Epiphany 1 A + Baptism of the Lord + 1.11.26

 

M. Campbell-Langdell

All Saints, Oxnard

(Isaiah 42:1–9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34–43; Matthew 3:13–17)

Seven years ago, I went on a pilgrimage with Pastor Alene to the Holy Land. When we arrived at the Jordan River, we were on a tour with a Jewish guide. We had signed up as regular tourists and were wearing casual clothes for the trip. Upon arrival, he announced that since there was no Christian minister or priest on the bus, if anyone wanted to be baptized, they would have to find another group by the Jordan River and ask them to perform the baptism. Hearing this, Pastor Alene and I raised our hands and confessed that we were ordained ministers and would be willing and happy to baptize anyone who wished to do so. We hadn't asked permission, but we decided we would ask for forgiveness from the Bishop of Jerusalem when we returned to St. George's College, where we were staying next to the cathedral. It turned out that three people asked to be baptized, and when we arrived at the river, we went to an entrance with steps leading down to the water. I assisted while Alene baptized them. It was lovely and quite unusual because the fish in the river kept nibbling at our feet and tickling us while we were performing the baptisms. But overall, it was a wonderful experience and reminded me that the Jordan River is a place of wonder, where magnificent things happen.

Here is Jesus with John by the river, and at first, John doesn't understand why Jesus wants to be baptized. He is not burdened by sin, and John's baptism is one of repentance. Why does Jesus need to be baptized? But we are in the time of Epiphany, a time when we learn more about Jesus and about ourselves. And here Jesus reveals that his leadership is not for his own benefit, but that he acts in solidarity with sinners, the marginalized, and the humblest—those whom society sometimes considers wicked. Jesus doesn't need to be cleansed of sins, but he knows that others do, or at least perceive themselves as needing it, and he wants to serve the humblest. This is also declared in today's reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Although he is of the lineage of King David, he is a servant leader. And he also shows us how to be servant leaders. Perhaps this is why we read today one of what we now call the Servant Songs of Isaiah—although I understand that it is problematic to think of them as scriptures about Jesus. But in any case, this reading from Isaiah is included to remind us that Jesus also showed us how to be a servant leader. Our baptism is not about ourselves; however, in the baptismal promises, we affirm that we will respect the dignity of every human being. We also commit to striving for justice and peace. As Christians, we do not exist for ourselves alone.

This is powerful and reminds me of an audiobook I recently listened to by Lara Love Hardin, titled The Many Lives of Mama Love (2023). In this book, at one point, the author says that the worst thing she ever did was build her identity on the worst thing she had ever done in her life. That is, building her life around something she regretted was the worst thing she had ever done. At first, I had a little trouble with this idea because I didn't like the idea that she was saying this was worse than the harm she had caused to other people with her actions. However, I later realized that this is also the message of our baptism.

Just as at the moment of his baptism, God says of Jesus in the voice that seems to come from the cloud, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased." We, too, are God's beloved sons and daughters. And in our baptism, we ask for forgiveness, but let us always remember that we are never the worst thing we have ever done or the worst thing we will ever do. We say in our baptismal vows that we will try not to fall into temptation, but when we sin, we will repent and return to God. Diocesan Minister of Formation for all ages, Missy Morrain, says this is crazy. Because we are saying that we will fail, and that's okay. And it is okay! Because we return to God. Not because we want to fail, but because we know that we are human beings and God still loves us regardless of what we do or don’t do. This also means that we must be willing to forgive even those who do heinous things. Not condone their actions, no, but be willing to forgive as God forgives. This may be hardest on weeks like this one. Can we forgive the murderer of Renee Good? Can we trust in God to help him find goodness again?

Because so many people need to hear about God's love. There are so many people around us, perhaps some of them even attending our church, who are hurting because they feel shame. They feel they don't deserve love because of what they've done or what they feel they've done. Perhaps your neighbor, coworker, or friend needs to hear this good news: that they are not perfect, but they are loved. That they are important and special to God and to us as Christians, and that they should never be defined by the worst thing they've ever done.

Jesus' baptism is not just for him, but also in solidarity with all sinners, that is, with all of us, especially the most broken among us. Our baptism, too, is not just for ourselves, but to remind us of God's love for us, regardless of our circumstances. And remembering this, we share the good news of God's love with everyone. Find someone this week who needs to hear that God loves them and find a way to share that love with that person. It may be conveyed through words or actions. But let us always remember that this love, which comes so freely to us through Jesus Christ, is a love meant to be shared.

Acknowledging this, we turn to our Book of Common Prayer to renew our Baptismal Covenant.