“The heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending…” –Matthew 3:16

a sermon by Pastor Sonja Dalglish, Weslaco First Presbyterian Church

January 9, 2011 – Baptism of the Lord

Matthew 3:13-17; Isaiah 42:1-9; Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 29

Focus – What does the text say?: Jesus’ baptism revealed his identity.  Isaiah told us what a servant of God looks like.

Function – How does the text influence us today?: What we do in our life of faith is important.  God is calling us onward and will go with us.

Introduction

 

Last week, we celebrated the Magi coming to acknowledge Jesus as King of the Jews.  This week, Jesus is about thirty years old and has arrived on the scene to be baptized by his cousin, John, the Baptist.  John is puzzled about Jesus showing up at the Jordan to be baptized.  He even tries to stop Jesus, telling him that they should reverse roles and have Jesus baptize him, however, Jesus prevails.

 

Many people have puzzled why Jesus was baptized when this was a baptism for the repentance of sins.  John, too, was puzzled. Jesus said it was to fulfill all righteousness.  Perhaps, we have wondered, perhaps he did this for us as a sign of how we should conduct our lives of faith.

 

As Jesus is coming up out of the water, the heavens open, the Spirit of God descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  This is the statement from heaven that Jesus is God’s son.  The writer indicates that Jesus saw and heard this, and possibly, John the Baptist.

 

What were people in John’s and Jesus’s day doing that needed repentance?  The Gospels tell us that some Jews had strayed so far from their heritage that they were Jews in name only, not living by the standards that the community held in common, not worshiping and keeping the Sabbath.  Others were at the opposite end of the spectrum and were so serious about keeping the law that they spent a lot of time examining Jewish laws.  The rest of their time seemed to be spent in noting how others were not living up to them.  Both these groups, the very lax and the very strict, were reprimanded by John.

 

My husband, Doug and I, had an interesting discussion this weekend about just these very things.  While I had been noticing how in the U.S. we have a lot of people who call themselves Christians are not even trying to live disciplined lives, Doug was noticing a tendency of very legalistic people not interested in grace. His contention was that keeping the Ten Commandments is easy – it’s what comes next that is hard, living up to the call of Jesus to live a life of love and forgiveness, reconciliation and abundance of mercy.  I realized that we were both right and that in many ways, these are the same problems that John the Baptist saw in his religious community two thousand years ago.

 

Baptism in the Christian Church

 

John baptized in the Jordan River which was the entry point of the Israelites when they came to the Promised Land after forty years of wandering in the desert.  As Jesus rose from the water, the heavens opened and it became also the point at which heaven and earth met.  Pause and stand in awe with Jesus, just a moment and reflect on that voice.  ”This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

Jesus’ baptism revealed his true identity.

 

In the Christian Church, we are baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, using water and scripture. We understand this to be a sign and seal of our entry into Church. Baptism is one of the two sacraments that most Protestants  use in their congregational life.  The water we use reminds us of washing, just as sins are washed away.  We do not believe that in the baptism sins are actually washed away.  For us, in the Presbyterian Church, baptism is a strong symbol of belonging to God and a reminder of the forgiveness that is ours through God’s grace.

 

We believe that two things are happening when we baptize. We are acting and God is acting.  Because we emphasize that God’s actions are more powerful than ours, we do not worry about how much water is used.  God can act through a sprinkling of water or through a river of water.  We can use either.  And because this is a gift from God, we extend this gift to those who are too young to choose it for themselves, baptizing children of believers.  Baptism is a common way into the life of faith.  And, it is not just a Presbyterian thing.  We accept other denominations baptisms as valid because we believe that there is one faith, one baptism, one Lord of all.  This can be very comforting when people come to join our community of faith.

 

Jesus’ baptism revealed his true identity.  What does your baptism say about your identity?

 

Isaiah Text

 

If we enter the Church and become servants of God, it is good to know what it is we are signing up for.  Looking at the Isaiah text, there is an interesting job description, and an amazing one to live into – to bring forth justice to the nations, without raising a voice or shouting, without boasting, without brushing aside the small and insignificant person – and without tiring, without quitting.  We see Jesus embrace this vision.  Isaiah goes on to say that God, who created the whole world will be with the servant, and we know that God’s Spirit was with Jesus and also with all who follow Jesus.

 

Modern Examples

 

There are people who have taken their baptismal vows to heart and have been servants of God, working for justice, quietly but with the confidence that God is with them.  I have been thinking of people who in the twentieth and twenty-first century who inspire me.

 

The movie, Invictus, comes to mind.  It showed how Nelson Mandela used the sport of rugby to unite a nation and help it to heal from the injustice that apartheid had institutionalized.  His family, political allies, media, as well as many people in the nation, were not sure at all that what he was doing was right.  His was a lonely quest to use what was once a game that symbolized apartheid to be a catalyst of change and peace for the country.

 

Then there is the story of the Ravens‘ tackle, Michael Oher, told in the movie, The Blind Side.  A privileged white woman takes in a homeless young black man and is his advocate.  Hers, too, is a lonely battle, as her family and friends try to convince her that what she is doing is wrong.

 

Another inspiring person was a teacher, Sarah “Sally” Goodrich who commemorated her son by working to build and maintain schools for girls in Afghanistan.  Her son was in the second plane to hit the World Trade Center.  She turned her grief into action to counter hatred and fear with education.  She began this quest by answering an email request for supplies for an Afghan school from a young Marine, a friend of her son’s.  She recently died at 65, but will be remembered for helping to bring about justice through education.

 

Greg Mortenson, who wrote Three Cups of Tea about Afghanistan is active in a very similar way.  He builds schools, mostly for girls, and bases his work on an African proverb that if you teach a boy, you educate one man, but if you teach a girl, you educate a community.  It is interesting that the Taliban tries to ban girls from school.

