The Proclamation of John the Baptist
In those days John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness of Judea, proclaiming, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is the one of whom the prophet Isaiah spoke when he said,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’ ”
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region around the Jordan were going out to him, and they were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our ancestor,’ for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the ax is lying at the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
“I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and will gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
The Baptism of Jesus
Then 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 God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
~ Matthew 3:1-17 (NRSVUE)The Baptism of Jesus
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
~ Mark 1:9-11 (NRSVUE)The Baptism of Jesus
Now when all the people were baptized and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 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.”
~ Luke 3:21-22 (NRSVUE)The Testimony of John the Baptist
This is the testimony given by John when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He confessed and did not deny it, but he confessed, “I am not the Messiah.” And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.” Then they said to him, “Who are you? Let us have an answer for those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?” He said,
“I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness,
‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ ”
as the prophet Isaiah said.
Now they had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, “Why, then, are you baptizing if you are neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?” John answered them, “I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know, the one who is coming after me; I am not worthy to untie the strap of his sandal.” This took place in Bethany across the Jordan where John was baptizing.
The Lamb of God
The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.’ I myself did not know him, but I came baptizing with water for this reason, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John testified, “I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Chosen One.”
~ John 1:19-34 (NRSVUE)
Below the surface, the catfish swam, dipping and darting past the ankles of the man above. Friends, did you ever imagine that there were catfish swimming in the Jordan River on the day that Jesus was baptized? Did you ever imagine the date palm or olive trees that lined the shore or the light that cast shadows through their branches on the water? I think I’ve always focused so much on the story of John the Baptist and Jesus that I never took the time to think about the landscape around them. Of course, there was water; after all, it was the Jordan River, but how deep was the water? And was there a current that swept by? Was the water cool and refreshing on a hot day, or was it cold and jolting? All things that I had never thought of before and yet they are everyday ordinary details that somehow make the story seem ever more real.
And what about John’s message? We usually hear the words, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near. Prepare the way of the Lord … make his paths straight!” Friends, I’ll be honest: those words always felt a little judgmental and made me feel less than worthy. “Repent and change your ways” sounds like “You’re wrong. Stop making bad choices and clean up your act before Jesus catches you and sees what you’re doing!” But what we heard in today’s story was, “Get ready because something new is happening!” “A rescuer is coming! Come, wash off those untrue names you’ve believed and trust God’s good names for you. Rather than judgment and fear of Jesus seeing the bad choices we make, the words we heard today sounded like an urging from God to take care of ourselves, and to truly believe that, like Jesus, we, too, are beloved, we too belong, and we, too, are delightful.
Friends, I want to stop for just a minute and ask you to put your hands over your heart. Then I want you to repeat after me. I belong, I am beloved, I am delightful. Let’s do it one more time because I really want you to start believing it. I belong, I am beloved, I am delightful.
Friends, though we may have an hour on Sunday morning to be who God created us to be and to feel safe here in this sanctuary, out in the world, we are judged in so many ways. By the clothes we wear and the places we live. By the jobs we do, and the people we love. By the food we eat, the books we read, and the way we spend our free time. And that judgment causes us to judge others. (whether we realize it or not) Because it hurts when we think we aren’t good enough. It feels uncomfortable when people judge us for mistakes we’ve made in the past, and we feel unworthy when we don’t think that we have lived up to the expectations of others. But folks, next time you feel that way. Next time you feel like you’re being judged, or you feel unworthy, or you feel like you can’t live up to the expectations of others. I want you to put your hands on your heart and whether you say the words out loud or quietly say them to yourself, I want you to remember, I belong, I am beloved, I am a delight.
I think the most life-changing part about the story of Jesus’ Baptism for me is the day I realized that Jesus hadn’t done anything yet to earn the names Beloved, Belonging, and Delightful. Jesus hadn’t called his disciples yet. He hadn’t been tempted in the wilderness. He hadn’t taught or healed anyone. And yet, that day at the river, there was a warm and familiar noise that filled the horizon…calmed the waters…and danced among their cells and sinews like all their very best stories and memories. It was the voice of God saying, “This child Belongs. This child is Beloved. This child is a Delight.”
