The Baptism of Our Lord - 9 January 2011
Isaiah 42:1-9
Psalm 29
Acts 10:34-43
Saint Matthew 3:13-17
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| The Baptism of Clovis |
BACKGROUND – Baptism: An event that nearly all of us have participated in and one that we most likely have little memory of. Like birth itself, baptism is only known to some of us in the memories of others. Others, who were baptized later in life, have the privilege of memory. Baptism is not unique to the New Testament. As we move back into the Scriptures, we encounter first the baptism of St. John the Baptist, then the baptisms of the Essenes, and the bathing rituals of the Mikveh (a ritual bath, prevalent in Judaism) and the washings that were a part of the Mosaic law. This sacrament of initiation talks to us on so many levels: cleansing, the feel of water, the danger of water, the life from water. Luther, in his ritual for Baptism wrote a prayer to be said over the water, which brought to the minds of the hearers so many of these aspects. Primary was the Story of Noah, saved from the dangers of the flood in the ark. Luther’s Flutgebet (literally, Flood Prayer) presses on the human experience of water and ties it to the divine and sacramental experience of water. The Thirty-Nine Articles ascribe to baptism not only the notions of cleansing, but also the promise of rebirth and regeneration as children of God. All of this we celebrate this day.
Isaiah 42:1-9
Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the LORD, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.
The reading from the Hebrew Scriptures for today has two distinct sections, and each of them speak differently to the Baptismal themes that suffuse today’s liturgy. The first section (verses 1-4) is from the first of the Suffering Servant Songs, in which God, addressing a heavenly court, and perhaps all the nations of the earth, describes the Chosen One, in whom dwells all the excellence of God’s rule. This is the rule of toleration and patience, and it is a gift to all of the earth, not just to some. It speaks of those things that all people hope for and in which they see a life of justice and righteousness.
The second section is a hymn of praise that honors Justice. Once again, the latter Isaiah revisits Creation and sees in the ancient story, a continuing hope for the people. This aspect may have been what influenced the framers of the lectionary to include this reading for the Baptism of Jesus. The first paragraph, in Christian eyes, is a description of the Jesus – the Suffering Servant; and the second describes not only his ministry, but also the regeneration and new life that comes to the baptized.
Breaking open Isaiah:
- Do you think that it is possible to create peace and justice in our world?
- Why does Isaiah connect this idea with a “Suffering Servant?”
- Have you ever been “made new”?
Psalm 29 Afferte Domino
Ascribe to the LORD, you gods, *
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his Name; *
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
The voice of the LORD is upon the waters;
the God of glory thunders; *
the LORD is upon the mighty 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 LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon;
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, *
and Mount Hermon like a young wild ox.
The voice of the LORD splits the flames of fire;
the voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; *
the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe *
and strips the forests bare.
And in the temple of the LORD *
all are crying, "Glory!"
The LORD sits enthroned above the flood; *
the LORD sits enthroned as King for evermore.
The LORD shall give strength to his people; *
the LORD shall give his people the blessing of peace.
One could have a long discussion about the background of this particular psalm – its particular address to all the gods, its reliance on Syro-palestinian phraseology and images, and its painting of God in images of might and power – ruling over creation. Its use this morning, however, is more likely the images in verse 10: “The Lord sits enthroned above the Flood.” The image is a striking one in that it connects the rule of God with the primeval flood that God places within limits of his own choosing. This is the God that rules over the chaos. This is also the God who makes water into a blessing, and a washing into new life. Paul’s phrase “buried with Christ” takes on a wholly new aspect when we think of the immersion at Baptism. At this juncture of the Christian’s life, God indeed “gives strength to God’s people.”
Breaking open Psalm 29
1. When you think of God’s power, what images come to your mind?
2. What do you think of the psalmist’s images here?
3. How does God give you strength or a blessing of peace?
Acts 10:34-43
Introduction: Then Peter began to speak to them: "I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.
Kerygma (Proclamation): You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ--he is Lord of all. That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.
Appeal: He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name."
Although placed in the story of Cornelius, which is why the reading is read on this day, the speech of Peter is something completely separate from the story that Luke tells. Here, in these words that he puts into Peter’s mouth, Luke succinctly proclaims his Gospel (see the Kerygma section.) It is almost Creedal in structure, and certainly achieves the same purpose. It is here that we understand what it is that Luke not only believes, but wants us to believe as well. The final verses summarize what we need to do as a result of that belief. The connection of belief and the articulation of belief seems to us who were baptized as infants almost impossible. Yet, there it is, an affirmation that we are bound to make year after year in remembrance of those words spoken for us by others. The summary is this: a) we are witnesses, b) they put him to death, c) God raised him, and d) he appeared to us. Through our baptism (being buried with Christ) we participate in these actions.
Breaking open Acts:
- What is it that you really believe?
- How would you speak that to someone else? Have you ever written it out?
- What do you think of Luke’s summary?
Saint Matthew 3:13-17
Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."
Matthew pictures for us a Jesus who is first and foremost an obedient Jew, and in that way explains why baptism should be sought by Jesus at all. Jesus explains, “It is proper…to fulfill all righteousness.” Jesus even has to break down the expectations of his forerunner, who would have prevented his baptism. That it happens at all becomes a sign to those present, and perhaps even to Jesus himself. The heavens “were opened to him,” and “he saw the Spirit of God…” Matthew records the words from heaven and in doing so connects the Jesus who submits to John’s baptism to the Suffering Servant celebrated in Isaiah. This is indeed the initiation into a new time and a new life – for Jesus, and for us.
Breaking open the Gospel:
- What do you think Jesus meant by “fulfilling all righteousness?”
- What is going on in the mind of St. John the Baptist in this passage from Matthew?
After breaking open the Word, you might want to pray the Collect for Sunday:
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.
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