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THE BAPTISM OF JESUS
~Mark 1:4-11~
In-person service at
Second Baptist Church
2412 Griffith Ave.
Los Angeles
William S. Epps, Senior Pastor
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4This messenger was John the Baptist. He lived in the wilderness and was preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had turned from their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 5People from Jerusalem and from all over Judea traveled out into the wilderness to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. 6His clothes were woven from camel hair, and he wore a leather belt; his food was locusts and wild honey. 7He announced: “Someone is coming soon who is far greater than I am—so much greater that I am not even worthy to be his slave. 8I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!” 9One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and he was baptized by John in the Jordan River. 10And when Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens split open and the Holy Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven saying, “You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.”
Mark 1:4-11 (The New Living Translation)
Introduction / A New Beginning / A Time to Start Again
Happy New Year and welcome to 2024! We have crossed the threshold of another year. Each year brings with it days that are filled with challenges, opportunities and possibilities. We have experienced a confluence of circumstances creating chaos of unprecedented proportions. Covid-19, social protests, workers being furloughed, loss of income, an escalation of stressed health care systems and overworked healthcare professionals as the virus spirals upward, and protracted uncertainty about the fate of our democracy. We are faced with managing and navigating our way through the uncertainty which continues to threaten our well-being.
We have been on a roller coaster of a ride economically, politically and globally with upsets and changes that bring continuing challenges since the 2020 COVID pandemic. We have been bombarded with one crisis after another: scandals, shootings, angry protests, contentious confrontations, vitriolic conversation, divisive dialogue and vulgar verbiage. We are fractured, polarized, and splintered into factions that demonize and demean one another, and we have experienced a dramatic increase in violence in our streets, schools, theaters and churches. There has been an abhorrent rise in overt racism.
I am reminded of a scene from Shakespeare in Macbeth, with a quote that seems appropriate: "...life's but a walking shadow, a poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage and then is heard no more; It is a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying nothing; The time is out of joint—O cursèd spite,That ever I was born to set it right! Nay, come, let's go together." Hamlet Act 1, scene 5, 186–190
Consider what it means that you are where you are to do
something to correct what is wrong with the society and world.
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The first Sunday of the year is the first Sunday after the Epiphany (the awareness of the deity of Christ to the Gentiles, with wise persons coming from the East). The baptism of Jesus is recorded in three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. While the baptism of Jesus is not directly narrated in the gospel of John’s gospel, it is mentioned in the testimony of John the Baptist in John 1:29-34 (“I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him”).
Jesus comes from Nazareth in Galilee. In Mark, Galilee has a diverse population. It is home to both Jewish and Gentile peoples. It is a place where people are exposed to differences of opinion concerning sacred matters more so than in Jerusalem.
Jesus begins His ministry there. He will also appear there after the resurrection.
Jesus came to be baptized of John in the Jordan River. Jesus presented himself. He came of His own free will and accord. He took the initiative to leave where He was and go to where He could do what He wanted.
This passage brings home in a striking way the significance of the baptism of Jesus for the Church today.
The baptism of Jesus provides the occasion for the revelation of His identity,
(“You are my beloved Son, and I am fully pleased with you.”), which in turn prompts Jesus' journey into the wilderness and the beginning of His ministry. Jesus' baptism signals His continuity with Israel's history setting Him apart for something special.
Consider what it means to be set aside for something
special for you to be used by God in the world.
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John's baptism communicated setting people apart as a community. Orientation is a part of life. There is no aspect of our lives where we are not orientated by someone whether it is formal or informal, intentional or unintentional, deliberate or coincidental. Orientation acquaints, familiarizes and introduces a person to what's expected of him or her as it elicits a positive response of acceptance from the person. There are some who associate orientation with initiation as a rite of passage marking entrance and acceptance. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense it can also signify a transformation in which a person is 'reborn' into a new role.
Here we are one week into another year. The beginning of a new year provides an opportunity for a reassessment of our reality, realignment of our priorities, and a reorientation for going forward. It’s a time to begin again.
Happy New Year, welcome to the beginning of the third decade of the 21st century.
“For last year's words belong to last year's language, And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a beginning." T.S. Eliot
As I muse on those words, I want to ask, what voice are you going to use moving forward through the uncharted terrain of the uncertainty we face? I suggest a voice of assurance for adversity, a voice of courage for our circumstances,
a voice of direction for our difficulty, a voice of faith for our frustration,
a voice of hope for our hurts, a voice of strength for each situation, a voice of trust in God for every trial.
Consider what it means to have a voice of assurance and clarity
about who you are, whose you are, and why you are
as you face the uncertainty of 2024.
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Wednesday, January 10, 2024 | |
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The baptism of Jesus as well as our own baptisms remind us of memorable aspects of life.
First, baptism acknowledges our dependence.
We are dependent on the customs of our faith tradition to heighten our awareness about the meaning of our practices. What we do has meaning rooted in the past with implications for the present and the future. We do what we do for a reason.
In subjecting ourselves to baptism, we resist the temptation to reduce the faith to mere inwardness, subjective piety, personal intellectual ruminations and the like. We acknowledge our dependence on others. We recognize the indispensability of the Church in the work of God. While God uses individuals, it is always in the context of contact in community with others.
