January 10, 2016, the Baptism of Jesus

This is the season when we roll up our sleeves and get back to work. The family gatherings are all over and the presents are all opened. Now we have to pay for them. Now the cold and dark days of winter are upon us and we have nothing to wait for but the spring. There is a focus in these days, much like the crisp air. There is nothing to distract us. We can see the stars in the clear air of winter.

Epiphany is all about making things clear. Jesus is revealed to the world - first through the visit of the Magi, and then through a series of events that make his presence known. Today we remember his baptism. The ritual in itself is not as important as the commentary from heaven. "You are  my son, the beloved." We can wonder at the need for any of this. Of course, God loves the Son. Of course, we know this is important. We remember and we also consider what this means to us.

We too have been baptized. We have been loved. Baptism is our way of beginning our lives as Christians. We enter life through the waters of baptism. It is often our first experience of a faith community. There are also other important aspects. Baptism is a formal ritual that makes us part of a family. Our baptism is often our first public event. Friends and family take pictures and have a party. It is where we share our name that will follow us through life. It is a turning point in our lives - and for most of us, we don't even remember it.

We revisit the baptism of Jesus to help us remember our baptism and to remember the true and eternal purpose of our own baptism. We use only a small amount of water, poured over the head of a baby. It is a kind of bath. We remember that we are forgiven - cleansed from our sins as if they are washed away. This is only a small part of baptism. The symbol of water is much greater than our little splash of water from a shell.

We remember that water is present at creation. The Holy Spirit moved over the waters at the beginning of all things. This baptismal water is creative. This reminds us that we are made and that God is always creating new things. We are part of God's creativity and we are connected to the whole of all created things. We become part of creation in a new way and we are connected to the creator in a new way. We become co-creators with God as we become God's daughters and sons.

Water is God's path of deliverance. There is a recurring theme around how God saves people through water or by water. The people of God first find freedom by crossing the Red Sea in the exodus. They cross the Jordan River to enter into the promised land. Noah and ark are carried safely over water. Jesus offers us baptism to show us a way from one life to another. We are saved from sin and we are also brought to a new place where we are the new people of God.

Water is also a kind of danger. The word, "baptism" means death by drowning. To be baptized is to be overwhelmed. We follow Jesus literally. We participate in his death and in his resurrection. In baptism we die with Jesus and we are resurrected with him. I think we only understand a part of this. We somehow understand that we are forgiven. (Maybe a little harder to accept it.) We somehow understand that Jesus dies and he is resurrected. The hard part is accepting that we are too.

Well, we don't look any different. We often don't feel any different. It's hard to imagine that a little baby needs any transformation. We grow up. We don't just grow old. In our baptism, we begin a journey into a larger life. We join Jesus in death - death to sin and all the things that kill us. We are also invited to join Jesus in life. Even if it was a long time ago - even if we don't remember it - we are always able to live our new resurrected life.

The trick for all of us who are old and who think life is over - is to continue to walk into new life. We are always reborn. We are always resurrected. We know how help our children grow. We know how to care for them and encourage them. These are the words from heaven, "This is my beloved." These are words to Jesus and to us - to all of God's children. God isn't done with us at baptism. God is just starting.

How is God working in you right now? What new thing is beginning in you? We are eager to think about all the bad things God has to get rid of. We have no trouble being ashamed of our failures. (There is certainly a place for this sort of self-examination.) Do we believe that our sin is so bad that God can do nothing with us? Baptism isn't about how bad we are that God needs to wash us clean. Baptism is about a change. We end one life and begin another. There is no turning back. God wants us to be part of a new creation. God wants us to live forever.

We are surrounded by fear and anger. Mostly this comes from fear - fear that we won't ever be good again. We are surrounded by demands that we worry and fret and hoard and keep ourselves free of danger. God keeps reminding us to stop being afraid. God wants us to be curious. God wants us to discover new horizons. God wants us to look out for each other and not just ourselves. God has loved us and blessed us. We have everything we need, and probably more than we can imagine. We only need to follow Jesus. He confronted anger and fear. He offered new life instead.