First Sunday of Epiphany (The Baptism of our Lord)

Name of God, the Father, the Son and the Holy spirit. Amen. Bring me my prayer book. Have you ever uh have you ever received a gift that you really felt like you needed? Like man, I I needed that. And like, it was, it's I'm really glad I received that because I needed it.

I, I know that I, I have a lot of times this year. In fact, I I guess it wouldn't really be a gift, but I had a, a good friend of ours. So sold us his SUV for the pro for the price that he was going to get from the dealership when he traded it in.

So we got like heavily discounted and then we also got like he said, why don't you just like pay it off over time on a zero interest loan to me uh 10 grand. And we were like, outgrowing our minivan. Like as not, our family isn't continuing to grow as far as adding numbers, but they are adding stature to their bodies.

And, uh, and we were starting to outgrow our minivan. So I, I know that I was feeling like, oh my gosh, we really like that, just filled such a need Life. And I'm sure you've experienced that too. Just getting a gift where it's like, man, I needed that Um, and and, you know, In this passage, we're going to see Jesus.

Given two gifts at his baptism, he receives the gift of the Holy Spirit and then a declaration of both his identity and his vocation. But I want to challenge us to maybe read the story differently than we might have a habit of doing. In every Sunday, you know, not today.

Because it's a baptism and so we won't say it today but we say the words as part of the Nicene Creed we believe in one baptism for the Forgiveness of sins. Often these words one baptism are cited for when when we're explaining the reason that we don't baptize someone who's already been baptized, I was baptized as a baby and then I walked away from the faith and I Or I joined another faith and now now I'm now I'm coming back and I mean it this time and we'll explain.

Hey, it's one baptism, we don't need to baptize you again. God was with you the whole time even if you walked away. Right? And that's right, that's good. It's good to use those words that way. But I think, maybe, There's more to it than that. In Romans, 5, Saint, Paul tells us we are baptized into Christ.

That's what Paul tells us. So it's important to hear this Jesus baptism. Is your baptism? His baptism, is your baptism, there's no other baptism. It's the one baptism. In one sense, we always celebrate our individual baptisms. Any of you have been baptized by me. Might remember, Receiving texts from you on your baptism day, right?

Or text from me on your baptism day saying I'm praying for you as I remember your baptism. But, So we we remember our baptism individually but our baptism isn't unique. Your baptism simply the day that you were baptized into, Christ's baptism. That you were baptized into his baptism. You were baptized into Christ.

You were as Saint. Paul said, buried with him in baptism and came up to New Life in him. It's Central to Saint, Paul's understanding of baptism to realize that our baptism is, Jesus baptism. So when we look at the gifts Jesus received his baptism, We are looking at the one baptism, that was all of our baptism.

We're also looking at the gifts that we receive in our baptism. So that's what we'll take a look at at the for a few short moments today. The first gift Jesus got was the help of the Holy He needed it. So, there's two baptisms here, that John talks about, John the Baptist Right.

John's baptism in Jesus, baptism. I think there's an important distinction to make sometimes people will understand these words. I baptize with you with water, but one is coming over. Baptized with the Holy Spirit and they see this as a distinction between Baptism and spirit baptism. So they'll say hey there's like a water baptism but then that maybe at some later day there's some experience with the Holy Spirit where then you receive Spirit baptism might be accompanied by gifts such as speaking in tongues or prophesying the sign gifts, but this is a distinct from water baptism.

This is something that can be held apart from water baptism. Problem. Is that both Jesus and John baptized with water, right? So Jesus also baptized with water. So if the difference that so if John the Baptist was trying to distinguish water and spirit baptism, he wouldn't say I baptize you with water but someone's coming that will baptize you with Holy Spirit.

2, right? So both are a water baptism. So there's no distinction between water and spirit baptism, both baptized with water, both involve repentance. But the unique thing about Jesus baptism, Is that it comes with the coming of the Holy. So, both baptized with water, both repent, both both receive a bat.

So, like you might remember we just read most of the passage we read today a couple weeks ago in Advent, With when John the Baptist was preaching this sermon but you you might remember us talking about. There's a baptism with water for the Forgiveness of sins. A lot of continuity between the two baptisms, but the thing that's different about Jesus baptism is that his baptism is coming with the Holy Spirit.

Now, this isn't a distinction between water baptism and spirit baptism. This is a distinction between John's water baptism and Jesus water, baptism that comes with the Holy spirit. So after after the ministry of Christ, all baptisms. Come with the Holy Spirit when we receive baptism, we receive the Holy Spirit.

This is what the scriptures. Teach us at our baptism, we receive the gift of the Holy

Things. Talks about the Holy Spirit and fire. And fire, right? So fire brings about a sense of empowerment. A lot of times, we'll think about that. Um, And maybe in more charismatic circles and we're a charismatic Church, you might hear that emphasis the power of God, you know the fire like fire is powerful, right?

