not, then why should Jesus' own baptism make much difference at all? It says a lot about our Christian faith and life when one of the greatest gifts God has given to us occupies so little of our attention. Why do it at all if it means so little to us? Sure, maybe at the time when you were a baby your parents made a special effort to have you baptized. At the time, there was probably a celebration. Family came from out of town. You were dressed up in a fancy baptismal outfit. Maybe the family had a special meal together. But then what? What happens to your baptism after you're baptized? Does it just fade away into memory, only to be dredged up when going through old photos or when your parents find your baptismal gown while rummaging around in old, musty boxes that have been stored in the attic for decades? Unless you're the victim of some very unfortunate circumstances, you know your birthday without any hesitation. But, even with all of the inexpressibly wondrous gifts God gives to us in baptism, do you even know the date those wonderful things were given to you? Do you even think about it as that date passes each year? The big problem with our baptisms isn't the baptism itself, but how we think about it, or rather, how we don't. Your baptism isn't a one-time event, but a life-long, life-changing event. Since Jesus describes baptism as a new birth in the water and the Spirit, it's even more important than your actual birth. St. Paul describes it as new life. We are bound to Christ and in his death we die to sin and death and we rise again to new and eternal life. Your baptism defines who you are. It is part of your identity, as much as being a man or woman, a parent, a brother, a sister, a husband, or a wife. You are a Christian, a baptized Christian. Everything you do is marked by this fact. The fact that you are only baptized once is meant to be a source of comfort, though it only accomplishes this when we take the time to consider what it means for us. It's that moment in time when you were marked as a child of God. The medieval church would often call it the indelible seal of the Spirit, a sign that cannot be scrubbed off or worn away, a sign that you are God's child. This recalls how God taught the Israelites through the use of circumcision. That means every day you live is a day lived in your baptism. Every day is marked by God's grace filling your life. Every day is one lived with the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Everything you do is marked by the fact that you have been baptized and that God goes everywhere you go. We pray in the Lord's Prayer, "Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." Because you are baptized, God hears and is active in your prayers, working to defend you against sin and evil that surround you in this world. What's true of baptism is true of the grace that God gives through baptism as well. There are sins we commit every day. Many we know about. Some are done without thinking. A harsh word spoken in anger, a jealous thought, a lie that leaps out almost automatically. Some are considered beforehand and still acted on. Some intentional slander, a little theft that's planned out, a little tryst between unmarried lovers. God demands repentance of all sin. Any sin that isn't lifted up to be crucified with Christ on the cross threatens to separate us from him and become the God we worship instead. But there are also sins we don't know we even commit. We aren't paying attention, we aren't really thinking things through, we aren't aware of the unintended consequences. Whatever the case may be, there are many terrible things we do that we don't repent of because we don't even know they are there. God's grace is not so easily swayed. Your baptism is the seal of the Holy Spirit that defends you against the eternal ravages of sin. It is always there, always at work. Only those who reject their baptism and the grace God offers are left without it. That means even those who die suddenly, with some sin still on their hearts, whether small and minor or huge and terrible, find God's grace is there. If they have not rejected their faith, then God's grace is still there for them even in death. Jesus' baptism is significant because it became the direction for the rest of his earthly ministry. His course was set and his destination was the cross. His baptism marked him as the one who would die and rise again, just as it marks you as the one who has died and risen again with Christ. As someone who has died to sin, just as Christ did, that means now there's an active side to your baptism, living as someone who has died to sin. We are to live a life that no longer seeks after the sinful things others desire. We are to live a new life, one that carries on what we have received in Christ. Our baptism goes with us wherever we go. Everything we have received in baptism becomes our constant companion. God's grace is ours every day. The life we have in Christ is ours as well and is never in doubt. We have died to sin and been raised again, free from the eternal clutches of sin and death. So go with confidence that you are never separated from God, but go also knowing that he has given you the opportunity to show others what you have received from him. Share with the world the grace and life God has given you. Show the world the riches of God's mercy. Share God's Word and Spirit with everyone you meet. Christ directs the church to make disciples by teaching and baptizing. We can teach through word and deed but being living examples of what it means to be a disciple of Christ. You have been marked by God and claimed by him for all eternity, so go, share that joy with the world.