The Baptism of Our Lord

Richard Davenport January 9, 2022 - The Baptism of Our Lord Isaiah 43:1-7 I am definitely not an adrenaline junkie. The folks out there who do the extreme sports, snowboarding down dangerous cliffs, skydiving, all that sort of thing. Doesn't do much for me. I don't mind some excitement, but, to me, that isn't the way to get it. I remember when I was living back in Detroit, every so often you'd hear stories in the news of someone who tried going over Niagara Falls in a barrel. I never heard of anyone dying, but it was illegal because I'm sure it probably happened more than once. Now, I'm not going pick on you if extreme sports are your thing, but I'm also not going to be surprised if you end up with a couple of broken arms or worse. Still, the kind of mentality required to seek out that adrenaline high reminds me a bit of Indiana Jones. Granted, these are fictional movies and nothing in them should be taken all that seriously, but they're still fun to imagine, to put yourself in his shoes as he sees the world and explores its mysteries. It has to take a special kind of mindset to be able to do that sort of thing. The people who traverse the jungles of the Amazon, who go sailing through uncharted waters, who explore the forgotten ruins of forgotten cultures. So many stories are written with that adventurous spirit in mind, that willingness to step out into the unknown. It reminds me again of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. If you haven't seen it, Indiana Jones is out seeking the cup Jesus supposedly used at the Last Supper. He's tracked it down, but he has to overcome some deadly obstacles before he can get to it. The last of these is a seemingly bottomless chasm 100, 200? feet across with an open doorway on the other side. He's known for using his trademark whip to swing over gaps like this, but there's nothing to grab on to. He has been given a clue how to solve it, which tells him to simply step out into the air and God will hold him up. He looks around and sees no evidence that this will work. He just has to trust God. This little obstacle is even called, "The leap of faith." He finally dredges up enough courage to step out into thin air, only to find a cleverly disguised bridge is right there under his feet and he is able to safely walk across without harm. Now, Indiana Jones isn't an adrenaline junkie either, but that term he uses gets used by those adrenaline junkies and a lot of other people in a lot of different situations. Taking the leap, whether for fun or by necessity. Take the leap and trust that God will take care of you. He'll keep you safe from all harm, or at least anything really serious. Jump out of that airplane. Step off that cliff. Just because you don't see the safety net doesn't really mean anything. It's there. God wouldn't let you hit the ground like that. He takes care of you. He always takes care of you. Of course, physical danger isn't the only place you might consider this. Social and financial dangers also call on us to take a leap of faith. There's that job offer that's really tempting. It's the kind of thing you really want to do, but it doesn't quite pay enough to make ends meet. That's a problem, since you have to provide for your family. But it will be ok. Take the leap and trust God to provide. Surely nothing can go wrong when God is watching over you. Maybe it isn't a job, maybe it's an investment opportunity. You want the extra cash, so you think you might go for it. After all, God will take care of you. What is there really to worry about? I want to be clear that this mentality I'm talking about is not what you find when someone is stuck and knows something must be done. You pick something, knowing it isn't a great option but also knowing God will take care of you. That's very different than the people who flippantly think God will save them from whatever nonsense they think they want to try. When Satan leads Jesus up to the top of the temple and directs him to jump off so the angels can catch him, Jesus responds, "You shall not put the Lord thy God to the test." Yet, this is the sort of thing we find ourselves doing all the time. We take God for granted. We assume he will be where we want him, when we want him. To take care of us means to be at our beckon call, to let us do whatever sort of crazy thing we think we should be able to do without consequences. We expect to drive through life like we're playing bumper cars, all of the thrills, all of the questionable behavior but with none of the consequences. Looking at Jesus's own life and how it is anything but a crazy game of bumper cars, we find we have to make an allowance. "Well, sure. Jesus is different because he's supposed to be different. Obviously his life wasn't going to be the same as everyone else's." Jesus's actions led right to a gruesome and lonely death. There was no protection there, only abandonment and misery. "But Jesus had to do that so we would be saved," you say. "It's unfortunate, but it had to happen so we could live." All true. Jesus had to do that if we were to have hope for eternity. But, if Jesus was the sole exception, then how do we account for the apostles? How do we account for the first 300 years or so of the Christian church that faced brutal persecution from the Roman empire? How do we account for the persecution and murder of Christians that continues in