Second Sunday after the Epiphany
January 20, 2008
Isaiah 49:1-7
Psalm 40:1-12
1 Corinthians 1:1-9
John 1:29-42
Those of you who came to worship last Sunday might wonder if you are having an experience like the famous NY Yankee catcher Yogi Barre once described as a “déjà vu, all over again.” Didn’t we just hear about Jesus’ baptism in Matthew’s gospel just last week? Did we just hear about Jesus’ baptism again today in John’s gospel? Well, the answer is, yes, you did, to both questions. I’ll bet the next question you have is, Why? Why would we hear an account of Jesus’ baptism two weeks in a row. Well, the answer to that is, because we are still in the season of Epiphany, and the people who planned our lectionary undoubtedly believed that the most important event which signifies epiphany is the baptism of Jesus. Did that answer your question? I wouldn’t be surprised if you asked me one more time, “but, why?” Isn’t it good enough that we heard the story from Matthew’s gospel? Why would we interrupt the flow of Matthew’s gospel to insert the same story from John’s gospel? Why is the story of Jesus’ baptism so important that we hear it twice, back to back during our season of Epiphany?
Well, I am certain that I don’t have all the answers to those questions. But I do know this: the baptism if Jesus is essential to our story as Christians. The baptism of Jesus is essential to his identity as the Son of God so that he can begin his ministry on this earth. I also know that the baptism of Jesus is essential to our solidarity with Jesus by our own baptism. I know that baptism was essential to establishing the early Church, and baptism continues to be essential to membership in the body of Christ in every age. And if you ask me why baptism is essential to Jesus’ and to the body of believers we call his Church, I will have the same answer I gave you in last week’s sermon. Baptism gives us our identity. Baptism is our initiation into the body of Christ. Baptism begins our formation as Christians. Just as Jesus was given his identity as God’s son at his baptism, we are given our identity as people who belong to Christ at our own baptism. We are sealed in baptism by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own forever. But, just as it was for Jesus, our baptism is only the beginning.
Just because we receive our name and our identity as adopted children of God at our baptism, doesn’t guarantee that we will become a Christian. Being baptized is no guarantee that we will live our life after the example of Jesus. That’s because becoming a Christian requires that we be formed in the faith and practices of a follower of Christ. And that does not happen very often, or very easily, outside a religious community. In fact, it rarely happens outside the Church. Becoming a Christian requires that we be engaged with other Christians in religious community, forming relationships with people who teach us and show us by word and example how to live the life of a Christian. Other Christians teach us what it means to have an identity as a baptized member of the body of Christ and how that makes a difference in our life.
We are reminded throughout the liturgical year that baptism is the foundation of our formation as Christians, but there is a good reason why baptism takes on a greater emphasis during Epiphany. Because at the same time we receive our identity at our baptism, we also receive the light of Christ; a light which enables Christians to see ourselves and our world differently from others. A light which witnesses to the fact that we belong to Christ and we belong to one other in Christian community. Epiphany reminds us that nothing we say or do can strip us of our identity or the light we receive at our baptism. Even though we might never be given the opportunity as children, or take the initiative when we become adults to form our identity as Christians in the light of the gospel in Christian community.
It always saddens me when parents who have their babies baptized make the choice to leave this font and rarely or never bring their children back to church again. Children cannot make that choice. Adults, however, can choose never to affiliate with a church or a religious community leaving their identity as children of God and followers of Christ to languish in unfulfilled potential. Baptized adults can choose to attend church only occasionally—for weddings and funerals, for feast days like Christmas and Easter, and for special occasions, like the baptism of a family member or a friend. For such Christians the church becomes a place of special events. They only dip their toe in the waters of their baptism. Baptized adults can choose throughout their life to come and go from the Christian communities they affiliate with, usually at their leisure or convenience. Such Christians merely wade into the waters of their baptism.
