Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17
Baptism of the Lord — Year A
God is a gentle bringer of justice who shows no partiality.
These descriptors feel out of place at the beginning of 2020. The beloved Son of God consents to be baptized by one unworthy to untie the Savior’s sandals. What do we do with such humility from none other than the Messiah and Lord of all? Jesus, in his baptism, affirms God’s willingness to go to whatever lengths required to be united with humanity, in solidarity with sinners, unquestionably present in the chaos of the waters of this world. How do we respond to a divine show of compassionate power made evident in the heaven-opening, earth-colliding, Jesus-emerging, Spirit-descending, God-speaking moment of the baptism of the Lord? Is there anything akin to this in our experience? Why does this matter for us these many years later?
The Sunday when we mark Jesus’ baptism reminds us not only of Jesus’ identity, character and habits, but the identity and character and habits of those of us baptized in the name of the Triune God. Jesus, the gentle bringer of justice who shows no partiality, the beloved child of God in whom God delights, is our Lord and Teacher. We, the baptized, are chosen by God as witnesses, commanded to preach, teach and baptize, be a light to the nations and bring release to the captives in Jesus’ name. In other words, we, like Jesus, should make our baptismal identity primary, visible and unmistakable, knowing nothing is more important than being named, claimed and beloved by God.
What difference would it make if we peeled off all of the labels we affix on ourselves and others and remembered first and foremost that we belong to and are beloved by God? When we get right down to it, Jesus’ baptism tells the story of God’s relentless pursuit of us with goodness and mercy. Barriers between heaven and earth are breached. Holy and human merge. The Savior goes under just like the sinners and all are given the title: beloved child of God. The Chosen One of God comes to bring justice, no partiality shown, no bruised reed broken, no flicker of light extinguished, no one and no place and no circumstance too far gone to be redeemed, reconciled and saved. How are we, baptized and chosen witnesses, proclaiming this truth?
We spend so much time and expend so much energy and resources searching for a sense of worth and worthiness when God wants desperately to show us that our value is a given, unearned and permanent. We are beloved. We are delightful. We belong. We are forgiven. We are free. We are known. We are an enfleshed vision of none other than the divine. Through Jesus Christ we have not only access to the will and Word of God, we are united to God and one another. Could we begin to understand ourselves and others first and foremost in these terms?
It is the time of the year when people make resolutions. We make vision boards or set goals. We get that gym membership or start tracking our spending or declutter our space or attempt to learn a new skill. We make plans to achieve a career or relationship milestone. We promise ourselves this will be the year we go to that place or do that thing. We will check some items off the bucket list. Certainly, this kind of calculating and accountability can be helpful. But I wonder, at least for myself, from whence it comes? What need am I trying to meet? What void am I attempting to fill? To what end are all of these attempts at self-betterment or achievement? Do they spring from feeling as if I am not enough as I am or with what I already have? If we could truly rest in the knowledge of our God-created, God-given belovedness and see that delightful, varied, beautiful image in others too, how would we expend our time, energy and resources differently?
In James Clear’s book, “Atomic Habits” he writes, “Behavior that is incongruent with the self will not last.” He goes on to write, “The more pride you have in a particular aspect of your identity, the more motivated you will be to maintain habits associated with it.” In other words, if you think of yourself as a generous person, you will act generously because those actions reflect your sense of self. Perhaps if we who follow Jesus Christ acted from our baptismal identity, we would not need resolutions so much as a reminder of who and whose we are.
We could ask ourselves as we go about our day and make choices about how to act, what to spend, when and what to speak: What reflects being clothed in Christ? How would an impartial or gentle or loving or kind or hospitable or forgiving person respond? If I am committed to being a disciple of Jesus Christ, if that identity is critical and core for me, how will I respond in this situation?
Parker Palmer’s book on vocation, “Let Your Life Speak,” reminds us, “If you seek vocation without understanding the material you are working with, what you build with your life will be ungainly and may well put lives in peril, your own and some of those around you.” If we understand that the raw material we are working with, no matter how it may manifest itself in terms of talent and temperament, is delightful, beloved and an image of God, what are we free to build with abandon and with joy?
On this Baptism of the Lord Sunday, come up from under the water, take a breath, look up and see the Spirit descend on Jesus and on you. Listen. As you feel the water of life pouring over you, know it springs from your heart as you hear none other than the voice of God whisper, shout or sing, “This is my child, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Know that through Jesus Christ this is who you are and live accordingly.
This week:
- If you are baptized, what do you know about your baptism? Do you recall it? If you were an infant, who told you about it and what did they say?
- What is the source of your identity? How do you define yourself? Why are these markers important to you and how do your actions reflect them?
- What material are you working with to build a life? When others look at your life, what do they see? Is it an accurate depiction of who you are?
- Why does Jesus consent to be baptized by John? Can you understand John’s reaction to Jesus’ request?
- In this scene from Matthew heaven is opened. What are other biblical stories in which heaven is opened to someone? When have you experienced a sense of this heavenly access?
- What do you make of this image of the Holy Spirit as a dove? What other images or metaphors are there in the Bible for the Holy Spirit? How do you picture the Holy Spirit?
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