SERMONS

The Four Gospels, Matthew 3:3-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-22 and John 1:25-34

Baptism of Christ Sunday

The Reverend Angela L. Ying
Bethany United Church of Christ,
January 10, 2010

Invite the children, tweens and youth to come to the baptismal font as the minister asks them:

What do you think and feel when you see, hear and touch the water?

(Children responded: Life and Death, Need for Water to live.)

Anything special about this particular water? (Children responded: Water is Common, Every day and Sacred)

What does the water mean to you?

(Listen for the children, tweens and youth responses which they reveal are: Joy, Life, Fun, Community, Getting Wet, Going Under, Coming Up, Getting Clean, Starting New.

What do you think happens if we let the water stand for a long time, the same water, and never change it? (The children responded: The water evaporates, gets stinky or dirty and it becomes not clean to use.)

How many of you have gotten wet from God’s waters of baptism? (Children, tweens and youth show their hesitation and their delight by raising their arms and hands.)

You may not remember it happening but you were told it happened. Did you know it only happens ONCE in your life—as an infant, young person or adult?

Not too many amazing things only happen once in your life.

(Children responded with losing your first tooth and turning 10 – two digits in one’s year of age!)

And when you were baptized, do you think any promises were made by your parents with the whole community?

Your parents and the whole community promised or made a covenant to bring each of you up in faith –God’s justice, compassion, and love.

When you and I are baptized with water, God creates us as part of a Worldwide Community.

One You connected with the Whole Wide World.

It is a big deal when you are baptized—something to give a splash about! For you are God’s Beloved!

The minister takes the water and holds each child, tween or youth one at a time and looking into each of their eyes say: You are God’s Beloved in whom God is well pleased, while the congregation responds, “Amen” and the children, tweens and youth return to their seats.

Jesus was also baptized.

The Four Gospels tell of the Baptism of Jesus which reveals the importance of Baptism.

It is one of two Sacraments the universal church celebrates in this local community of faith—for in Baptism and Communion, God creates us and this local community of faith as a part of a worldwide community! The global, cosmic God comes down to be present in our local carpenter’s workshop.

In the gospel of Matthew, following the announcement of the birth of Jesus (Advent) the birth story (Christmas), the coming of the Magi from a different country, following a star to worship Jesus (Epiphany) – the gospel leads to the Baptism of Jesus.

In the gospel of Matthew,

John the Baptist is the one who baptizes Jesus although he is hesitant about doing this and admits he should be the one baptized by Jesus—which shows the deep love between the two.

Jesus comes up from the water and the heavens OPENED to him. Wide Open with Possibilities!

Jesus sees the Spirit of God come down as a dove and be with Jesus.

And then a Voice is said to say “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

The same Holy Spirit that comes down on Jesus will be the Spirit Jesus will leave for us and his disciples after his death and resurrection.

Matthew will remember that the heavens OPENED to Jesus. Matthew comes to report in the final chapters of his gospel at Jesus’ death and resurrection—that the tombs of the saints were OPENED. Even when the Roman guards wanted to secure the new tomb in which they had allowed for the crucified Jesus, even that tomb, early in the week, was OPENED and found empty with the risen Christ.

Now let’s look at the gospel in Mark. The gospel of Mark is the earliest and the shortest of the four gospels. Mark sees the urgency of getting the good news out as he uses the words Immediately, Now and Then.

Matthew and Luke will use some of the stories of Mark in their two gospels that follow.

In Mark, there is no announcement of the birth and no birth story. There are no Magi.

Mark jumps right in with preaching and the proclamation of the Word of God. Mark’s gospel with:

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

That is a different sort of announcement of Jesus’ upcoming events.

As in the gospel of Matthew, in Mark, John baptizes Jesus. But in Mark, when Jesus comes up from the water, Jesus sees the heavens TORN APART—which gives it a slightly different perspective here than OPENED to Jesus—wouldn’t you say?

And in the final chapters of Mark, we will listen as the curtain of the temple was TORN IN TWO FROM TOP TO BOTTOM. And a Roman guard, of all people, one of those connected to the very empire that had Jesus killed, who sees this happen—will turn from his ways and give witness saying, “Truly, this one was the Son of God.”

Mark sees the baptism of Jesus as an epiphany. Which is why the universal and local church celebrate the Baptism of Jesus Christ the second Sunday in January every church year, after the Epiphany Sunday when we recall the Magi coming to worship Jesus.

