Baptism of Our Lord, Year C

I Have Called You by Name, You are Mine

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 part of the crowd who come out to the wilderness to be baptised by John. It is 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.” It is a watershed moment in Jesus’ life. It is as if a new light suddenly dawns on him. It is a new beginning for him, a beginning of his earthly ministry.

Baptism was a radical moment in Jesus’ life. It brought about a change of direction in his life. He became equipped to do the task God had assigned to him. He assumed his prophetic call.

Baptism is a radical moment in the lives of each one of us in church here today. 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.

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. Your experience is probably rather like mine. I was baptised on the afternoon of May 24th in the little church in Byng. I was a little over a month old. My parents, Godparents, a few assorted relatives and my older siblings gathered around the font. I wore the family gown, as did my older siblings and seven generations of Smith’s before me. My father, an Anglican priest, sprinkled me with water. Five years earlier he had immersed my brother David, but was forbidden by my mother to ever again do that to one of her children. They named me Ann Martha. Then they had a family party. It does not seem very significant in the whole scale of things. There were no voices from heaven. There were no claps of thunder, although it being the Queen’s Birthday there may have been fireworks. Spectacular or not, my understanding is that something very significant happened that has sustained me my whole life. It made the death and resurrection of Christ applicable to my life. It identified me as Christ’s own. It is the most significant event in my Christian life.

For 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.”

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. 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.

Good things are happening in this parish. We need to share the good things that are happening in people’s lives. We need to share the good news about what God is accomplishing in us. It is wonderful news that in spite of being without a full time priest this year, this congregation was able to move forward in faith on so many things. Look at all that you have accomplished! Sunday School at St. George’s, new people joining the congregation, work being done on the buildings, luncheons and activities going on, outreach, stewardship, Youth Group events. Is it not wonderful news that even in the midst of difficulty, if we look for it, God is there?

I know that many of you are aware of how God is at work in your lives. I know because you share it with 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 to which God is calling us? We can go on moaning that the church is a dying institution, or we can all take our ministry as the people of God seriously. We perpetuate the mistaken idea 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. It helps those in leadership positions in the congregation who often put in many hours of thankless labour without any expectation of gain. What a gift it is when we thank them for their selfless service. 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. How important it is to pick up the phone and let people know that they are not forgotten.

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 and its implications. God has called you by name; 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.