 

The late Rev. Martin Luther King, jr. used nonviolent civil activism to protest racial discrimination in the U.S.  His work for justice and commitment to nonviolence came from his faith and his dedication to follow in Jesus’ footsteps.  We celebrate his life this month on the third Monday.

 

Our denomination, the PC(USA) is active in peacemaking programs around the world, working for peace and justice.  We have a program called Neve Shalom, a village called an Oasis of Peace located half way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel where the population is half Jewish, half Palestinian Arabs.  I have included a recent report on this amazing project in the hard copy of my sermon and it will be on line, as well.  If you want to know more, the contact information is included.  Here Christians, Jews, and Moslems live, learn, and work side by side in peace.  Google and Wikipedia also know of this project.

Conclusion

We celebrate today Jesus’ identity, revealed in his baptism as the Son of God.  What is your identity?  Who inspires you in your faith?  Who gives you the models that guide you in living your life?

 

Today, we ordain and install the deacons and elders that this congregation has elected.  We celebrate together what it means to be a member of the Church and a leader in it.  We go forward together to serve God by working for peace and justice in a world that has a hard time understanding what that could look like.  So often, the world just wants us to be quiet about our faith – don’t make waves, don’t work for justice because that makes us feel bad.  But is that what God is calling you to?  A life of nothing? – of invisibility and not getting in anyone’s way?  I think not.

 

So often, people listen to the Biblical stories as if they are fairy tales, not to be believed.  They try hard to keep God within the pages of the book.  The writer, Annie Dillard, said that we try to tame the Holy Spirit.  If we took seriously what God could do, perhaps we should put seat belts in the pews and all wear crash helmets.  The Holy Spirit is like a dove, like fire and wind and power.  The Holy Spirit claimed you at your baptism when you became a follower of Christ and will stay with you.

 

Isaiah calls to us and tells us to remember that the servant of God is gentle and soft-spoken, but does not give up until justice reigns over the whole world.  These stories I shared are to help you to see that people of faith, like you and me, in living out our baptisms, can bring light to the world.

 

Where is God calling us to go, as a community of faith?

 

Who are we?  What is the adventure ahead?

 

Let us pray:  Holy Spirit call us on.  Put us to work, praying, righting wrongs, binding wounds, listening, consoling, loving.  Let us never stop until all the world is just.  Amen.

 

I hope you asked in the community this week what non-members know about this church.  If you did and if you wrote it down – please put those answers into the offering plate or hand them to the ushers.  This next week, I want you to consider what it is that you need from your church.  We will give you a form next week to fill out – whether you are a member or a visitor, there are things you need from a church.

 

Let us stand and say together what it is that we believe.
NEVE SHALOM

A bright spot in an otherwise dreary, slow moving – agonizingly slow moving – middle east peace process continues to be Neve Shalom\What al Salam (NS/WAS), the “Oasis of Peace” village located half way between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in Israel.  Neve Shalom What al Salam consists of twenty-seven Israeli-Jewish families and an equal number of Palestinian-Arab families who live house by house, neighbor-to-neighbor and govern their community through a council made up of both ethnicities.

Of several engaging peacemaking programs the Village has pioneered, best know is the educational program for children, both those of the village and children in the surrounding area. Youngsters are taught in both Hebrew and Arabic.  They learn the customs, celebrate the high and holy days, as well as commemorate national times of significance of the other cultural.  Classes are led by a team of two teachers, one steeped in Hebrew tradition and language and the other in the ways of Arabic life and mores.  Staffing each class with a pair of teachers adds to the expense of the elementary educational program. But at the same time that innovation makes the training given to the children of the village attractive to families in surrounding areas who appreciate the learning opportunity such an arrangement affords their little ones..

This school year 200 pupils are enrolled at the Primary School of NS\WAS.    The school’s popularity is reflected in the 44 applications submitted for the first grade. Unfortunately because of the belt tightening budget, the Village providing only one first grade for 30 students.

Deanna Armbruster, Executive Director of the American Friends for NS/WAS, welcomes inquires concerning the work of this Middle East Oasis of Peace.  She has on hand a seven page report on the activities and new directions of the school this past year which she will be delighted to email (or send by post) to any interested. Contact her at:

Deanna Armbruster

American Friends of NS\WAS

Sherman Oaks, CA 91423

www.oasisofpeace.org

afnswas@oasisofpeace.org

Submitted by:

Phin Washer

pwasher@earthlink.net

November 21, 2010

 

Gospel Matthew 3:13-17

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

First Reading Isaiah 42:1-9

¹Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. ²He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; ³a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. ⁴He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

⁵Thus says God, the LORD, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: ⁶I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, ⁷to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness. ⁸I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols. ⁹See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Psalm Psalm 29:1-11

¹Ascribe to the LORD, O heavenly beings,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.

²Ascribe to the LORD the glory of his name;

worship the LORD in holy splendor.

³The voice of the LORD is over the waters;

the God of glory thunders,

the LORD, over mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful;

the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;

the LORD breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,

and Sirion like a young wild ox.

⁷The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire.

⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of the LORD causes the oaks to whirl,

and strips the forest bare; and in his temple all say, “Glory!”

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;

the LORD sits enthroned as king for ever.

¹¹May the LORD give strength to his people!

May the LORD bless his people with peace!

Second Reading Acts 10:34-43

³⁴Then Peter began to speak to them: “I truly understand that God shows no partiality,³⁵but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.³⁶You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ-he is Lord of all. ³⁷That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. ³⁹We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; ⁴⁰but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, ⁴¹not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. ⁴²He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead. ⁴³All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”