The New Testament
Acts 10:34-43
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. 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. 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.”
The Gospel
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.”
The Sermon
Baptism
Last
Monday was the day of Epiphany. This is the day that we celebrate
the baby Jesus being presented to all of the people of the world.
The Maji who were not Jews came to Bethlehem because they believed
the king of the Jews had just been born and they wanted to pay homage
to him.
According
to Matthew, they presented him with three very expensive and
appropriate gifts for a king; gold, frankincense and myrrh. We
really do not know who these people were. We don't know their names
or official titles. We just know they came from the east and they
likely had traveled a long distance. The most significant part of
this story is they were gentiles, non-Jews, and they recognized the
magnitude of Jesus' birth. It was an ah ha moment for them. It was
an epiphany.
In
today's reading from Matthew, Jesus has come to the Jordan river
where John is baptizing and he asks John to baptize him. John
objects by saying it should be the other way around; Jesus should be
baptizing him. Jesus exercises his authority and says “no John,
you need to do this.” We have just read what happens next. Jesus
comes out of the water and the Holy Spirit appears like a dove and a
voice calls out, “This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well
pleased.” This is another ah ha moment. The Holy Spirit announced
to the world that Jesus is the Son of God!
When we
were baptized the Holy Spirit was there for us as well. It is a
ritual that has two basic parts. One is the use of water which is
very much a part of Jewish tradition. Water is used in ritual
cleansing throughout the old testament. Invoking the trinity is the
second part of the ritual. In the great commission in Matthew 28,
Jesus tells his disciples, “Therefore go and make disciples of all
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and
of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have
commanded you. And, surely I am with you always to the very end of
the age.”
It is
good for us to also remember that our baptism is a covenant. It is a
commitment to live a life that reflects the commandments that Jesus
has taught us. I would like for us now to once again reflect on that
covenant recite with me and once again make that commitment to our
lord and savior. You will find it on page 304 of the Book of Common
Prayer.
Blessings,
Fr.
Fred
No comments:
Post a Comment