An Appearance of God – January 15, 2023
Isaiah 40:1-6, Matthew 3:1-17
January 15, 2023
This is the day we have chosen to celebrate the Baptism of Our Lord. (It’s actually on some liturgical calendars for last week, but, if you remember, we moved everything back a week so we could talk about Jesus’ dedication in the Temple on January 1st)
So today it’s the Baptism of our Lord. And as we think about that, it’s always a good thing to remember our own baptisms. It’s always good to think again about the vows we took at the time. Or the vows that were taken on our behalf, which we “confirmed” later in our lives.
That’s how it works in the Presbyterian Church. We recognize baptism in both forms, infant baptism and adult baptism. (Which is sometimes called “believer” baptism.) As you know, it’s the parent’s option to have a child baptized as an infant, or to wait until the child can experience the sacrament later in their life when they understand what they’re doing. In that case, they are baptized at their confirmation. (But remember, it’s one or the other. We do not do both!)
So, I want you to be thinking about your baptism today as we look at this story from Matthew’s Gospel. Because this is the story of what happened on the day of Jesus’ baptism. And this is a great story! But it’s a story with a twist. And John saw it right away. Maybe we do, too. “You come to me for baptism?” he said. “It is I who should be baptized by you!”
And John was right! Jesus is the one through whom our sins are forgiven. He is the righteous one. In fact, of all the humans that ever walked this earth, Jesus is the only one that didn’t need to be baptized! Isn’t that true? Indeed, it is he who should be doing the baptism here! Aren’t we thinking that when we hear this story? Wasn’t John right? Shouldn’t this have been the other way around?
Well, it happened this way, anyway. And Jesus’ explanation was that, doing this, was “fitting, in order to “fulfill all righteousness.” Now, we’re not exactly sure what he meant by that. And again, I don’t believe Jesus needed to obtain righteousness. He already was righteous. Some people have explained this by saying that Jesus didn’t yet know that he was the Messiah, and he was just following along with what everyone else was doing. But I don’t buy that one. (And you shouldn’t either!) I think there’s no doubt that Jesus knew who he was, and what he was doing that day!
What I believe is that this was the way Jesus chose to set up the scene – the event – that was about to take place. And he did it this way to show the people there – and we the readers – that there was something very important happening here. He was showing us that he was the one who was sent by God! I think you’re with me on this, aren’t you?
So Jesus was baptized. And what took place, then, is what has been called a “Theophany.” Do you remember that word? I’ve used it before. It means, “An appearance of God.” (Hence the title of this sermon.)
Think about that. Think about an appearance of God. Think about God meeting the people on the mountain in the Old Testament. In Exodus 19, we read this. “On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled. Then Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God, and they took their stand at the foot of the mountain. And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly! And as the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder!” (Exodus 19:16-20)
That’s a Theophany! And I wanted to read you that much of it so you would get that picture. It was an appearance of God! And I’m sure the people there at Jesus’ baptism were thinking about that event from their history! Because I believe what happened at Jesus’ baptism was also a Theophany! In fact, it’s one of two that we know of in Jesus’ lifetime. The other was on the mountain of the Transfiguration, which we’ll talk about in February.
Here, at Jesus’ baptism, we have this vision of the Heavens opening, and the Spirit of God descending on Jesus in the form of a dove. And we hear the voice of God, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased!” That’s a Theophany! That’s an appearance of God. And granted, it’s not as scary as the one in Exodus, but it’s a Theophany nonetheless! So, this is not so much a baptism, as it is a confirmation of Jesus as the Christ – the Messiah. And it was the event that marked the beginning of his earthly ministry.
And by the way, I believe this is also the first time we have a vision of something else. This is the first story of the Trinity. Isn’t it? Here we have the voice of God the Father, we have the Son Jesus, and we have the Holy Spirit in the form of a Dove! That’s the Trinity! So, what does that say about the importance of Jesus, and who he is to us, years later!
So, as we begin a new year, as I said at the beginning, it’s good to think about our baptism. It’s good to think about the commitment we made to this Jesus at that time, or the commitment that was made on our behalf, that we “confirmed” at our confirmation. And in recent years, this has become for us a time we have taken to renew those baptismal vows. That’s a good thing to do at the start of a new year. It’s the best of all New Year’s Resolutions.
So, I invite you to do so, once again. And as you do, I invite you to remember who Jesus was and is, and to remember this scene, and to remember how he was confirmed at his baptism by God himself. And I invite you to begin the year again by being sure of your relationship with him, through his atonement and through the redemption he has made for each one of us.
~ Renewal of Baptism Vows ~
Prayer
Eternal God, we thank you and we praise you for sending your son to be our Lord and our Savior and our Friend. Help us feel your Holy Spirit moving within us, as we pledge ourselves anew to your kingdom. For we pray in Jesus’ name, Amen.