Sermon by Felicity Thompson, Seminarian, 1/12/2025
Centering Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, Awaken me to myself and others
Today is the first Sunday after Epiphany. This Sunday we remember and celebrate the baptism of our Lord. With that in mind, let us reflect on the significance of our own baptism. Let us renew our promise to live a life filled with purpose and faith, committed to God, and in service to others.
In our gospel reading, Luke tells us that the people came to be baptized by John the Baptist at the River Jordan. This was John’s role. Baptism with water is a symbolic act of repentance and cleansing from sin.
There was a crowd. Some of those who gathered knew John. They questioned John. Others wanted to know if he might be the Messiah. You see, John demonstrated some of the messianic signs. Messianic is the belief in or expectation of a Messiah, a Savior, a Liberator who is expected to bring redemption, justice and peace.
In Judaism, these signs are rooted in the Hebrew Scriptures and rabbinic traditions. The people saw, in John, what they believed to be divine intervention, societal transformation, and the fulfillment of ancient promises.
For us, messianic signs could mean some or all of the following: a virgin birth, fulfillment of a prophecy in Isaiah 7:14. The Messiah would heal the sick, give sight to the blind and perform miracles, another prophecy found in Isaiah 35:5-6. The Messiah, a Suffering Servant, would suffer and die for the sins of others, a prophecy in Isaiah 53. Jesus’ resurrection, a major messianic sign, found in Psalm 16:10 and interpreted in Acts 2:31. And the Second Coming - the return of Christ, final judgement, and the establishment of a new heaven and earth, found in Revelation 21.
John had the spiritual zeal of the Old Testament prophets. I am being polite when I say he was unique. So, let’s be for real, his lifestyle was radically different. We have heard the accounts, many accounts describing his personal hygiene, I mean the lack of … yet he was faithful. He seemed holy and was disciplined. He preached with power and authority. The people said, “this man must be the Messiah, the promised one, the hope of Israel”.
In this world of lies, rumor, gossip and speculation, John could have chosen to be an imposter. Our Gospel reading tells us that he resisted the temptation to pretend to be who he was not. John was humble.
Thomas Morton reminds us about being authentic with this, “when we allow ourselves to be who we are, we bless the world with a unique gift, one that only we can give”.
He tells the people that his role is secondary to the One who is coming, Jesus. He understood that authentic living is what gives us authentic spiritual power. Our Old Testament reading, Isaiah 43 starts with these words: “Thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel. Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” No need to pretend to be someone else, God knows and has forgiven us. God loves us, we belong to God.
John’s recognition of his unique place in the order of events, set the stage for the baptism of our Lord and much more that follows. We must never regret that God made us exactly the way we are. Our uniqueness is our gift to the world. Your uniqueness is your gift to the world. My uniqueness is my gift to the world.
John the Baptist was "The one crying in the wilderness”, he said, “no, I am not the Messiah, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is coming is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals”. Here John uses a metaphor of servanthood. Untying sandals two thousand years ago, in that culture, was a task reserved for the lowest servants. In that part of the world, the Middle East, it is still a task reserved for the lowest servants.
John said the one who is coming has more power. This power is unlike any earthly power. This power is divine. This power is holy. This power is spiritual. This power is uniquely creative. This power will radically change our lives. The one who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with Fire, a reminder of the Pentecost in Acts 2, where believers were filled with God’s presence and empowered to do God’s work.
This baptism with Fire. Fire is a symbol for purification and judgement. Fire can refine and purify, like gold in a furnace. Fire can also destroy, reminding us of God’s judgement on sin. Jesus’ ministry brings both grace and accountability. John highlights here that Jesus’ mission is not just symbolic but transformative and eternal. This is a call for us to prepare our hearts and lives to receive the Messiah. A call to repent and commit.
In our Prayer Book, in the Catechism, we discover that the Holy Spirit is revealed in the old covenant as the giver of life, the one who spoke through the prophets. We also discover that the Holy Spirit is revealed in the new covenant as the Lord who leads us into all truth and enables us to grow in the likeness of Christ.
We recognize the presence of the Holy Spirit when we confess Christ as Lord and are brought into love and harmony with God, love and harmony with ourselves and our neighbors, AND love and harmony with all creation.
“Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized …” this is the high point of this gospel reading. Let’s take a few steps back for just one minute. Jesus is free of sin and does not need a baptism of repentance. Jesus chooses to be baptized to identify with humanity fully. This act of baptism shows his humility and His role as the Messiah who stands in solidarity with us, all of us. We are the people He has come to save.
Let’s take a look at this baptism and its interaction with nature. It is profound. The scene highlights our natural world as a place of divine revelation with direct connection to God. Jesus chooses to be baptized in a natural body of water, affirming the sacredness of creation and reminding us of the life-sustaining power of nature.
Our gospel reading tells us that when Jesus was baptized, “the heavens opened up 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’”. We believe this living God is able to bless and change our lives. He is the one who is coming with the Holy Spirit and with fire. With this fire we can set the world ablaze with the love of God.
Throughout the baptism, Jesus was praying. Luke emphasizes Jesus’ habit of prayer, showing that Jesus prayed during significant moments in His life. This is how He communicated more deeply with God. Jesus praying demonstrates His dependence on God’s guidance as He begins His public ministry.
Creation is acknowledged as a space through which divine grace is revealed. The heavens are described as “opening”, symbolizing the unity of the spiritual and creation, the natural realms. The baptism of Jesus is another profound theological moment where Jesus' identity as God’s beloved Son is revealed. God’s voice from Heaven, a declaration, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17, setting creation as a stage for this divine action. This scene has us encountering God’s creation as the Holy Spirit descends like a dove affirming the interconnectedness of creation and the divine.
So throughout Jesus' baptism, nature is a backdrop and a participant in this holy redemptive work. The Trinity shows up and shows out - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit empowers Jesus for His mission and God acknowledges and affirms His pleasure in Jesus.
This invites us to reflect on our own baptism. Our baptism reminds us of our identity. It is a reminder that we belong to God. It is a moment of grace and empowerment for life in Christ.
Back to our gospel reading, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary”. The community where we find Jesus and John, the Baptist is a farming community, so Luke documented these events in their context. In those days, a winnowing fork was used to toss harvested grain into the air. The heavier wheat kernels would fall to the ground, while the lighter chaff would be blown away by the wind.
This image symbolizes Jesus’ role in separating the faithful, the “wheat” from the unfaithful, the “chaff”. The wheat represents those who listen to Jesus’ message with faith and repentance and are “gathered into his granary,’ symbolizing eternal life and belonging to God’s kingdom. The chaff represents those who reject Jesus’ message. They will face “unquenchable fire”, divine judgement.
This passage, from Luke 3, in all the pomp and circumstance, marks the beginning of Jesus ministry. John the Baptist prepares people for the coming of Jesus. It is rich with meaning and imagery. And where do we go from here?
Focus on living a life that honors your values and principles, rather than trying to impress others. Only God’s opinion matters. Stay committed to your principles and values, even when it’s challenging. Let’s surround ourselves with friends who are loyal, genuine and supportive. And let’s treat everyone with kindness, dignity and respect.
Let’s take some inspiration from Amanda Gorman’s poem.
DO US GOOD!
Are we born wicked, or do we have wickedness thrust upon us?”
Are we born bad or brave?
There is a world we miss when we misbehave.
But we miss just as much when we misconstrue,
When we distrust what is different and detest what is new.
History is ridden by the victors and villains are embittered by the forcible and the few.
But through how we live, our children learn what we earn when we are earnest, and what we forge when we forgive.
Only with decency do we discover
People are not for evil
We are born equal
Green not with envy, but what we envision in each other.
A sentimental mankind finding ourselves even in the dark
There is a goodness that knows in our hearts, no one is wicked at birth.
We are born to light the wick of the Earth
We are all that girl, when something changes within us, something changes in this vast world, we will never be the same.
This feeling fervid as a flame, has a name, “unadulterated loving”.
Rushing, flooding together we will stare down the emerald tower.
We will not cower, we will not let our power take over us, but let ourselves take back our power.
We won’t just say we’re sorry now, rejoicing that we are glad and grateful just to be seen and not listened to.
We’ll dream, soaring to the blue, rise up to a new reality.
Because defending the good is how we defy gravity.
So if you dare to find us, look to a western eye.
Everyone won’t do good deeds but all deserve the chance to try.
To be understood as we should and if this they would mourn as wicked, then let this wicked do us good!
Amen