“Come to the Waters of Life!” ~ Isaiah 43: 1-7 & Luke 3: 15-17, 21-22
Jan 12, 2025 ~ Northwood United ~ Rev. G. Scott Turnbrook
A man is stumbling through the woods, he has had far too much to drink. Stumbling, he comes upon a preacher baptizing people in the watery edge of the river. The man stumbles into the water and stands next to the preacher. The preacher asks, "Are you ready to find Jesus?" The man replies, "Yes, I am." So the preacher dunks him under the water and pulls him back up. "Have you found Jesus?" he asks. "No, I haven't," says the man. The preacher dunks him a second time, holds him under the water a bit longer, and pulls him up. "Now, brother, have you found Jesus?" "No, I still haven't," the man answers. Disgusted, the preacher holds him under for at least 30 seconds this time, brings him up, and demands, "Have you found Jesus yet?" The man wipes his eyes and says, "Are you sure this is where he fell in?"
As we move through the church year, we come this morning to ‘The Baptism of Jesus Sunday’. This Sunday, of course, occurs amidst our trajectory of moving through the life of Jesus. Christ’s birth is celebrated through Christmas. The twelve days of Christmas lead us to the season of Epiphany as the Wise Ones bring forward their gifts. We don’t receive a lot of information about Jesus’ life as a child or youth so consequently we skip ahead this morning to Jesus’ adult baptism. And, as we arrive at this Sunday’s theme, we tend to ponder what the meaning of this sacrament is…how it will give us meaning in our life…how it has relevance for the living of our days.
And, frankly, the living of our days, right now, are tough. I might even venture to suggest that the days for many of us are VERY difficult. As a congregation, we have suffered some deep losses as we mourn the loss of a number of the saints of this congregation. Just this month, our church calendar holds three events of memorial. In addition, there have been many challenges that are being faced by our members: health, personal, existential. And, with some of the political changes that are in process, there are even more uncertainties and fear that rest in our hearts. I wonder…have these days been difficult for you? Have you been seeking support, comfort, a compass? Indeed, these days have been VERY difficult. What I would like to suggest is that this Sunday’s theme provides a powerful foundation for life, hope and meaning through these challenges we face.
So, what is baptism? Oddly enough, baptism is one of the few things that the worldwide church CAN actually agree upon! The World Council of Churches, the uniting body whose prayer calendar we follow each Sunday, produced a document outlining six different areas of meaning in this sacrament churches share. (See Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry 1982). I would like to highlight a few of them as we consider our mutual quest for hope and meaning through the challenges we face.
Firstly, baptism is a deep reminder that we are not alone in our struggles. Jesus shares our life; our journey; Jesus even shares in our baptism. One theological question often asked candidates for ordination is ‘why is Jesus’ baptism important?’ The answer I hold is that this is one deeply significant time where Jesus fully meets us in our humanity…Jesus, too, is baptized. In Jesus baptism, we are assured how God fully enters our humanity through the sending of Jesus. Jesus’ baptism by his cousin John is this wonderful assurance that he enters our life, not as a distant deity, but through the humanity of Jesus. Compared to the other gospel writers, Luke is not as dramatic in his presentation of Jesus for baptism. It just sort of ‘is’. Jesus, like the many others, is baptised. In my analysis, Luke almost lumps Jesus in with the others who came to John for baptism. Here is how Luke puts it: “Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying…” In Jesus’ baptism, this is the moment that he fully enters our humanity. We are NOT alone. God, in Christ, is here…fully…with us! God has entered our lives fully! Through the writings of Paul, we could more deeply dive into how our baptism is a time when we die to the ways of this world and come alive to the new life of Christ. God, through Christ, enters fully into our humanity. We do not have to live in darkness of the world that seems devoid of hope. Instead, we come alive in Christ who promises us abundant life, who promises hope to the end, who promises a new beginning in the next! What might that mean to you to know, in your struggles, that you are NOT alone? What might it mean to know God’s presence is fully with you? What might it mean to have this deep relationship with the Holy?
The other side of this realization of God’s eternal presence is that our baptism is illustrative of God’s deep love for all of us. God is wildly in love with you! Following Jesus’ baptism, the text reports how “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.’ Jesus entering into our lives is a celebration of God’s profound love for us all! Not that problems and pain will be taken away. But rather, an assurance that God shares our lives when these problems, inevitably, emerge. We might think of the Pentecost narrative in Acts 2 when all the nations can finally hear one another. This as a time when we become fully united as one with God. We are God’s family. We are not alone. And families share the struggles when they are in pain; families share the joys when they celebrate; families share every aspect of life because we are family. Our baptism reminds us that we are GOD’S family and God shares life with us fully! What might it mean to know you are part of God’s family? What might it mean to know that God has already claimed you as His own? What might it mean to hear these words lovingly offered unto you…‘you are my child in whom I am well pleased!’
Another area that is pondered in baptism is this profound opportunity to wash things clean and begin again. In my observation, Catholics do this very well as they remember their baptism upon entering the church by marking themselves with baptismal water. Baptism is a reminder that no matter how far we may feel separated; no matter how ugly things might seem; no matter how afraid we might feel…baptism allows that separation to be washed away; that divider to be washed out; that barrier to be flooded away…and for us to receive God’s amazing grace. Baptism is about God’s grace; God’s acceptance; God’s amazing grace for us all! Amazing Grace continues to among people’s favourite hymns. And for good reason! It is an enduring reminder that God has loved us, forgiven us, received us long before we can even ask! John Newton wrote that hymn as part of an interesting transformation in his life. Once the captain of a slave ship, he encountered a life-threatening, violent storm. Crying out to God for mercy, he began his transformation. The waters calmed and Newton realized the power of God; a power that was even greater than the raging storm. This was a pivotal moment of grace. Newton left the Atlantic slave trade and became (of all things) an Anglican minister. In the course of his teaching about the amazing grace of God, he wrote that hymn that will forever touch the hearts and souls of its hearers: “Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me”. It touches us because it reminds of a God who loves us; a God who seeks to transform us through grace! What might it mean to begin again? What might it mean to receive the opportunity for a new start?
The final area I wanted us to explore is how the waters of baptism hold the deep promise of liberation and hope for us all. The Isaiah passage that Deborah read references several instances of God working through water. God shaping creation ‘in the beginning’ with water; the waters of freedom that parted at the Red Sea allowing the early Hebrews to move from Egypt towards the Promised Land. Baptism is a reminder of God’s creating, liberating promise that is offered to one and all. Imagine when the waters of baptism drip down the person’s body: how that is symbolic of God’s actions of creation, liberation and freedom for all! Imagine when you touch the waters how there is nothing that can enslave you; nothing that can hold you; nothing that can hold you back from God’s love in this world. Baptismal waters are that promise of the Kingdom of God breaking in…where God’s reconciling love is at play and CAN NOT ever be stopped! What might it mean to know that nothing can hold you; nothing can enslave you? What might it mean to know that God is working to reconcile us one and all.
Baptism is a celebration of what God has already put into action! That Christ shares our humanity and we are not alone; more than that we are loved immeasurably by a God ‘who is well pleased’; it can grant us a new beginning and re-sets our course; and reveal God’s great desire for liberation and reconciliation with all Creation.
Amen.