Baptism of Our Lord, Year C

Beloved of God

Readings: Isaiah 43:1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Luke’s account of the baptism of Jesus is nothing extraordinary.  He is simply one of the many people in the that day who come out to the wilderness to be baptised by John.  It is not until after his baptism while he is praying that the Holy Spirit comes to him in a special way.  A voice proclaims, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  This call from God, this naming, is not something that those around him hear. But Jesus hears and understands. Beloved, the voice from Heaven proclaims. It is spoken with such power that it brings with it a change in direction in Jesus' life. Beloved, that name spoken and taken in by Jesus equips him to do the ministry for which God has called him. With that naming of Beloved Jesus assumes his prophetic call.

It is a watershed moment in his’ life.  A new light suddenly dawns on him, a new beginning. Beloved becomes the name that he carries with him into his life, into his teachings. It is the name he gives to those he meets, those in need of healing, those in need of inclusion, those in need of hope, those in need of love.
 
This naming of Jesus as Beloved celebrates his uniqueness and his role as a model for all who will be baptised. Baptism is a radical moment in the lives of each of us.  One person described it as “this holy moment when we are named by God's grace with such power it won't come undone.” God names us Beloved. For by baptism, we share in the same relationship and mission that God had with Jesus.  Baptism is a gift and a calling.  It initiates the work of God and Christ in and through us.  It commissions and empowers us for ministry. It is a naming of who we are and what we will become.

For most of us though, it does not seem to be a very radical occurrence.  If you are a “cradle” Anglican it is highly unlikely that you even remember anything about your baptism.  Your parents likely brought you for baptism as an infant.  There were no claps of thunder.  There was no voice from Heaven, at least not audible to you or those around you. And yet you need to understand that something very significant happened that can sustain you throughout the whole of your life. For Baptism identified you as God's Beloved, as Christ’s own.  It is the most important event in your Christian life. 
 
Each of us is called, by virtue of our baptism to share in the ministry of Christ. Through baptism we respond to an intimate call to become known by God's name.  By baptism we share in the same relationship and mission that God had with Jesus.  It empowers us to stand with those whom the world sees as unlovely and unlovable and to affirm that in God's realm there is compassion.  Baptism initiates the work of the Spirit in and through us.  It gives us the responsibility for others.  It identifies us as God's children and servants.  It calls us to action.  

Today as we celebrate the baptism of our Lord, we will renew our own baptismal covenant. How do we respond to the promises made at our baptism?  Somehow or other we need to accept them as our own.  We need to take responsibility for our Christian life.  We need to accept the relationship to God, which was formalized at our baptism.   We need to accept that God has called each of us.  We accept those words of Isaiah, “I have called you by name, you are mine.” 

The prophet Isaiah was speaking to the Israelites who were going through a time of tribulation and unrest. He is reminding them that despite all indications to the contrary, God is faithful. God has chosen them to be God's people, God's beloved. They will pass through troubling times over and over again. “When you will pass throught the waters,” God tells them, “I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you.” When things happen to us, we get stuck. We forget that God has been there for us in the past. We forget that while bad things have happened, we have not been forgotten by God. In fact sometimes it seems that it is more that we have forgotten that we belong to God, that we are beloved of God.
 
That realization comes to us through God’s Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit is not some mysterious and unattainable gift.  It is meant to be part of the experience of each one of us.  That is the story behind the reading from the Acts of the Apostles. Peter and John have gone to Samaria to be with those who have been converted and baptised. Their task it to pray that these people might receive the Holy Spirit. What they do is simply to affirm what God is doing in the life of the community. We do not have to look for some unusual happening in our lives.  We do not have to speak in tongues or proclaim great prophetic words.  We do need to recognize the times when God is truly present with us.  Then we will know and understand that indeed the spirit is upon us. 
 
Early in the New Year, a parishioner said to me, "we need to share good news, good stories of what is happening in our lives.  Good things that God is doing in our lives."  She is so right.  Good things are happening in this parish. Good things are happening to people in our parish. Is it not wonderful news that we were able to raise more funds for FaithWorks than last year? Is it not wonderful that our congregation is growing? Is it not wonderful news that even in the midst of difficulty, if we look for God, God is there? 

I know that many of you are aware of how God is at work in your lives. I know because you tell me.  We need to share those good news stories with each other. 
 
God has called us by name.  The question remains, will we accept the mission and ministry that God is calling us to?  We moan that the church is a dying institution.  It will not be a dying institution if we all take our ministry as the people of God seriously.  We often think that ministry is for those who are trained.  But more often all it takes is being a good listener.  It may seem as if one is doing nothing.  But in this day and age when no one has time for anyone else, a listening ear is a fine gift. 
 
Praise is a fine gift as well.  Praise helps immeasurably one whose self-esteem is low.  Yet what a small gift it is.  And it is one that we all have an opportunity to use. If we do, it will make a radical difference to our community.

We need to practice the gift of compassion. We live in a lonely society where many need to feel that they are loved.

Hope is such an important gift in our day. We can look around us at the state of society and simply give up. The ability to offer hope to one who is suffering or lonely or afraid can turn a life around.

The opportunities for ministry are all around us.  Such opportunities build up the life of the community.  And the most wonderful thing about ministry is that through reaching out to others, our own lives are enriched.  We are brought into a closer relationship with God and with other people.  So take it in.  Really know it and understand it.  God has called you by name, and you belong to God. 

It was quite an event, my baptism. Not that I remember it! Oh! I have heard the stories about that day. So even though my memory does not hold it, I know that it was the most important day in my life. The fact that I am baptised fills me with sheer wonder. To know, to really know that I am God's child, God's Beloved, is a source of deep joy. That is what keeps me praying that I will live faithfully as God's child. In the silence of my heart I imagine God proclaiming, “Here is another one of my beloved children!” Amen.