The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ ---- 13 January 2019

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

15 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 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. 17 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."

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 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."

"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

·       Over the past few days, I’ve driven by a certain church a few times. Their sign in the front yard said something like “Rejoice in the Good News Jesus brings!” Now I can’t argue with that, and it still made me think. I didn’t wonder about Jesus bringing good news. That idea is often repeated in the Gospels.

·       Jesus often took the side of the poor and the down-trodden in what he said and did. He also was willing to be seen with those who were considered to be “sinners” by those who saw themselves as “righteous.” Jesus often ate with tax collectors and ‘sinners’ and was kind to those known to have offended against the Law of Moses, even with those ‘caught in the act’ as it were.

·       We’ve often heard the message of what is called the Sermon on the Mount – Blessed are the poor; blessed are those who mourn; blessed are the peacemakers; blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness. We even know the negative side, the “woes”, that tell of those who have it now and are missing out on what will come.

·       We know of Jesus’ proclamation of the both the coming and the nearness of the Kingdom of God. We’ve heard his call to repentance. Although it may not sound like ‘good news’, but the call to change our lives is good news. The telling of a coming change is good because it gives the hearer a chance to become part of that change. To tell someone to “Repent!” means that someone can actually repent of sin and have a new life and a new relationship with God.

·       Having said all this, we might remember that the prophets of Israel and Judah had been saying these same things for hundreds of years before Jesus’ birth. His preaching was in direct line with the spirit sent to the prophets before him.

·       What made me think when I saw that sign in the church’s yard was one small change. What if that sign said “Rejoice in the Good News Jesus Is!”? Does that make any difference?

·       It sure does! On top of the powerful and hopeful prophetic message Jesus brings, he himself IS the message.

·       The church season we have just finished – Christmas & Epiphany – has little to do with Jesus’ preaching. The Christmas readings have a silent Jesus… unless you imagine him as a normal human child who cried when hungry or wet or cold. The readings from Luke for Epiphany have the wise men come to see Jesus and leave gifts… and Jesus never says a word. Today’s reading about the baptism of Jesus, he again is silent. The most important message is what is said about him, both by John the Baptizer and the voice from heaven. Further, the heavens open and the Spirit descends on him in the bodily shape of a dove. Is the Scripture, when the heavens open, big things are happening. Here the earth and the heavens are being joined; they are not separated as many have thought... and still think.

·       Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, the Beloved of the Father, the one whom John the Baptizer said I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. We know all this and it always pays to be reminded. The Good News in woven into these titles and there is one more thing that is overwhelmingly Good News for us. Jesus is the Word become Flesh, something beyond our imagination. Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God, the Beloved of the Father, of whom the Father says “with you I am well pleased.", is also Emmanuel, God with us. That the Word of God become Flesh has been with us as human beings and had blessed our flawed existence in this world is Good News beyond measure. “Rejoice in the Good News Jesus Is!” God is with us; go and show it in what you say and what you do, for in what we say and what we do, God is with us!

"You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."