Matthew 3:13-17 * January 13, 2008 * Baptism of Our Lord * Pastor Leyrer

Dear Friends in Christ,

So you come home from work or school or whatever it is you do all day and, to be honest, things aren’t that great. You already had weighty, personal things on your mind and then you had to deal with people around you who seem to be chronically unhappy or crabby or complaining, some of whom have the uncanny ability of finding something negative no matter how positive any given situation. Usually you just ignore it, but today you found yourself getting sucked into the whirlpool of their negativity. Now you’re getting as crabby as them, and you think to yourself, “I wish things were different.”

So you flirt with the idea of making a wholesale change by becoming a desert hermit or joining the French foreign legion or signing on as a roadie with the circus, but sanity prevails as you remember your responsibilities. Besides that, you know in your heart of hearts that human nature being what it is, things are pretty much the same everywhere.

So you go to plan B and try to dull the remembrance of the day’s activities through some socially acceptable narcotic like mindlessly watching TV or maybe having a drink (or two) or eating more than you should or making plans to go to the mall to spend money you don’t really have on something you don’t really need. You’re in a rut.

Then the phone rings. It’s an old friend, someone you once were very close to but lost touch with over the years. You get reacquainted and reconnected and you reminisce and you laugh and it is just great to hear their voice. You promise to stay in touch because it was so good to hear from them. And by the time you hang up your whole mood has changed. The events of the day haven’t, but you have. All because of an old friend you hadn’t thought about for a long time had lifted your spirits.

Yes, an old friend can really make a difference.

Maybe you’ve had an experience like that. Maybe you haven’t. Either way, today we have the opportunity to get reacquainted with an old friend that each of us has. And regardless of where we are at this moment in our emotional state (whether positive or negative), our perspective on life will elevate a notch or two.

That old friend, you see, is our baptism.

Today is the first Sunday after Epiphany. As you already know, it is a Sunday with a specific theme. Which means it’s also a Sunday with a specific opportunity for us. Today, on the basis of our text, we will have the privilege of considering

THE BLESSINGS OF BAPTISM: JESUS’ AND OURS

1. What it meant for Him

2. What it means for us

“Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, ‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented.”

Let’s set the stage. John’s baptism and preaching activities were at their height. He had preached the law of God in all its severity, making people aware of their sinfulness, followed by the Gospel in all its sweetness, pointing them to the long promised Savior God was about to usher onto the scene. That time was now.

Jesus comes to the Jordan to be baptized by John. We are told John tried to deter Him. Understandably, John is confused. Maybe we are, too. Baptism is for sinners. Jesus is perfect. What did He have to repent of?

Jesus responds to John’s dilemma and hesitation with a simple statement. “‘Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then John consented.”

What does Jesus mean when He says He did this to “fulfill all righteousness”? Jesus simply told John that He was doing what the Father wanted Him to do, and that was good enough for John. But by submitting to baptism Jesus also did something else: He identified Himself with the world of sinners He came to save.

And by His baptism He was also identified for who and what He is. “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’”

The approving voice of God the Father and the appearance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove – in addition to being the clearest Biblical illustration of the fact that God is triune – publicly identified Jesus as the Lamb of God who had come to take away the sin of the world.

If anybody on the banks of the Jordan who witnessed this event had any misgivings that Jesus was something special or that He was indeed the Messiah mankind had long awaited, all doubt vanished at His baptism. That is why the Baptism of Jesus is often referred to as the inauguration or entrance into His public ministry. It was a very visible “epiphany” of Jesus as the divine Son of God.

From here He would go into the wilderness where He would be unsuccessfully tempted for forty days. From there He would arrive on the scene, choosing disciples, preaching and teaching throughout the land, all the while perfectly keeping every single one of God’s commands in our place as mankind’s sinless substitute.

Then, after three years of public ministry He would walk the way of sorrows, suffering and dying on the cross for us and in our place, so we might never have to. Three days later He burst forth from the tomb guaranteeing eternal life for all who embrace Him as their Savior.

That the world might know this chain of events was about to be set into motion and that Satan himself might be served notice that his doom was soon at hand, Jesus comes to the Jordan today. His baptism reminds us of who and what He is.

But that’s not all it reminds us of. With His baptism Jesus also clearly put His stamp of approval on and reminds us of the blessings of our own baptism.

Maybe it’s been a while since we’ve thought about our baptism. Or maybe we tend to think of baptism in the past tense (“I was baptized on such and such a date…”) rather than a present state of being (reminiscent of a fairly well known quote attributed to Martin Luther: “Do not say you were baptized, but that I am baptized”). So let’s talk about this old friend.

What does baptism mean to each of us? Many things. Let’s limit ourselves to three interrelated thoughts. Speaking personally, I can say with confidence that my baptism means: 1) I am forgiven, 2) I am connected to Jesus now and forever, and as such, I am 3) part of the family of God. And each one of you can say the same thing.

On what basis? On the basis of God’s Word and promise.

Writing to Titus, the Apostle Paul refers to baptism as a “washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” In other words, God the Holy Spirit is involved.

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul matter of factly tells us that “all of you were baptized into Christ have been clothed with Christ.” This reminds us of that glorious hymn: Jesus, your blood and righteousness, my beauty are, my glorious dress. It also calls to mind the picture of the saints in the Book of Revelation whose white robes were washed clean in the blood of the Lamb.

In the Book of Romans, Paul thoroughly identifies our baptism with what Christ accomplished for us through His death and resurrection and asks: “Don’t you know that all of who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.” That is, a new life of forgiveness and reconciliation before God.

All of which is to say that baptism is more than just an act of obedience or a church ordinance or a rite of passage. It is a “means of grace” – an instrument through which God takes the initiative and pours into our hearts the forgiveness of sins. Through the waters of baptism the Holy Spirit applies the saving work of Jesus Christ to our lives and we become members of His forever family.

Which means regardless of our outward circumstances, regardless of whether we’ve got the right connections, regardless of whether we are considered to be movers or shakers, regardless of how we are perceived by the world around us, regardless even of how we sometimes think of ourselves, we are special. Because we are God’s, claimed by Him through baptism – at which time He put His name upon us.

The words of the hymn we’ll be singing in a moment emphasize this point and make it personal…

Baptized into your name most holy,

O Father, Son and Holy Ghost,

I claim a place though weak and lowly,

Among your saints, your chosen host,

Buried with Christ and dead to sin.

Your Spirit now shall live within.

We began this sermon by intimating that even as Christians we can have bad days. Here’s another illustration…

Martin Luther had a friend by the name of Jerome Weller. One day he came for a visit and found him in a very depressed spirit. Asked for the reason behind his sorrow, Weller answered that he really wasn’t able to articulate what made him so sad. Luther then asked him this simple question: “Don’t you know that you have been baptized?” Weller would later say he found more comfort from Luther in those words than from one of his sermons.

Luther really didn’t do that much. He simply reacquainted Jerome with an old friend – his baptism – and it changed his bad day. It put things in perspective and made him reflect on who and what he really was.

Remembering our baptism does the same for us.

Epiphany is the season during which we reflect on the greatness of Christ and the greatness of His mission. Today we see Him at the Jordan as the great journey which leads to our redemption begins.

And as we reflect on His baptism and what it meant for Him, we also reflect on our own baptism and what it means for us. So on this Sunday after Epiphany, let us praise God for the blessings He has brought us through Christ, and through Christ the blessings He has brought us through an old friend, our baptism. Amen.