How quickly time passes in our Scriptures! A couple of weeks ago at Christmas, Jesus is born. A few days ago on Epiphany, January 6 he was already around age 2 when the Magi visited. Now this week we focus on the celebration of Jesus’ baptism that happened when he was already an old man by the life-span standards of the first century Mediterranean world. Luke tells us Jesus was around 30 years old when John baptized him in the Jordan. I’m sure you know that it is very important to be prepared for baptism. In one church a priest approached the young father before performing his son’s baptism saying, “Baptism is a serious step. Are you prepared for it?“ “I think so,“ the man replied. “My wife has made appetizers and we have a caterer coming to provide plenty of cookies and cakes for all of our guests.“ “I don't mean that,“ the priest responded. “I mean are you prepared spiritually?“ “Oh, sure,“ came the reply. “I've got a keg of beer and a case of whiskey.“

In our Isaiah reading we heard the first of four poetic passages referred to as “The Servant Songs“. The word servant was used for the first time by Isaiah in the previous chapter, 41. Composed by an unknown prophet during Israel’s exile in Babylon around 586 to 539 BCE, the early Christian Church regarded these prophecies to be about the coming Jesus, the Messiah. This prophet talks about how much he delights in this chosen one, saying, “he will bring forth justice to the nations.“ (1b). How will he do this? Gently and nonviolently. He will not do it by preaching loudly/crying out in the streets; and he will not do it violently, “a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench“ (3a). My Harper Collins Study Bible interprets this as “the servant neither strikes the earth nor kills the wicked with his royal command; his voice is not even heard. He brings forth justice in a different way.“ In the next verse we are told that this servant will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice on earth. The Servant was expected to be a light to the nations (v.6), to open blind eyes (v. 7) and to bring prisoners out of the darkness (v.7). All of these requirements seem to fit the Jesus I know, the one who ministered to the oppressed and brought healing to the sick. The Christmas scriptures and carols are filled with references to Jesus being and bringing the light to the world.

So whether or not the prophet Isaiah was describing Jesus, he certainly was describing someone who had the type of qualities that Jesus had, not the qualities that most people of that day expected in a Messiah, a royal and distant king, leading armies to violently bring about God’s kingdom.

Now let us fast forward to Jesus’ baptism. All four gospels have the same scene with a few minor differences. John was feeling very unworthy to baptize the man he believed was the Messiah, even though we know from the nativity stories, Jesus and John are cousins. He was born in a manger and grew up in a poor neighborhood, yet he was suppose to be the King of the Jews. Some folks who knew the story of Joseph being engaged to Mary but not married to her whispered that Jesus was an illegitimate child. Some identity confusion is understandable. What was the truth?

Well at the time the baptism of Jesus took place, God cleared up any confusion about the identity of Jesus by proclaiming: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.“ Not only did God proclaim this loud and clear, there were also other signs: the heavens opened and the visible symbol of the Holy Spirit, the dove, came down and rested on Jesus. Wow! This is pretty clear stuff. No more confusion! This is seen by some as being Jesus’ ordination for ministry. Other resources say it is in the baptismal waters that Jesus drops the last vestige of his perception of God as one who authorizes force, violence, power to dominate. The old passes away and the new is born.¹ It’s hard to imagine that up until this time we do not have any record of his ministry, no disciples, no miracles.

Now I get to my favorite part of this sermon. When each of you is baptized, the same thing happens. You too are called beloved by God. Many of you may not hear this voice as it is very deep, intimate, and quiet, but as you are baptized, I believe that God is welcoming you into a new life with Jesus and acknowledging how much God loves you, always has, and always will. If you were baptized as an infant or young child, you probably have no memory of it. We read that God knit us together in our mother’s womb; also that God has written your name on the palm of God’s hand. God holds you in a special embrace. You belong to God and God belongs to you. This deep down voice—and I do hope parents and godparents remind their children of their special relationship with God—says that you are loved by God unconditionally and with an everlasting love. Don’t be afraid; trust that you are the beloved. You truly are God’s daughter and God’s son; you are favored by God, and God is well pleased. We have God calling Jesus beloved and well favored, and this is before he does any mission work, any miracles, any great teaching. The same is true with you my friends. If you have had any children, remember how much you loved that child, God loves you even more.

In our baptism, the covenant, the holy contract is always two-ways. We promise to follow in the way of Jesus, to resist oppression and evil, and to show love and justice as best as we are able. I especially like the words used in the Episcopal Church, “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” If we take these baptismal vows seriously, they will lead us to be a servant. Servant in biblical times did not mean just doing a ministry or service for another; it doesn’t mean a person who is a slave and inferior to another; one author says it does mean a person “who has laid down one’s identity, independence, and self-determination, not because of feeling inferior to another, but out of respect, honor, love for another.“ ²

For me this love and service need to be done in community. We have small communities like our church and then there is the larger community of Christians everywhere. The gospel of Jesus is intended to create a coming together of people that were once separated, alienated, or alone and become like family. The community of faith ideally helps us to resist the pressures of our culture and to genuinely do a new thing with love and service. It is in community that we can understand and practice the message of Jesus. There’s nothing like love to heal, to inspire, and to strengthen. It is a way to become free and to become whole. As God has loved Jesus and us with an unconditional, everlasting love, we too are commanded to love, teach and serve each other. So be it. And never forget that you are God’s beloved, God’s favored one, the one with whom God is well pleased. Amen.