January 11, 2015 Epiphany 1B

9In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opening and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”

OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Genesis 1:1–5

1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

SECOND LESSON: Romans 6:1–11 [Baptized into his death]

1What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

5For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. 7For one who has died has been set free from sin. 8Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. 10For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. 11So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Every year on this Sunday the Gospel reading is the Baptism of Our Lord Jesus. We talk about the Baptism of Jesus and think about our own baptisms, too.

The record in Mark’s Gospel is very short, but this is how I picture it in my mind. It was a cloudy day when Jesus came down to the Jordan River. He and John entered the water and Jesus went completely under the surface of the water. The baptism of John was a ceremony to forgive sin: sin was drowned, sin was washed away, and a new and forgiven person arose from the water. Of course Jesus had not sinned, and so his baptism points to something more than just forgiveness. Since sin separates people from God who is holy, when sin is forgiven a person is brought close to God. Sin is rebellion against God, repentance is dedicating your life to God. The Baptism of Jesus is the beginning of the public ministry of Jesus and the work of Jesus will be dedicated fully to doing the work of God, the work of salvation.

I imagine it to be a cloudy day, but when Jesus came up out of the water the sun began to shine. When the clouds parted, perhaps a beam of light shone on Jesus. And the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove. Have you ever watched doves or pigeons in the park? It is fun. They fly around and come down to where people are to get bread crumbs. They seem to be friendly birds and have long been a symbol of peace. I can imagine that the Holy Spirit came down and landed on the shoulder of Jesus. Jesus was a man of peace. Perhaps this is why the Holy Spirit chose to come in the form a dove, not an eagle or hawk, but softly and gentle. And it reminds us of the dove in the story of Noah’ Ark. The dove brought back an olive branch, the symbol of peace with God, of a new start for mankind. The cross and resurrection of Jesus will be a new start for mankind, too.

And then there was the voice of God the Father, which seemed to come from the sky. “You are my beloved Son: with you I am well pleased.” Maybe some people who were there at the Jordan River that day thought it was thunder on a cloudy, stormy day. Even if the voice were clear, some people would dismiss it as thunder anyway. But John the Baptist and others heard the Voice of God because they had faith in God. This Voice revealed the identity of Jesus. He was not just an ordinary person, but was the Child of God. God was pleased because the Baptism of Jesus was the start of the work of Salvation. That is why God sent His Son to the earth, and now God says that things are good and pleasing. It is like a new creation. And it reminds me of Genesis Chapter One. “1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good.”

God the Father was very pleased when Jesus was baptized, and he is also very pleased when we are baptized.

1. He is pleased because in baptism we are made a child of God. It is like an adoption ceremony. God’s name is added to ours. We are now in the family of God, and God is like a proud father. In the baptism ceremony we confess the Apostle’s Creed. At that time we accept the Triune God as being our god.

2. He is pleased because our sins are forgiven, washed away, drowned. Of course this is done by the death of Jesus on the cross, but that grace is given to us in Baptism.

3. God is pleased because baptism is for repentance, it is for the strength to repent and reform and change our lives.

4. God is pleased because we are following his command. Matthew 28:18-20, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And so God is happy when parents bring their children to be baptized. He is happy when we encourage our friends to believe and be baptized.

When Jesus was baptized the clouds parted and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. Our baptism is like the clouds parting and is like a light shinning on us, it should brighten our life. It should give us hope for the future and comfort for the present. So often we live in darkness. There are all the problems and worries of life. If we have to live by ourselves it can be lonely and frustrating and depressing. Our sin can trouble us. Our mistakes can trouble us. We are baptized like Jesus was. The road of Jesus led to the cross. It was a dark day on the cross when he died because of our sin. But on the third day he arose with gifts of eternal life and unlimited hope. St. Paul said it this way in Romans 6:3-4.

“ 3Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.”

When Jesus was baptized the clouds parted and the Holy Spirit descended on him like a dove. For most adults who are baptized, the Holy Spirit has already descended on them, into their hearts before baptism. The Holy Spirit has led them to believe the Gospel. And so people want to be baptized. As a Lutheran I do not want to say that people “make a decision to believe in Christ.” I would rather say that people come to realize that Jesus is their Savior and so to be baptized is just the natural thing to do. For most people who are baptized as infants, the Holy Spirit has been working in their lives, and they come to realize that Jesus is their Shepherd, their Savior and so to make a confession of their faith in the rite of confirmation or first communion is just the natural thing to do.

The joy of the Christian faith is to know that we are a beloved child of God.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church

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