Sermon Jan 9 2011

Isaiah 42:1-9 p 584
42Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. 2He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; 3a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. 4He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: 6I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. 8I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. 9See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Matthew 3:13-17 p 784
13Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. 14John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. 16And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
This is the word of the Lord…..thanks be to God

The story of Jesus’ baptism is a very short narrative—only 4 verses—but it is packed full.
Matthew has John the Baptist ask a question that we want to ask: why does Jesus get baptized? Jesus is sinless, and John is preaching a baptism for forgiveness of sin—so what is Jesus doing out there in the middle of the Jordan?
Jesus comes out to meet John, to be baptized. John didn’t want to do it, but Jesus commands him, saying “permit it. It is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness”.
And there is the first thing I want us to notice: “it is proper for US”. Baptism is a gift of God, the claim of God upon us—but it always happens in a community of faith, in and through the church. It took John, and Jesus, and God, out there in the water. Here, it takes all of us. When we baptize (and it is usually an infant, but it doesn’t have to be an infant) the family stands up and makes promises for the child. But the elder will turn and ask the congregation: “do you promise to guide and nurture this child, by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging her to know and follow Christ and to be a faithful member of his church”. Then we sit down—and we should be stunned by what we have just promised. We just promised to guide and nurture someone, in the manner of Christ, who, by the way, died for us, and we have promised to help that one know and love and follow Christ, using our words and deeds, our very lives. Yikes.
I have been at countless baptisms. I have never, ever seen anybody sit down and say “whoa. Nope. Too hard” when we come to that part in the service.
It is said that Martin Luther, discouraged, would pat himself on the top of his bald head, and say “I am baptized”. In some churches, a common greeting to the congregation is “Remember your baptism, and be glad.” Now, most of us here probably can’t remember our baptism—it’s almost a joke, “remember your baptism”. But even that is significant: perhaps we can’t remember our baptism, but we can remember that God loved us, and claimed us, long before we could ever have any knowledge of it, ever have the ability to make a choice for God. God has claimed us.
The second thing I want us to notice in the text about Jesus’ baptism is this: after Jesus comes out of the water, he sees the heavens being opened, and a voice is heard “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I take delight.” God breaches the boundaries between heaven and earth. It is a decisive moment: if there was any doubt, about who Jesus is, here it is, proclaimed out loud, in a voice from heaven. If the genealogy, and the angels, and the dreams, and the wise men showing up to pay homage to the infant king didn’t tell you, here it is. “This is my Son”
And that is what happens in our baptism as well. We understand that in baptism, we are claimed by God, and our truest identity is revealed—as a child of God, and a member of the household of faith. Which is why we don’t use last names when we baptize—have you noticed? We say “Nancy Ellen, child of the covenant, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit in baptism, joined to the household of faith, made Christ’s own forever.” Maybe that’s what we should say, when we get discouraged, instead of Martin Luther’s I am baptized--say “I am a child of God, made Christ’s own.”
Fred Craddock tells a story about a young boy, who was born out of wedlock. He lived in a little mountain town in the South. The boy had been baptized, and had occasionally attended the church, but the shame of his position was such that he and his mom didn’t go very often. Well, the little church called a new minister. And the boy, hearing the news, decided to go to church and see what the new minister was like. The boy determined to arrive late, and sit in the back, and sneak out before the last hymn ended, so he wouldn’t have to hear any ugly talk about himself or his mother, or his dad, who was married to someone else. But that minister was fast on his feet- so fast, that he got to the door for shaking hands before the boy could slip out. So, trembling, the boy got in line, to pass the new minister and shake his hand at the doorstep. The minister shook his hand, and asked the boy’s name. When the boy whispered his name, he feared the worst, the stories, the looks, the questions. The minister took the boy’s chin in his hand, and said “Why, son, I would have known you anywhere. You look just like your daddy.” Here it is, thought the boy, I am about to be shamed in public...again. “Yes sir” said the preacher, “you have the look of your Father, God the creator, all over you. I should have seen the resemblance immediately.”
In baptism we are claimed by God, joined to the household of faith, and marked as Christ’s own. Forever.
Which is a good thing. Because after Jesus is baptized, the very next thing that happens is that he is out in the desert, undergoing trials. And much the same thing happens to us. Baptism does not give us immunity from trouble. Baptism is not a vaccination; it is not about “luck”. Baptism is a claim of God upon us. Wherever we go—and whatever we go through—we are still held fast in God’s hand, we are still a child of God.
One of my favorite hymns is How Firm a Foundation. And one of the verses says “when thru the deep waters I call thee to go, the rivers of sorrow shall not overflow, For I will be with thee”
The river Jordan, like most rivers, ebbs and flows with run-off. It is seasonal—and in some places, you can walk across with barely getting your feet wet. In other places, it is deep. Jesus went all the way under, under the water. Jesus went out into the wilderness, to be tested. In all these places, he was God’s beloved. And in our times of trial, and testing, when it seems like the water is closing over our heads, we can rest in that assurance as well: “You are my child, my beloved. In you I take delight.”
So, to ask the question John asks, why does Jesus go out into the wilderness, the Jordan, to be baptized? Because Jesus, fully divine, is also fully human—and he knows what we go through. As Immanuel, God with us, Jesus joins us in our life.
And that is the last thing I want us to note. It is in our daily life, in the elements of our daily, human living, bread and wine, water—that we encounter God, and remember God’s love for us. Remember your baptism—and be glad. Amen