many places around the world still today? If God's job is to swaddle you in bubble wrap to protect you from any and every danger in life, he seems to be failing across the board. Can we truly say we expect any different? How many times have you taken a leap of faith, only to have the investment fail, the dream job not meet expectations, the ship to run aground? How can God claim to hold to his promise when bad things still happen to his people? It all sounds like a big fraud. We humans are a pretty aggravating bunch. We want to be protected from all danger, but at the same time we don't want God always buzzing around us. Over the last 10 years or so the term "helicopter parent" has come into use. The term describes those parents who are always hovering over their children, making sure they never get into trouble and keeping them from all harmful influences. It sounds noble on the face of it, but underneath all of that protection, the parents are teaching their children that the rest of the world is like that. Safe, tame, and that the only consequences are those the authorities choose to put on us, and those are still pretty mild. The idea that God would be hovering around all the time gives us the heebie jeebies. We want to be independent. We want to strike out on our own. We want to follow our own path wherever it may lead and we don't need God getting on our case all the time. We don't want him gone entirely. We just want him to only show up when we really need him, those times when we're truly stuck and can't find any other way out. Otherwise, just leave us alone. We've got it under control and can manage things just fine on our own. God doesn't want to be a helicopter parent, not because he wants us to get hurt, but because he wants us to grow and mature. He wants us to truly understand what's at stake. Just like any parent will warn their children not touch the hot stove, not to run with scissors, not to play on the ladder, or any other dangerous activities. At the same time, most parents realize a child needs to learn and that you can't possibly manage every moment of their lives forever. If they won't listen to your warning, they will get hurt. Hopefully, if they do get hurt, they will realize why it happened and learn to listen next time. In this case, our Heavenly Father really wants us to understand what sin means and what it does. He warns us over and over again what comes of sin, how sin brings sorrow, misery, and death every single time. We hear the warning and go charging ahead anyway, bringing it all down upon our own heads. We expect him to pluck us out of danger whenever it comes our way, but he never promised to do that. We call it a "leap of faith" but when he isn't there to catch us we blame him for failing to do what he said, but he never said he would protect us from all harm and danger in this life, for his priority is what ours should be, not this life but the life to come. God makes a promise in the Isaiah text for today: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior." God does make a promise about your future. It is a promise found in your baptism. Fire and water are deadly, burning you away or drawing you in the depths. That you will be burned in the fires of judgment or disappear into the silent darkness is a given for all of us. It will happen. You can stand at the brink, waiting for the end in the hopes another solution will present itself. But God has already said what will happen at the end. Judgment will claim you and you will be lost for eternity. Instead, he makes a promise that you trust him to lead you through it. Follow him through the fire that burns and the water that drowns. Allow him to lead you into them so that he can then lead you out on the other side. This is what we find in baptism. We find judgment. We find death. We will we encounter judgment and death no matter what. But here at the font, we find those things in and with the grace and forgiveness of God. He asks every Christian to make a leap of faith and heed his invitation to the font where sin can be washed away. With that accomplished, the death we die only becomes the doorway to eternal life. We can't just assume God will do whatever we want. He does love and care for us at all times, but he is more concerned about our ultimate salvation than our temporary health and comfort. Instead, trust in the promises God has made to you. That is where he leaves no uncertainty. You have already come to the font. He has already washed your sins away. You have already faced judgment and come through on the other side. You have been forgiven and your resurrection is assured. When your earthly death comes, God asks you to continue to trust him. He has already seen you through judgment and all of the penalties that come with it. He will see you through this as well. When Jesus goes to the Jordan to be baptized, he begins a journey. It is a journey that involves suffering and death, but that death is not the end of the journey. His journey doesn't end in the tomb, in the darkness, but in his glorious resurrection. This is why Christ came. Not simply to die, but to lead you through death to eternal life. You have been baptized, and now that journey is yours as well. Follow him. Trust him. Stand firm on the promise he made to you in baptism, for whenever you step out on to his promise you will always find solid ground beneath you.