Friends can you imagine what the world would be like if every day we reminded and encouraged and affirmed those around us not of their shortcomings or the mistakes they have made and not of the names and the labels that the world has given them, bt what if we reminded them through our words and our actions that they belong, that they are beloved and that they are a delight in their own one-of-a-kind, individual way?
At this time, I’d like to invite Cindi Barkly forward for just a minute to share a story about someone she met while working with our Missions Ministry.
Friends, as I shared with you during our Worship ways this morning, each and every week, at the end of worship, I remind all of you that you are amazing and that God loves you just the way you are, and so do I. And I promise, my friends, that will never change, but sometimes, even though we love you just the way you are. Sometimes, God and I love you too much to let you stay this way. Because sometimes, when we really love someone, we want to help them to be the best that they can be, don’t we? Now that doesn’t mean that we are looking to change who you are. But sometimes it means helping you to open your eyes to something new or reminding you of how our words and our actions affect not only you but also those around you.
Folks, sometimes our actions are humble and kind, like sharing Christmas stockings with the homeless and baby items with needy families, offering our space here at the church to twelve-step programs at no charge, or helping to support our local soup kitchens and food pantries. Sometimes our words are welcoming, like when we say that our church is Open and Affirming, meaning that we extravagantly welcome all people; believers, non-believers, doubters, and questioners, no matter who they love, their gender identity or expression, their race, culture, ability, or economic circumstance. Because here in Oldtown, we truly believe that people of all ages and stages are a blessing to our journey of faith, and we encourage each and every person to be who God created them to be, as together we share God’s unconditional love and grace with the world.
But sometimes, we get so caught up in what we hear on the news, what someone said behind someone else’s back, or a comment made on Facebook that we don’t agree with. Then we come to church and someone is sitting in our pew, or Pastor Kelly picked a hymn we don’t like, so we turn to our neighbor and use words that are less than welcoming and affirming. And do things that are not quite humble or kind. And friends, I am not pointing fingers at one or two of you. We are all human beings, and we have all been less than welcoming and affirming and less than humble and kind at times. But because I love all of you from the bottom of my heart, and because I want you to truly know what it feels like to be loved unconditionally, next time you start experiencing a moment like that or you see or hear a friend who is starting to spiral down one of those paths, it is time to remember or to remind your friend or loved one just who and whose you are. And you don’t even have to say anything out loud. Just put your hands on your heart and close your eyes for a moment, allowing the labels and the names, and the hurt that the world has put on you to wash away. Unplug for just a minute. Turn off the news, social media, and your phone, and just breathe. Maybe you can even imagine standing in the Jordan River with catfish darting around your feet.
In our story today, we heard that when Jesus came out of the water, it was as if the date palms and olive branches and riverbank and peeled back to show a glimpse of heaven: God’s world. Like a grin breaking open with joy, like a door creaking to reveal a room full of wonders. Light and love poured out. My friends, that glimpse of Heaven, God’s World, is all around us! That grin breaking open with joy, that door creaking to reveal a room full of wonders is all around us! And that Light and love poured out is the presence of God in our lives that we experience and feel when we let go of the busyness and stress of the world. When we wash away the labels and the names, the worry and the frustration that society has given us. And we remember that we belong, we are beloved, and we are delightful.
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, as you go out into your busy week ahead. Look for the good around you. I guarantee you that it’s there! Use kind and affirming words and actions with others and with yourself. And if you begin to feel overwhelmed or judged or unworthy, or you see a friend who is veering off in a difficult direction, believing the labels and the names that the world has put on them. Place your hands over your heart, and encourage them to do the same. Then take a deep breath, and remember God’s names for you. I am beloved. I belong. I am delightful.
My friends, may it be so. Thanks be to God. Amen.
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