We are dependent on one another. We are dependent on the Church. We are dependent on God through the power of the Holy Spirit.
We are told that, “The heavens split open, and the Holy Spirit descended in the form
of a dove on him, and a voice was heard saying “you are my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.”
The Holy Spirit confirms our identity. The Holy Spirit sanctions our activity. The Holy Spirit equips us for productivity.
Baptism is a way of telling the world that we cannot make it on our own. We look to God to work through the practices of people using the material or stuff of our reality. God works in, with, and through what we can see and feel. We are plunged in a real, tangible world. It is there that we discover the Lord at work in our lives.
It is readily apparent that we cannot make it on our own. We continue to make choices and decisions that lead to destruction.
Consider what it means that you are part of an interlocking network
of dependences - interdependent on one another
and especially dependent on God as the source of life.
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Thursday, January 11, 2024 | |
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Second, baptism affirms our basic need.
Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee to be baptized of John in the Jordan River.
Jesus subjected himself to what He did not need for the benefit of what we all need.
The Jordan River is a significant symbol. Fresh water in a semi-arid land, the Jordan makes fertility possible and represents vitality and life. You may remember that the Israelites crossed the Jordan as they entered the promised-land. The Jordan signifies crossing from one way of life (wandering in the wilderness) to another way of life (settled in a place). Jesus’ ministry leads the community from the old world to the realm of God with its vitality.
The symbolism of water is quite exhilarating. Water is a necessary ingredient for life. We cannot live with it. Baptism speaks to the basic need of each of us. We have a basic need for what water does. We are told that water does a body good. Water hydrates, purifies, and rinses. We need to be filled with what keeps us alive. We need to be cleansed from what pollutes us. Water cleanses and purifies. We need what water does to get rid of the toxins and pollution that damage life. There is so much pollution in the world. Our minds, souls, spirits get polluted and need to be cleansed and purified.
Your body is made up of mostly water. Approximately 85% of your brain, 80% of your blood and 70% of your muscle is water. Every cell in your body needs water to live. You can see how important water is to you.
Water helps remove the dangerous toxins that your body takes in from the air you breathe, the food you eat, and the chemicals used in the various products you use on your skin and hair. Other things water does for your body is to cushion your joints. Water carries oxygen and nutrients into all of your cells. Water also helps regulate your body temperature.
You need water to keep your metabolism working properly. In order for this to happen, there is a certain level of water in each of our bodies that we need to maintain. If we don’t keep that amount, our bodies will start to dehydrate. An easy way to think of it is to think of your car’s need for oil. If your oil level gets too low, your engine will start to run rough. If you totally deplete your oil supply in your car, your engine will stop running. Same with your body. Therefore, it is easy to see why it is very important to drink water every day.
Religious rituals use water to symbolize the cleansing and purification that results from confession and repentance.
Baptism suggests that there is a need to confess and repent. Baptism provides an invitation that spurs one to self-examination, to confession and the genuine, ongoing reorientation of our lives.
Consider what it means that water is part of life that reminds us of our
basic need to belong; to be purified from the pollutants that shape our
attitudes and actions; to be cleansed of the contaminates that cloud our minds with being insensitive, selfish, and untruthful.
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Thirdly, baptism accepts the gift of being in union with God. Baptism leads to immersion in the Holy Spirit, so that we are indwelled by God and participate in the very life of God. The Spirit comes to convict us of our need, to make us aware of our sin, to reveal to us the beauty of the Savior, to give us new birth, to bring forth the fruit of the Spirit, to empower us for service in the kingdom and in the church, and the like. The crowning climax of this process is to be totally immersed in God, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit.
Participation in the life of the Holy Spirit is the hidden secret of the Church’s life. Bestowed through the Son by the will of the Father, the Holy Spirit brings a gentle power into the world that redeems it from within, beginning with the creation of the children of God. Through the Spirit we participate in the same Spirit which came upon Jesus in baptism. Through the Holy Spirit we become subject to the rule of God that has come among us in the life of the Son.
The gift of the Holy Spirit is an inner-transformation, a power of cleansing and energizing of the heart and will; the life of God in the soul of humanity. The Christian faith is a gift. It does not say first, “do this” or “go there.” It says, "Here is the gift of
God in Christ." Its first words are not do and go, but come and receive. It empowers
a life to meet whatever life demands. Come and receive so you can do and go.
Consider what it means to accept the gift of God to be in union with a
special purpose to fulfill what God intends for your life and world.
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Saturday, January 13, 2024 | |
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Conclusion
Here we are one week into another year. It is time to begin again, come and receive so you can go and do. The beginning of a new year provides an opportunity for a reassessment of our reality; realignment of our priorities; and a reorientation for going forward.
Let me close with a poem by Minnie Louise Haskins entitled, “The Gate of the Year.”
‘God Knows' / And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”
And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So we go on not knowing, can know if we might
we'd rather walk with God in the darkness than alone in the light
we'd rather walk with God by faith than alone by sight.
Consider what it means to walk with God by faith than alone by sight.
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