But those who seek to be formed by the waters of their baptism, those who engage regularly with others in Christian community, well, you might say that they are “all in.” They are people who immerse themselves in the waters of their baptism. Such Christians desire more than the identity they receive at their baptism, they want to know what it means to be a Christian; they want to know what being a Christian requires of them; they want to live after the example of Jesus as nearly as they are able. Worship and service to God is central to their life of formation. They are never too young or old to learn, they are never too busy to pray. They are never too tired to do the work God gives them to do. They are never too poor to give to the poor and care for the disenfranchised. They are never too timid to speak out or act out to right the wrongs of injustice. They do not resist the sacrifice or suffering required of them to live in the light of the gospel. And they are not afraid to die in the waters of their baptism.
We honor one such Christian today. A man who was formed so completely in his faith by his initiation in baptism that his message of justice was able to transform the hearts and minds of a people and the laws and social policies of their government. We honor one who lived daily with the certain threat of death for his prophetic words and actions. And we honor one who, like Jesus, was willing to sacrifice his life to do the work God had given him to do, and even die for it. The name he was given at his baptism was Martin Luther— a pretty auspicious identity in itself, I’d say. His was born into a family named King. The man we honor today is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We honor Dr. King as an example of what is possible for one to achieve for God’s kingdom on this earth when he becomes formed so deeply and so thoroughly by the waters of his baptism. We honor Dr. King especially in our hymns for today. In fact, we just sang his favorite hymn. The hymn he requested of his aids as he lay dying on the balcony of a motel. I think it says everything about Dr. King’s solidarity with Jesus in his baptism. And it tells us what was so important to him in his formation as a Christian. “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand. I am tired, I am weak, I am worn. Through the storm, through the night, lead me on to the light. Take my hand, precious Lord, take my hand.”
What a great hymn to show us the light of Epiphany and the truth of our identity as a child of God. For the light of Epiphany is always present to a Christian. It the same light which broke into our darkness at Jesus’ birth; the same light which guided the wise men through a long and difficult journey to their joy in Bethlehem, and it is the same light which guides us in our faith and leads us out of our own places of darkness and fear, even our fear of death. The light of Christ comes to us at our baptism, but it is in our formation as a Christian that we learn to live in the presence of that light. We learn that when the darkness of our life or the darkness of this world begins to overwhelm us, there is something we can do about it. We can ask Jesus to take our hand and lead through that darkness into his light.
Baptized people being formed in the body of Christ learn from that body of people that Jesus is ready to take us by the hand if only we will ask. Christians who are formed in the faith show us how to take his hand, and trust where he will lead us. Baptized people need the body of Christ to teach us and to show us the new faith we confess by the new life we will live. We need those people who already live in the light to show us how we, too, can be led by the light. We need people like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who can show us how to dream again; to capture the vision of the life God intends for us to live. We need a Savior like Jesus who can give us the strength and courage to act on our vision. We need each other to be the body of Christ whatever the outcome.
This is the message we need to hear today as the congregation of St. George’s gathers for our annual meeting. As baptized people being formed in the faith of a church which is struggling to remain faithful to God, faithful to their baptismal covenant and faithful to each other, we need to know that Jesus is ready to take our hand. In the darkness of our fear of what might become of us, we need to remember that Jesus is ready to lead us into his light so that we can see ourselves in a new way and follow him into God’s vision for our future.
I’m sure we can all relate to the words of Dr. King’s favorite hymn because we are all feeling a little tired, a little weak and a little worn right now. But we know the light of Christ still shines. We can see it in each other’s eyes and we can feel it in our heart. And regardless of what becomes of us, we know the light will never go out; it will always be there to show us the way. As long as we remember to ask our precious Lord to take our hand. As long as we are willing and able to take each other’s hands so that together we can find our way into our future as the body of Christ formed, in this Episcopal Church of St. George, in this community of Lee.
In John’s gospel account this morning Jesus invites Andrew to follow him. When Andrew asks of Jesus where he will lead him, Jesus answers, “Come and see.” And Jesus makes a disciple of Andrew. I think Jesus wants every baptized Christian to follow him; to come and see what he can make of our life, as well. As we go to our congregational meeting today, let us think of it as an invitation by Jesus to come and see what he can make of us.