In Mark’s account of Jesus’ baptism, he also remembers to mention that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee.

A reminder that Jesus came from the south end neighborhood of Bethlehem, and not the big city of Jerusalem, where the powers to be met.

This will be of importance as we hear how Jesus is crucified in Jerusalem under the Roman empire, and how after the resurrection, the Spirit of God comes to the disciples, who are to return to Galilee to bring the good news.

In our third gospel, the gospel of Luke, there is no mention of John the Baptist baptizing Jesus. Luke is writing and speaking to outsiders and to the Gentiles, who at the time are those people who are new to the faith or want to grow in faith.

Jesus is said to have been baptized alongside all the other people who are being baptized.

And the Spirit of God comes, while Jesus is PRAYING.

That’s right. While PRAYING.

The Holy Spirit does not just come down.

For Luke, God’s Spirit comes as we are gathered in community and PRAYING to God long and hard.

The Spirit comes not when we think God should come, but when God believes we are open to seeing, hearing, and touching God in and through PRAYING.

This Spirit of God, as Luke records, will come to Jesus to bring good news to those, the world does not think, God would come to—the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed—but Jesus does.

Finally, in the fourth gospel of John, which begins with “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word was in the beginning with God… and the Word became flesh and lived among us.”—

The gospel of John tells us specifically where John the Baptist was baptizing. “This took place in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was baptizing.”

Did you know this?

I realize that our local church’s name comes from the Hebrew words “Beth-any” which means “House of and for the poor.” And that Jesus, who often ate and shared meals with sisters and brother, Mary, Martha and Lazarus, raised Lazarus of Bethany—from the dead, which some did not appreciate.

But Bethany, as the fourth gospel records, and the Jordan River across from Bethany, is a part of the Holy Baptismal site to which we are connected.

As theologian and writer Miroslav Volf and his son, Nathanael experienced, “many holy sites are historically and spiritually inauthentic. But I, as a reluctant pilgrim on a journey, was taken with the Baptism Site, which has remained real to me. Without the ubiquitous merchant stands with their gaudy religious objects being marketed—but, rather the remains of a baptistery designed for baptisms in the flowing water.

And a few miles from there, the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the earth—the ministry of Jesus—the One who was to reunite heaven and earth began!”

Yes, isn’t that what we as baptized people of faith seek?

A simple, sustainable and yes, sacred place where God meets us and where we meet God in Jesus Christ through our baptism.

Where there is, through our one baptism in Jesus Christ,

Repentance

Forgiveness

Rebirth

Renewal

Cleansing

and Ever flowing Waters are made possible.

“Wash, O God, Your Bethany Sons and Daughters

Where Your cleansing waters flow

Number us among your disciples

Bless as Christ blessed long ago

Weave us garments bright and sparkling

Compass us with love and light

Fill, anoint us, send your Spirit

Holy dove and heart’s delight.

God renew us, guide our footsteps

Free from sin and all its snares

By Your grace, our lives we offer

Recreate us; God Transform.”

The community during the Prayers of the People around the World and All of God’s Creation respond by Turning to the East and praying:

For the children and youth, precious in God’s sight, and reflections of the growing Christ child.

Renewed by the water of life.

(The minister using flowing water takes a fresh evergreen branch to sprinkle the congregation as God’s beloved.)

We hold our children up in faith.

Turning to the South and praying:

For all creation, precious in God’s sight, and a living reflection of new life in Christ.

Renewed by the water of life.

(The minister using flowing water takes a fresh evergreen branch to sprinkle the congregation as God’s beloved.)

Let us continue to work towards earth’s sustainability and renewal.

Turning to the West (facing the cross) and praying:

For men and women, precious in God’s sight, and reflections of God’s widening and transforming embrace.

Renewed by the water of life.

(The minister using flowing water takes a fresh evergreen branch to sprinkle the congregation as God’s beloved.)

Let us seek and serve Christ in all peoples.

Turning to the north and praying:

For elders and those who have gone before us, precious in God’s sight and reflections of Christ’s patience and wisdom.

Renewed by the water of life.

(The minister using flowing water takes a fresh evergreen branch to sprinkle the congregation as God’s beloved.)

Let us continue to be God’s story of unending love in both word and deed.

And let the people say Amen!