THE SPIRIT IS CALLING

A Sermon for the Baptism of our Lord
January 7, 2007
by Pastor Laura Gentry

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."…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." (New Revised Standard Version)

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Today, we heard the story of the baptism of Jesus. He is baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist and the Holy Spirit descends upon him like a dove and there is a voice from heaven, which says, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” It is as truly a miraculous moment for all who have gathered at the river. At this point, Jesus is ready to begin his public ministry.

And as we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, it invites us to take a closer look at our own baptisms. Just what does it mean to be a Baptized Christian?

Sometimes, I meet families who don’t belong to this or any other church but they would like to have their child baptized. Usually, they request that the baptism be done privately in a little ceremony at a home or park. One person recently put it this way: “Would you consider performing a back-alley baptism?”

As enticing as these offers might sound, I categorically advise against it. Baptism is just too important to hide away in a private ceremony. That’s why in this church, we schedule the baptisms in the middle of the worship service when we are all gathered together as a congregation. What God does in baptism is so exciting, we all want to be here to witness it.

And just what is it that God does? What God does in our baptism is the same thing God did in Jesus’ baptism: declares us beloved and gifts us with the Holy Spirit. Martin Luther, in the small catechism, explains it this way:

In baptism, God forgives sin and delivers from death and the devil and gives everlasting salvation to all who believe what he has promised.

In the life-giving water of baptism—water which is not just water, but water connected to the Word of God—God declares us delivered. We are adopted into God’s eternal family. In that moment, God calls us by name. As God says through the prophet Isaiah: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” We are loved and saved forever! What a gift!

Now many people say to me, “Why do we baptize infants in the Lutheran church when Jesus himself was baptized as an adult?” And this is a question that persists in theological debates. The most helpful answer to this question, I believe, is because we understand baptism to be a gift. Martin Luther said that there is no clearer picture of the undeserved grace of God than an infant at the baptismal font. This baby in arms has done absolutely nothing to earn God’s salvation. Nevertheless, God reaches out to this newborn little person and says, “This is my beloved!” Whatever age at which we are baptized, this truth remains. We are miraculously saved—not by our own doing—but by God’s gift of grace.

Then, we are sent forth with God’s Spirit to guide us. And day after day this Spirit goes to work on our hearts. This Spirit transforms us into people that are pleasing to God. It makes us holy, despite our unholiness. And this, we call sanctification, which literally means: holy-making.

Early on in Jesus’ ministry, he stood up in the synagogue and found the place where the prophet Isaiah wrote:

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because God has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor,
God has sent me to proclaim release to the captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free
and to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.

When Jesus sat down he told the crowd, "Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing." The Spirit’s power within Jesus was calling him to work passionately for justice. This is his ministry. This is his vocation.

He dives headlong into this Spirit-driven vocation. Jesus cares about bodies wracked with pain or crippled by evil powers. We watch him touch people that no one else will touch. We see him feeding hungry people and eating with those who had been left out. We hear Jesus tell a story of the Samaritan who stops to help a hurting a stranger; it was Jesus' inclusive way of defining what it means to be a neighbor. And we see Jesus go all the way to the cross in faithfulness to God who sent the Spirit upon him. Three days later we rejoice with the women who bring news that Jesus is alive again. What a baptismal vocation Jesus was given!

What about our baptismal callings, our vocations? Now that we have been claimed as God’s beloved, now that we are equipped with the Holy Spirit, what are we doing? That Spirit fire within us is calling us.

Remember the story of the Pentecost? The Holy Spirit comes upon Christ’s believers in wind and fire! People suddenly hear the untrained disciples speaking fluently in all kinds of languages. And Peter stands up and preaches a sermon so powerful that it moves 3,000 people to be baptized. What Spirit experience! And those who were baptized devoted themselves to the breaking of bread and the prayers. All those who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need.

From that story alone, we can see that the Spirit is serious stuff. We shouldn’t meddle with it if we’re not ready to be utterly transformed. That’s why back-alley baptisms aren’t what we’re about. We baptize publicly because it is so important. Baptism claims a person and shapes his or entire life with a calling to do God’s will.

And so as we celebrate Jesus’ baptism, we are urged to remember our own baptisms—to ponder anew what it means to be a baptized child of God. We rejoice that we have been delivered from the evil forces of the world, forgiven and promised eternal life. And we have the responsibility to use the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Through our baptisms, the Spirit continues to call us. Let us listen and follow! Amen.

Now may the peace of God which passes all understanding keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.

© Laura E. Gentry 2007