Sermon on the Baptism of Christ
07 January 2024
Genesis 1:1-5
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11
11 am
Sermon on the Baptism of Christ
In the name of the living God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Last week we were staying with friends in Northern France, and the rain was nothing short of biblical. The whole time. Our journey back to the Channel Tunnel was circuitous as we had to turn back a few times because flooded roads were shut. We even saw people kayaking across the fields! In the end David steered the car across a road with cascading water, and, as you can see me now, we made it. It was an anxious minute that seemed to last for hours, and whilst I had every confidence in David’s driving, I was still worried. The sight of water everywhere didn’t help my nerves or my bladder, and I was trying to remember the top tips for getting out of a submerged car. Fortunately, that was not necessary.
I should have sung some of our next hymn to calm myself down:
Do not be afraid, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by your name, you are mine.
When you walk through the waters, I’ll be with you.
You will never sink beneath the waves…
Despite the “Do not be afraid” instruction, for much of my life I have been afraid of water. God has clearly got a good sense of humour, because I descend from Vikings, in Denmark you are never more than 32 miles from the sea, I have spent most of my adult life living in Portsmouth, and, of course, worshipping here at the cathedral, the cathedral of the sea.
When things are getting me down, a walk along the seafront helps to clear my head. There is something comforting, exhilarating, and terrifying about living near the sea. I enjoy going on ferries, but I have only learnt to swim in the last few years, and even so, I am not that proficient. This will not prevent me from venturing into the water after this service, even if I will just bob about for a bit.
The sticking point for me has always been not being able to put my feet on the floor; you have to take risks, to give control to the water and then work with or against it. But you are not completely in control. And I hate that. Maybe it isn’t that I’m afraid of water, but not being in control? But that is life. Get over yourself, Kitty Price! Why should I get over myself? Because water is not going to change being water for me, but I can change my attitude towards it, me, and anything else. I’m trying. Do not be afraid.
This is a perfect time for considering new year’s resolutions. The choir’s anthem ends with the words “Open you the West Door, and turn the Old Year go” before telling us to “open you the East Door, and let the New Year in.” Change will happen whether we like it or not, whether it brings joy or sadness, or both.
The Greek philosopher, Heraclitus, is famous for this saying: 'No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man.' Water moves on, as do we. There is new life in the waters of baptism. Our readings help us to remember the baptism of Jesus and our own baptism, hence we get to renew our vows shortly. It is a liturgical and theological regroup at the start of a new year.
Our first reading, the first five verses of Genesis, talks about before creation: “A wind from God covered the face of the waters” – this is thought to be a reference to the Holy Spirit, showing that the Trinity, God as 3 in 1 has always existed. The waters of creation are a prelude to the waters of baptism. Water, both in creation and in baptism, signifies new life and purification. What new life are you seeking in 2024? What needs to be purified in your life at the moment?
The reading from Acts shows the distinction between the baptism of John and Jesus. Paul says, ‘John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.’ John’s baptism does not bring the Holy Spirit with it, nor the gifts of the Spirit. It is limited. Repentance is still important, but baptism is so much more than just a ritual. It is an encounter with the living, triune God. It changes you and the direction of your life. And so it should. Therefore, these disciples chose to be baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus, then they display gifts of prophesy and speaking in tongues. Other gifts include wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing and miracles. Do you have any of these gifts?
Which of your gifts do you share with others? Which gifts are you hesitant about or even hiding under a bushel? I say, if you’ve got it, flaunt it. Perhaps that’s a new year’s resolution for you?
One of the reasons I like the account of Jesus’ baptism in Mark’s Gospel is that they don’t hang about. Matthew’s has John trying to convince Jesus that it should be the other way round, that he can’t possibly baptise Jesus, and I think it’s a bit of an unnecessary diversion. It is temporarily a bit angsty, but both Mark and Luke get on with it.
“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”
Excellent! No faffing about. Why? Probably because it is the next bit which needs all of the focus. “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’”
There are three things we learn at this moment:
1. First: the essence of the complete divinity and humanity of Jesus, inseparably true God and true man.
2. Secondly, we learn about God as trinity:
i. Voice from heaven = God the Father
ii. Jesus = God the Son, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved;’
iii. The Spirit descending like a dove = The Holy Spirit.
3. Thirdly, this moment is Jesus’ ministry going public. We know that things are not going to be the same again. God’s redemptive plan has just gone up a few gears!
So how do Christians respond? We practise baptism, which for many is seen as a sacrament, an outward sign of an inward blessing from God. We do it in many ways – for babies and children, believers of various ages; a tiny splash of water over a font, full immersion in a font / baptism pool / the river or the sea; the Orthodox basically dunk the babies in head first three times for the three persons of the Trinity. I have even seen a clip of Orthodox baptisms in the Russian winter where they carve out a hole in the ice and dip adults into the icy water. Now that is commitment! There are many gifts of the spirit. There are many ways to baptise.
Another quotation from the anthem. It starts with the words “Here we bring new water from the well so clear, for to worship God with this happy new year.” We worship God for the abundance of life, including our own. And today we are introducing a new way to do it. We’ve taken a tradition from the Orthodox Church and made it our own - the blessing of the waters at the hotwalls. Jesus sanctifies the whole created order and Christ offers a source of blessing through the water for all. Hopefully I might see some of you on the beach or even in the water. Mindful that this is at your own risk. I have enough to worry about with my issues of control, natural buoyancy and lack of swimming prowess. I do know that God loves me anyway. Amen.
Kitty Price, Cathedral Reader.