But I think here in this, in the context of this passage, we're probably seeing something more like uh, purification or judgment. Being more. I mean, you have the winnowing Fork. You have the chaff being burned with unquenchable fire. You have. So you're having this distinguishing between that which lasts and that which doesn't, right?

That's kind of purifying element of fire. Purifying. So, we get this empowerment and this purifying. And what we see is that Jesus receives this, Holy Spirit at his baptism and I said before, Jesus needed to receive the Holy Spirit. Wait, what? Csda. The Eternal Son of God did not have need.

He didn't he didn't have need But we know that. As God Jesus, added Humanity to his deity. And as a human being, Jesus needed the empowerment of the Holy Spirit before, going out to do ministry. Jesus needed the Holy spirit's. So before Jesus, Temptation in the wilderness, Which is coming right after this.

He receives the power of the Holy. Before casting out demons before his Proclamation before his death and Resurrection Jesus receives. The Holy The Holy Spirit to empower him. And we know that the baptism worked Because in chapter 4 verse 1, you have Jesus going out into the Wilderness full of the Holy So he receives the Holy Spirit who falls on him like a dove and then he goes out in the power of that Holy Spirit Into the Wilderness.

All who have been baptized in the name of the Trinity. Have received the Holy. Right. All of the, all of us who have been baptized into the Trinity, have received the Holy Spirit. Now, this isn't When I say baptized in the name of the Trinity and I say it, every time before we have communion right, all Christians have been baptized in the name of the Trinity can come forward.

I'm not talking about magic words like a formula. It's baptized into the life of the Triune God baptized baptized in the name of the Trinity. The reason we say that isn't because we just needed some words to say to fill space. What we're saying is you're baptized into the life of the one true God, who's revealed himself as three persons, Father Son, Holy spirit.

So when we're baptized in the name of the father and of the son and the Holy Spirit, we're being baptized into the life of the Trinity. All of us who have been baptized into the life of the Triune, God have received the Holy Spirit, all of us,

They didn't receive the Holy Spirit yet because the Holy Spirit hadn't descended, right? And so they were to wait in Jerusalem and they were to wait until they had received power from on high. Holy Spirit descending on them. In order for us to fulfill, whatever Ministry we've been called to, to live our lives to grow in Holiness.

All of us, have a desperate need for the Holy spirit's empowerment. And all of us have received him. At our baptism. So Jesus receives the gift of the holy Spirit as baptism the second gift he receives And we received because his baptism is, our baptism is identity and vocation as children of God.

Identity and vocation as children of God. Give this identity piece. Jesus hears this word. From his father. It's a second. It's in second person Luke's. The only one that puts it in second person. You are my beloved Son. You are my beloved Son with you. I am well pleased.

You know, in the very next chapter Jesus is tempted. You guys know that, right? Very next chapter. And you know what the word is the what? What word? Satan keeps repeating. If you are the Son of God, And then he fills in the blank with various things that he's going to tell him to do.

If you're really the son of God, you think Jesus didn't need to hear about his identity from his father before going out. And having that identity being the first thing challenged, if you are the Son of God, Turn these stones into bread, right? Or if you and what heard from his father is you are my beloved son.

That's what he heard.

He needed to hear the voice of his father. You know. As he died for the sins of the world. You know what the people said to him? If you are the Son of God come down from the cross, If you are the Son of God come down, Huh. You think he didn't need to know his identity and who he was in his father who said you are my beloved Son.

You are

And in Christ, we share the identity of Jesus. Now, Jesus was God's son by Nature. Right by Nature. He was the son of God. We receive his being children of God through adoption. So we're adopted into God's family, as we receive the Holy Spirit, the spirit of adoption that makes us cry.

Abba Father. That's what Paul says. Right? So we we receive the spirit and that spirit is a spirit of adoption. We are God's children by adoption and just like Jesus. We need to hear that second person word from the Condition. That people are God's children. Right. During times of self-doubt or insecurity.

Platitudes won't cut it. Listen, do you know what God thinks of you? He looked. If God like had a refrigerator, He doesn't, but if he did, And like, he hung pictures on it. You know, just like a dad you like, you'll find my kids all over my refrigerator, right?

They're my kids. And I they're my beloved children and I love them. They're like the joy of my life like I can't like like I could all the time Google photos like Interrupts my life and says, like look at this memory from five years ago, you know. And and, and I can spend like an hour and a half doing oh, look at that one.

Oh, that looks so cute. Oh my gosh, look at that. Oh, that was so funny when that happened. It's because I'm I'm a dad and I love the kids and I like when Google photos interrupts me, I need to make it, stop doing that. But when it does that Uh, I could get sucked in for an hour.

