1 Epiphany, 2025-C: The cosmic truths in Baptism

Lectionary: Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29, Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 

Video of this sermon is found HERE. The sermon begins at 9 minutes, 15 seconds.

En el nombre de Dios que es nuestra fuente, nuestra luz, y nuestro sustento... In the name of God who is our source, our light, and our sustenance. Amen.

The stories of Jesus’ baptism in our four Gospels vary widely. Let’s take a minute to look at them.

The Gospel of Mark, believed to be written first, begins by introducing John the Baptist (JB), who is baptizing people in the Jordan River. In the 2nd paragraph of this gospel, Jesus arrives and is baptized by John. The Spirit descends upon Jesus and a voice from heaven, speaking directly to Jesus says, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” There is no indication that anyone else was there or heard it.

In the Gospel of Matthew, which drew from the Gospel of Mark, the baptism of Jesus is found at the end of the 3rd chapter. John protests at first but is convinced by Jesus to baptize him. The Spirit descends upon Jesus and when the voice from heaven spoke, it was to John the Baptizer saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” There is no indication that anyone else was present, though it is implied.

Near the end of the first chapter of the Gospel of John, JB sees Jesus approaching and proclaims to his disciples who are present, “This is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” John the Baptizer goes on to claim his own prophesied purpose: to reveal the Messiah. Jesus’ actual baptism is not described in this gospel - only John’s proclamation bearing witness to having seen the Spirit descend upon Jesus, identifying him as the one who baptizes with the Spirit.

The Gospel of Luke, which we read today, begins with the story of the birth of John the Baptist, moves through Mary’s Magnificat and the Nativity, to our story today. This gospel also does not describe Jesus’ actual baptism. In this version, JB’s disciples are filled with expectation about John’s proclamation of the coming of the Messiah. John prophesies that the Messiah will baptize with the Spirit, clear away evil (the chaff) in the world, and purify everyone in the unquenchable fire of God’s love.

Luke says that sometime after the people and Jesus had been baptized, Jesus was praying. That’s when the heavens opened and the voice from heaven, speaking to Jesus, says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” John the Baptizer is not even present. 

For some reason, our lectionary leaves out the verses in the middle of this account – verses that explain why John wasn’t present: he had been locked up in prison for publicly criticizing Herod for marrying his brother’s wife, Herodius. 

So, in Luke’s version, JB isn’t present when the voice of heaven speaks to Jesus. There’s no indication that anyone else was there either.

So, which is the true and correct version? They all are.

Our Holy Scriptures preserve the story of God’s love affair with us. Each of the gospels offers us a perspective on that story. Each one reaches us differently and reaches beyond us to invite others into this love story. All bear witness to the Good News of God in Christ.

In these four versions of the story of Jesus’ baptism, there are four points of complete agreement: 

1. JB, Jesus’ kin, proclaims the coming of the Messiah; 
2. John baptized Jesus; 
3. John baptized with water, but the Messiah will baptize with the Holy Spirit; 
4. the Spirit of God descended upon Jesus. 

Taken as a whole, however, the gospels give us a beautiful picture filled with cosmic truth.

We remember that John leaped in his mother Elizabeth’s womb when Mary, pregnant with Jesus, came near. Not only were JB and Jesus kin, but their relationship began before they were born.

It might help us to remember that we are all kin in the family of God, who created us in all our diversity of style, race, gender, location, and time. Like JB and Jesus, our relationships began before we were born. We all come from and return to the same source: God.

JB baptizing Jesus demonstrates our need for ritual as a means to see and experience, in a manifest way, the union of humanity and divinity as a reality in our earthly experience. The overwhelming, incomprehensible gift of God being in us, with us, in every moment of our lives is so difficult to grasp and even harder to maintain. Our rituals, which we repeat throughout our lives, helps ground us continually in this cosmic truth.

Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit assures us that by our ritual, the outward sign, we can share the experience of receiving the grace of the Spirit of God, made manifest in the person of Jesus, and given to us to dwell in us.

The Spirit of God descending on Jesus shows us how that gift is given. Jesus demonstrates how gently and intimately the Spirit of God connects with us and co-exists within our human bodies.

Now we, who continue to practice the outward sign, do so in the blessed assurance that God in Christ is, at the same time, descending upon us. It is a cooperative, symbiotic relationship between humanity and divinity.

In his earthly ministry John the Baptizer (JB) heralded the path to righteousness to us: repentance. Then he explained it as we discussed a few weeks ago on Advent 3. 

JB was urging his followers to repent, to change the way they were living their lives. When they asked JB how they should repent, he said, "Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise."

JB further proclaimed that all who stray from the path of righteousness, will be thrown into the unquenchable fire. Despite what you may have heard, this isn’t a threat. It’s a promise, and while I preached it only a few weeks ago, it’s worth repeating.

God is love. Fire is a common symbol in Scripture for the presence of God. That this fire is unquenchable should comfort us – God’s love for us can never be snuffed out or used up. When we enter this fire, we enter the presence of God who created us and recreates us continually so that we may grow in wisdom and grace all the days of our lives.

The Baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. As JB’s followers shifted from following John to following Jesus, their understanding of Messiah was also transformed as they grew in relationship with Jesus.

Isn’t that true for all of us? This is another cosmic truth. Whatever version of Jesus we were first taught, the Spirit of God given to us in our Baptism continues to grow us and transform us – from glory to glory, as the saying goes. Throughout our lives our understanding and experience of Jesus deepens, broadens, and strengthens because his Spirit dwells in us.

We’ll never have it all or know it all, but that isn’t the goal, is it? The goal is to be who God made us to be, that we might accomplish the part of God’s plan entrusted to us. We are created to be living manifestations of God’s love in the world - beloved, honored, treasured of God, and to proclaim the cosmic truth of that to everyone, as often as we can, by our words and our deeds.

This week our nation collectively mourned the loss of President Jimmy Carter. Whatever you thought of his politics, President Carter demonstrated this cosmic truth in his commitment to living as a true follower of Jesus. As just one example, President Carter and his wife, Rosalynn, worked with Habitat for Humanity for over 35 years. He was 95 years old at his last Habitat build. Serving wasn’t what Jimmy Carter did. It was who he was.

He wasn’t perfect. Neither is any one of us. Again, that isn’t the goal.

Our goal is to be just as God created us to be and to use every gift we’re given to be living manifestations of God’s love in the world, letting everyone know that they too are beloved, honored, and treasured of God. We do this in a world where that is mightily resisted, ridiculed as irrelevant, and even punished as offensive.

That’s OK. So did Jesus. He knows what we face and because his Spirit dwells in us, he faces it with us. We are not alone.

Plus, we have each other. Our love and friendship will carry us through the rough times and the joyful times, as we figure out together how to love Jesus and love as Jesus loves us. Amen.