Remembering Who We Are

Isaiah 42: 1-9; Matthew 3: 13-17

          On our liturgical calendar, today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday.  In each of the gospel accounts of Jesus’ baptism, the details of the baptism are omitted, as if the mode of baptism is not overly important.  The focus of the gospels clearly is on the moments immediately after the baptism. 

          “The heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended (like a dove) and lit upon him.  And a voice sounded from heaven.”  According to Mark and Luke, the words the voice speaks are directed only to Jesus: “You are my beloved Son.”  But in Matthew, the words are directed to the gathered community and the words act as an introduction of the baptized one to the gathered community: “This is my beloved Son.” 

          With those same words, we are baptized, identified and introduced to the gathered community.  We are identified as sons and daughters of God.  We belong to God and are loved by God, as a father unconditionally loves his child, no matter the details of our past or the sins of our present.  Don’t forget who you are!

           First light had not yet come.  The group of mid highs had circled around one of the chaperones who would be participating on the day trip to Busch Gardens.  “We’ll return at about 10:00 tonight,” she informed them.   “When we get there, you can pair up with someone else.  And, most importantly, remember who you are.”   It was that last imperative that caught my attention.    

          She didn’t mean that the youth might forget their names. She meant that they must not forget the values they had been taught, the love with which parents and the church love them, their identity as children of God. 

          Don’t forget who you are. On this Sunday of every January and whenever a person comes or is brought to the baptismal waters we are reminded of who we are.  But even when this room is empty and I am standing here by myself, looking at the font, centrally located in the sanctuary, I remember that central tenet of my faith: God loves me unconditionally and claims me as his own child and to him I belong (we belong) forever. 

          Remember who you are!

          Not only are we children of God upon whom God pours God’s grace, we also are children of God whom God calls to be God’s servants.  Today’s text is paired with a reading from the prophet Isaiah.  Isaiah announces to Israel that a servant has been chosen, one who will bring forth justice and righteousness.  Scholars view the story of Jesus’ baptism as a fulfillment of the Isaiah text.  Jesus identifies himself as servant of God commissioned to bring justice and righteousness to all people; long after the baptismal waters have dried, Jesus will be God’s exemplary servant, the one in whom God delights, the one with whom God is well pleased, a light to the nations, living water for people with parched souls. 

          Baptism is not just an occasion for our introduction to the gathered community; nor is it merely an announcement of our identity as God’s children.  It is all of that but so much more than that.  It is for us, as it was for Jesus, a commissioning for a new life, baptism into a life of service and devotion.    

          Minister Sarah Jo Sarchet tells about a boy named Cameron who came into her office one day.  His ten year old cheeks were sun-blushed and his freckles bright beneath a Cincinnati Reds baseball cap.  Fresh from soccer practice, he had a request:  “I’d like to be baptized,” he said.  “We were learning about Jesus’ baptism in Sunday school.  The teacher asked who was baptized—all the other kids raised their hands.  I want to be baptized too.”  Using her best pastoral care, the minister said: “Cameron, do you really want to be baptized because everyone else is?”  His freckles winked up at her, “No”, he confessed, “I want to be baptized ‘cause it means I belong to God.”  Then he looked shyly away. “How about this Sunday?” Sarah asked.  The young boy’s smile turned to concern.  “Do I have to be baptized in front of all those people in the church?  Can’t I just have a friend baptize me in the river?”  “Where did you get that idea?” He responded, “Well, Jesus was baptized by his cousin John in a river, wasn’t he?”  “You’ve got a point.”  “But Cameron if a friend baptized you in the river, how would the church recognize it?”

“By my new way of living?” Cameron responded.

With Cameron’s response, Sarah Jo Sarchet nearly fell out of her seat.  His understanding was simple but also profound.  Cameron had turned the conversation into a lesson for her and for us.[1] 

“A new way of living”.  Whether our parents brought us to the waters of baptism or we made that decision on our own, baptism represents the beginning of a new way of living.  We experience the start of a new life in which we always remember that we belong to God and that our lives are to be lived in service to him, not to ourselves.  

The Spirit promised to the servant prophesied by Isaiah and given to Jesus at baptism is also promised and given to these elders and deacons-elect who are about to be commissioned for service in this church; the same Spirit given to them is given to us all, that we also might serve Christ in such a way that the world recognizes us as God’s beloved children. 

          Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Amen. 

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Dunn, North Carolina  28334-3241

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