God Is With Us… Now What?!?!?! A Sermon for Sunday January 12 2025 Baptism of our Lord

GOSPEL: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

The holy gospel according to Luke.

Glory to you, O Lord.

The reading opens with questions about the identity of the Messiah. John the Baptist insists that he is not the Messiah; instead he points ahead to one who is coming. And whether the voice of God was heard by all or only by Jesus, God settles the matter: Jesus is God’s beloved Son.

15 As the people were filled with expectation and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”

  21 Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

The gospel of the Lord.

Praise to you, O Christ.

Sometimes we hear an announcement and we wonder:

okay, so now what?

That “Now What” part

sounds a little different depending on the news.

When your boss says “I’d like to see you in my office”

You might say, “Great, now what?”

When a there’s an announcement of a

special congregational meeting,

it’s a curious “Now what?”

When Donald Trump was elected

President of the United States,

the first time and second time,

Talk of Canada becoming the 51st state,

and with news of our Prime Minister to step down,

there are all different sorts of:

“Now What???”

At Christmas,

we hear the good news of great joy for all people -

For to you is born, this day, in the city of David,

a Saviour, who is the Messiah, the Lord!”

At Christmas, God took on flesh,

God moved into the neighbourhood,

God tabernacled - God pitched tent with us,

We hear the announcement from the Shepherds

and the angels, Christ is born! 

God is with us!

So, now what?

What does this mean for me?

It is not unlike the people coming to be baptized by John,

asking “what then shall we do?”

Today is the day that we remember, consider, and celebrate

the baptism of Jesus.

It seems a curious thing for God in the flesh to do:

to take on baptism.

John the baptizer was calling the people

into a baptism of repentance,

a baptism for the forgiveness of sins.

We might wonder, why would Jesus need to be baptized? 

Jesus is the one who is without sin, right?

But, I don’t think that mattered at the time,

This doctrine

that Jesus is the one who is without sin

is something that the people

would not have thought of at the time.

Yet Jesus being baptized was challenging 

for the earliest Christians;

borderline embarrassing.

John the baptizer knew that Jesus was someone special -

this is the one that John prepared the way for.

We read that all the people of Judea were coming out

to be baptized by John in the Jordan.

All might be a strong word.

It couldn’t have possibly been all the people.

Seems everybody’s on Social Media these days - right?

Well, no. But many are.

Seems everyone’s got a tattoo these days - right?

Well, no. But many do.

Seems everyone in this city is a Flames fan - right?

Well, no. But many are.

Many people were being baptized by John,

It was a popular and successful religious and political

movement of the day,

And Jesus joins the people in this movement.

Why? Why Baptism for Jesus?

Two main thoughts for today: 

It is about allegiance and identity.

Often that’s what happens with Facebook

or any social media for that matter,

or a person’s choice in tattoos or lack thereof,

or even cheering on a sports team -

at some level, it is about allegiance and identity.

When Jesus entered the waters of the Jordan

and was baptized by John,

it is as if

Jesus is saying “My allegiance is with YHWH,

the One True God, the great I AM.”

Jesus is saying

“I AM baptized. Baptism is my identity.”

Jesus is saying

“I am with the people - my people”

Before Jesus begins his public ministry,

before Jesus faces temptation in the wilderness,

before Jesus preaches on the mount,

before Jesus heals the sick,

feeds 5000,

before Jesus willingly journeys to Jerusalem,

Comes baptism.

Jesus ministry, our ministry,

begins with baptism.

Jesus takes on baptism to recognize that

all that Jesus has done and will do is God’s work.

And as the heavens are opened,

As Jesus sees God’s Spirit descend upon him

in bodily form, like a dove,

God says to Jesus

“My allegiance is with you.

You are my Chosen One,

You are my Messiah,

You are my identity.”

Before Jesus’ ministry began,

God says “You are my Son, the Beloved.

with you I am well pleased.”

Trust this for yourself,

at your baptism,

before you could do anything

to try and earn God’s favour,

God is pleased with you.

This is grace upon grace,

God simply loves you

and is pleased with you.

At Christmas,

God moved into the neighbourhood.

Christ is born,

God is with us!

So, now what?!

Baptism. That’s what.

Jesus’ baptism is our baptism.

God’s Spirit descends upon us in baptism.

In baptism, our God says

“You belong to me.

Your allegiance is with God and God’s people”

In baptism, our God says

“You ARE baptized - that is your identity”

In baptism, our God says

“You are my child, I am your God”

The birth of the Saviour, Jesus Christ is the beginning.

Christmas changed the world,

Christmas still changes the world,

and it changes us.

Baptism says that our God is with us,

and that our whole being, our allegiance,

our identity, our purpose

is found in Jesus.

We hear all kinds of announcements these days.

Politicians elected or resigned.

Carbon taxes are presented.

Mental health on parade.

The stories of war and subsequent millions being displaced.

Scientific discoveries are made.

Sports teams go on losing streaks. 

Celebrity scandals exposed.

Family members estranged.

Illnesses are found.

Health improves.

Health declines.

New technologies are sold,

old ones are obsolete.

Jobs are created,

jobs are lost.

One day the world is a marvellous place to live in,

and the next thing you know

it’s all going to hell in a hand basket.

The news of the day can spark such emotion

because these announcements can come as a threat

to our allegiances

and our identity.

God is with us! Now What?!?!?

Pray.

Notice that Luke doesn’t describe the baptism of Jesus:

it is mentioned in past tense.

But after being baptized Jesus prayed,

and continued to pray.

Prayer is the first right of the baptized.

Jesus is our high priest,

the one who sits at the right hand of God,

who intercedes for the saints.

In your times of joy,

and especially in your times of sorrow and suffering, 

God is with you.

Talk to God.

In times of answers and times of questions

God’s allegiance is with you.

God is talking to you.

In times of confusion and uncertainty

Baptized is who you are.

God is God. We are not.

When one step forward is taken,

and when we fall two steps back,

God is at work,

forgiving you,

saving you,

giving you new life.

So let us live our baptism.

That is, after all, who we are.

And here is baptism and who you are:

Forgiven is who you are.

Delivered from sin and death and the devil

is your identity.

Filled with the Holy Spirit is who you are.

Child of God - is your identity

New life - is who you are.

Living among God’s faithful people,

united with all the baptized,

is your allegiance.

Hearing the Word of God and sharing the Lord’s Supper,

is your identity.

Proclaiming the good news of God in word and deed,

is who you are.

Caring for others and the world God made,

is your identity.

Working for justice and peace

is who you are.

God is with us! Now What????

what then should we do????

We pray,

and we live our baptism.

Thanks be to God! Amen.