Epiphany 1 – Baptism of our Lord (Year C)

13-1-2013

North Geelong

Pastor Lester Priebbenow

Catch the Baptism Bug

Luke 3:15-17, 21, 22

'The baptism of Jesus' (NRSV)

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

"On my recent trip overseas..." I have wanted to begin a sermon like that for years!

Seriously though, I hope we never take for granted the amazing opportunity that we have had in the last few months to see many places and experience many wonderful things. As I contemplated that privilege at many times throughout our trip, I - your normally stoic pastor - found myself becoming quite emotional. I couldn't help thinking, "This is actually happening to me!"

Various people have commented that now we might 'catch the travel bug', and there are those who do. Hardly are their suitcases unpacked from one trip and they are planning the next one. While on our travels we met people whose lives seemed to be consumed by ticking off the countries and places they had visited as if they were squares on some sort of global board game. One has to wonder, though, at the wisdom of pouring untold resources into seeing this world if you neglect to prepare for – and risk missing out on - the next.

If you or I are going to catch any bug at all, I would prefer that it be what we might call the "Baptism Bug" - to realize that what we have received in our baptism is the most precious opportunity and privilege of our entire lifetime and to earnestly desire that our baptismal journey become a regular and vital part of our everyday life.

At Jesus' baptism, John the Baptist and the people who were present there began to realize that they had been given the privilege of experiencing something very special; not just the baptism they received from John, but the revelation of God's own 'Beloved Son' - One so powerful that no human being is worthy to untie his sandal straps; the One who holds the 'winnowing fork' of God's salvation and eternal judgement in his own hand; the one who prays and heaven is opened; and the One whose authority is confirmed by the visible presence of the Holy Spirit and by the voice of God Himself.

Now you might think, "But we weren't there to experience all that!" We do, however, have the eyewitness accounts of those who did, given by the Holy Spirit in the Word of God. We have more than that - the experience of our own Baptism. Even though we were not worthy to untie the straps on Jesus' sandals; even though we were born poor helpless sinners, with a human nature that is unable to come to God and deserving of the fire of his judgement, we were loved by God, loved with the same love that he has for his own beloved Son. Just as in his own baptism Jesus joined his own life to the life of fallen sinners; in our baptism he joined himself personally – his life, his death and his resurrection - to our lives. What an amazing journey!
Jesus, God's own Son, gave us the benefits of his perfect life, his sacrificial death in payment for our sins and his glorious resurrection as promise of our own resurrection to eternal life.

Like John, we should stand in awe of the might and majesty of the Saviour who came to us and identified himself with us, unworthy as we are. We should contemplate the privilege that this has actually happened to us and for us. Not only has he baptized us with water, but he has baptised us with his own Holy Spirit. He has ignited the fire of faith in his saving Gospel in our hearts. We are already now gathered by Christ into the 'barns' of his eternal kingdom and involved in Christ's mission to save others in this world from the unquenchable fire of God's eternal judgement.

We know, even now, that because Jesus is in heaven praying to the Father on our behalf, heaven is opened for all who put their trust in him. We who have a living faith in Christ also hear the voice of God the Father in his Word - declaring us to be his own beloved children; saying that "in Christ" and in the gift of His perfection; he is also well pleased with us.

We do well to contemplate – even get emotional about – this most precious privilege of our baptism; to think, "This has actually happened to me!" But, like some people catch the travel bug, there is really just cause for us to 'catch the baptism bug' so that we make it our priority to journey with Jesus every day of our lives. The 'baptism bug' certainly involves us in looking back at our baptism as 'the trip of a lifetime', but it shouldn't stop there. It should also involve us in planning our lifelong journey with Christ to our heavenly destination.

Like those disciples we heard about in the reading from Acts 8, God desires that our baptism in Jesus' name also be accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives. We need the working of God's Spirit to bring us back to the benefits of our baptism - daily bringing us the conviction of our own sinfulness and unworthiness before God, daily taking us on a journey with Christ to his cross and grave where our sins have been paid for, daily bringing us to new life 'with Christ' and 'in Christ', daily opening the kingdom of heaven to us through his Word and daily declaring us to be God's beloved children with whom he is now – through the gift of Christ's own perfection – well pleased. This is our daily baptismal journey.

The greater part of this baptismal journey takes place in our hearts and minds, but it also touches the struggles of our daily lives.
God assures us, as he did his Old Testament people of Israel through the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 43:1-3), that we are thrice-owned by God: "But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, ... he who formed you ...: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine." We are created and formed by God for an eternal relationship with him. We are redeemed – bought back – by God into that eternal relationship through baptism and faith in Jesus. We are called by his own name – baptised in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

How does that affect our lives in this world? God reminds us that we need 'not fear.' He says, "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 Saviour."

Doesn't our baptism say the same thing to us? Our journey through this world is not immune from troubles, struggles, doubts, temptations, faults and failings; troubles that arise like torrential waters or – perhaps a little closer to home this week – that burn like raging fires. But through our baptism God assures us that there is not one moment when he is not travelling with us. Through our baptism God says to us, "Do not fear. You are mine. I will be with you." Our baptism reminds us all that we belong to God. He knows that and so do we!

Our baptismal journey is one where his saving presence touches, not just one part, but every part of our daily lives. He'll stand by us in our struggles, strengthen us in the face of doubts and temptations, forgive our faults and our failings and give us the strength to face the future. With Luther we can turn to God in the face of any daily struggle and confidently claim, "But I am baptized!" With St. Paul we can say, "There is nothing in all creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord! (Rom 8:39)"

So let's take time to think about the fact that what we have received in our baptism is the privilege of a lifetime. Let's rejoice that "This is actually happening to us!" Let's pray that we may all 'catch the baptism bug'. Let us also never tire of planning a new journey with Jesus every day – a journey through the problem of sin to eternal life with him; a journey with our Saviour through the struggles of our daily lives to the paradise of heaven. That is why he was baptised for us and why we were baptised in him. Amen.