Why? Because I love these kids, they're my kids. And this is how God taught us to think about how he thinks about us. You know, we don't live our lives and really understand that. I think, honestly, we walk about our lives and we forget that, God isn't like, just like this Stern judge looking down on us.

It's exactly. Like we're, as kids think about For my eight-year-old girls soccer team. And like, you think like when they like trip over the ball, which they do a lot and like, Like what how do you think I'm responding in that moment? Do you think I'm like oh my gosh, what an idiot?

That eight-year-old tripped over the ball? You've made a fool of yourself. You should be embarrassed and like, no, they're like they're a cute little eight-year-old girls. I'm like oh they just fell over the bomb. And this is how God is looking like, you think when you fall into sin that God's there, like, oh my goodness.

Like, oh like how could he have done? Listen. This kid. He's just ready to pick you up. Dust you off and get you back at it, right? Your child. He loves you, you're his beloved and you're his beloved because you've been adopted into his family at your baptism. So listen, you're God's son.

Listen to God's word to you today. You are my son. You are my daughter. I'm proud of you.

I'm pleased with you. It's God's word to us in our baptism. Zeph hear these words today. Hey, your baptism, you are my son. That's what God says to you. I'm pleased with you. We we hear these words of our identity, but we also hear words of vocation Yeah. And and Jesus heard words of vocation in his baptism in Isaiah 42, which we read we have.

I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness. I will take you by the hand and keep you. I will give you as a covenant for the people alike for the Nations. Now, these are words about Jesus, we might think of the song, a Simeon who calls Jesus a light to Enlighten.

The Gentiles which is almost a direct quote from these passages, right? Which we say every day and evening prayer, but I also think of the Benedictus and we pray the Benedictus every morning in morning prayer.

Child, or the prophet of the most high? To go before the Lord to prepare his way. Have you ever wondered? I mean, for those of you who Like to pray the daily office if you don't like you should. It's awesome like separate. Uh, like it is the best. But have you ever wondered why we pray the song of Zechariah every day?

I think in some ways, Seminary I went to Seminary and I learned to exegete the original Tech like what what was the original intent of this author when he wrote this? What are the original 10 of these words? And I think I learned something that was really awesome but I also in other ways that are important, I maybe learned how not to read the Bible.

English reformers. Had thought the main point of this text is something that John the Baptist is being or that John Zechariah is saying about John the Baptist and that's the end of it. We wouldn't be reading that in morning prayer. What the church is actually act asking us to do is daily reflect on our vocation to be the prophet of the most high to go before the Lord to prepare his way to give his people knowledge of Salvation by the Forgiveness of their sins.

Is in the tender compassion, Our God. The Dawn from on high will shine. Upon you. To shine light on those who dwell in darkness in the shadow of death. It we're called to recognize this is our vocation. To be a people who have the Light of Christ shining upon us.

And therefore shine on those. Who are not part of the Covenant family. Who live in darkness and in the shadow of death. Same thing. That Simeon said, same thing that Isaiah said a light to Enlighten the Gentiles those who dwell in darkness in the shadow of death. See, the church is calling us to recognize our vocation.

It's a people. We are called to be a people who prepare the way of the Lord in the Acts reading. We read today. We see the vocation being embodied by Peter, right, he's going. Going to be a light of Revelation to the Gentiles and what do we have? We have Cornelius, a Roman Centurion, receiving the Holy Spirit and everybody having to catch up like they're like, oh my gosh, how can we keep from baptism from these people who got the Holy Spirit just like we did and now I know that God chose no partiality.

Peter says, you realize that right before that Saint, Peter had to be told three times in a vision. To be spending time and eating with Gentiles. You realize he told the Lord no twice before he finally said. Okay? Why? Because he was learning to live into this vocation that the Light of Christ shines on us and it's meant to be a light to the world.

So Zeph today, you will hear your identity as an adopted child of God. But you're also going to hear a calling A calling to be alike to Enlighten All Peoples. All of us will hear today. Because we're brought into God's family and our baptism and we're called and we're we in that bringing into God's family.

We're called along with Christ to be a That's why we celebrated an epiphany. See, Jesus baptism is our baptism the gifts he received of baptism are precisely the same gifts we receive in our baptism today. Let's join with zeph in renewing, our commitments to the Lord. Let us ask for the empowerment of the spirit to empower our ministry, and let us also receive these words of identity and vocation Gods Sons and Daughters.

We've been adopted into his family by receiving the Holy Spirit of adoption. This identity is tied to our vocation. Let us ask God for fresh opportunities. To like, John the Baptist shine light on those who dwell in darkness and in the shadow of death. And let us be people determined to light the way to Jesus.

That all might know him and worship Him alone. Amen.