1 Epiphany/The Baptism of our Lord/Year B/January 7, 2024
Genesis 1:1-5, Psalm 29, Acts 19:1-7, Mark 1:4-11
Opening Prayer: Eternal God, at the baptism of Jesus You revealed him to be Your Son, and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful to their calling as Your people; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit one God, now and for ever. Amen. (Church of Scotland)
Today, on the church calendar, as we begin the season of Epiphany, we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. And as we listen to the account of the Baptism of Jesus, we too, will have an opportunity to think about what Baptism is…and to recall, perhaps, our own Baptisms…having been baptized into a new creation…having been born again, through the washing away of our sins, and having been anointed by the Holy Spirit and being marked and named, as one of God’s beloved sons or daughters.
Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of something new. For years, before the occasion of Jesus’ baptism, John the Baptist had been baptizing people in the River Jordan. John’s message was bold and clear: proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
(From the Church of Scotland website the writer speaks to us about John the Baptist: His focus was on God’s own people and the need to change direction and to think differently because of their sins. But his message was not without hope; forgiveness was the good news he offered. To receive this free gift of God they were called to a public act of repentance witnessed by the act of baptism in the River Jordan. Those who made the journey from the villages, towns and cities around were confronted by what must have looked like one of the Old Testament prophets. No prophet had been seen or heard in Israel for 400 years, but this rough looking man, dressed for the desert with his simple if strange diet, looked exactly as they imagined a prophet to look like. He was the ‘talk of the town’; he used his ministry to focus not on himself but on another, the promised One, the Messiah who was to Come. The promised day arrived. Jesus came from the north and John baptised Him and the baptism was followed by a vision and a voice. Heaven split open, the dove-like Spirit descended, and words from the Psalms and Isaiah were used to confirm Jesus as both favoured son and anointed king: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Here it is, loud and clear, from the voice of God…Jesus is the One…The One that the prophets foretold would come among them…The One who will reconcile us once again to God, to one another, and with all of creation.
The voice has spoken, from the very beginning, when God first created the heavens and the earth, as we heard in our reading from Genesis today… God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.
This voice is unmistakable, as we heard in Psalm 29…
The voice of the Lord is upon the waters;
The voice of the Lord is a powerful voice; *
the voice of the Lord is a voice of splendor.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedar trees; *
The voice of the Lord splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness; *.
The voice of the Lord makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare. (psalm 29)
The voice, through the Holy Spirit, boldly confirmed Jesus as God’s beloved One. “And just as he (Jesus) was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:4-11)
Being anointed by the Holy Spirit was the game-changer for Jesus and for us…Unlike John’s baptism…that was primarily about repentance, and the need for forgiveness…Jesus’ baptism, confirmed his identity, and sealed the new covenant with God and all his beloved children…by the coming of the Holy Spirit…
In our reading this morning from the Acts of the Apostles, we heard more on the importance of the coming of the Holy Spirit and baptism….
(From the Church of Scotland website, the writer expands on baptism and the Holy Spirit… Like John the Baptist, Jesus’ cousin, Apollos had called people to get ready for the coming of the King. He had called them to repent and to put their trust in Jesus and to demonstrate this in their baptism.
However he did not know that John had also said that when the Messiah came He would also baptise with the Holy Spirit and with fire. What was missing was the teaching on Jesus’ farewell gift, the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Jesus explained to His disciples that the gift of the Spirit would mean that they would not be left alone when He returned to the Father. The Spirit would be the one to bind them together as a new community of faith. The Spirit would help them to understand the scriptures. The Spirit would strengthen them and empower them to be Christ’s heart and voice of Love in the world, and Christ’s hands and feet in the world.)
The Spirit empowered them and us with the gifts we need to carry out the Mission of the Church…The Mission of Christ: To be reconciled once again to God, to one another, and with all of creation.
The Spirit empowers each one of us with the gifts we need to love one another, walk in love with one another, and with all of creation.
The Spirit empowers each one of us with the gifts we need to renew and strengthen our call as the church to be an “Outpost of Hope” in our communities…
As we begin again, as we begin a new year, walking together, in the light and love of the Lord…May Jesus’ baptism, our baptisms, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit…mark a new beginning for us…a new commitment…a new creation by which we are transformed by the Love of God, in Christ Jesus…and empowered by the gift of the Holy Spirit… to boldly proclaim the Good News of God in Christ…with our words and in our lives …
Hymn after the sermon: O God of gentle strength…(WLP 771)
O God of gentle strength, your love embraces me. Within the sureness of your care my heart rests willingly.
Your waters of rebirth have claimed us as your own. As members of one body, we shall never be alone.
And when life’s challenges eclipse our minds with doubt, let holy wisdom spark a flame to drive the darkness out.
Where will the journey lead? The path may be obscure. But promised hope of things unseen will keep our footing sure.
Rev Julie Platson
St Peter’s by the Sea Episcopal Church
Sitka, Alaska