Heavens Opened

Robert E. Hall
Tarrytown United Methodist Church

January 11, 2008

Text: Mark 1: 4-11

What’s going on here? Jesus coming to John for baptism of repentance of sins?

The faithful have struggled with this from day one.

Consider this: Jesus is baptized as a sign of his humanity, or, his solidarity with us in our human condition. He will be with us as Hebrews states, as the “pioneer” of our faith journey. It is a sign of what Paul calls Jesus self-emptying: he “humbled himself, taking the form of a servant and was obedient unto death, for our sakes.” No play-acting; or to fulfill some scripture. He will be the servant-Messiah, saving us by being with us:

In our valleys of the shadow of death;
When we do not believe we can go on;
When hope for ourselves and our world fades;
When we are not sure of what we are called to be or do:

Where we are, there shall Christ be also.

Jesus enters the baptismal waters with us, for our health and our salvation.

After he is baptized, Jesus sees the heavens open and the Spirit descend like a dove. (Not a door in heaven opening up but another dimension.) And Jesus hears God tell him that he is his beloved Son, with whom he is well-pleased.

Through Jesus’ baptism by John in the Jordan River, Jesus confirms that he is Immanuel, God with us. The long-awaited Anointed One, referred to as Messiah or Christ.

The Spirit of God was given throughout the biblical story to  individuals, to make them brave or wise or loving for a specific task God had for them to do. For example, Esther is given the Spirit in order to bravely enter the king’s service in order to be there to rescue her people when they were threatened with extinction. Samson was given the Spirit in order to bring to nought those who would lead Israel to worship other gods.

But the people of God held out the hope for something more. “The prophet Joel declared that the time would come when the outpouring of God’s Spirit would extend to all people.” This would come through an Anointed One, a Messiah, from which we get the word “Christ.” “Through him, God’s Spirit would be poured out among all people.” (Synthesis 1.11.09)

And because Jesus was baptized, it means more than a sign of repentance alone.

JESUS-INFUSED BAPTISM

Parents present their children for baptism. More than a few shed tears of joy.  (Sacraments have that effect on us.)

And the sacrament is more than an affirmation of the beauty and mystery and innocence of the child.

Parents and God-parents answer the same questions they were asked when they were baptized or confirmed. And by their action, the parents are saying that they want this one to know and love the Lord, to know him or her self as a beloved child of God, and to serve as a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ all of her life!

And we can almost hear the heavens open and the voice of God say: “This, too, is my beloved; with her I am well-pleased!”

You see, Christian parents are not neutral regarding the welfare of their children. They want them to have the best nutrition, education and affirmation available. And, more than anything else, Christian parents passionately want their children to have the most important gift of all:

the knowledge that God loves them infinitely, and will be with them all their lives. That through the merits and death of Jesus Christ, they have been rescued from sin and death for a life of joyful obedience.

And Christian parents want their children to learn to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, and to know the sustaining love of God as they live sacrificially for the sake of God’s kingdom in the world.

Not enough just to be successful as the world gauges it: but to be named and known as one empowered by God through Jesus Christ to serve the world and its needs as Jesus did.

We want our children to know that they will find their lives, not by turning inward on themselves, but by losing their lives in service to their God!

Similarly, when young people or adults stand for themselves and answer the same questions, they are signifying that their hearts are rooted and grounded in the love of God in Jesus Christ. They are baptized or their baptism is reaffirmed. And the Holy Spirit is invoked. They are marked a Christian disciples.

What is baptism for us, in light of Jesus’ baptism?

*Baptism acts out the gospel for us. God has loved us long before we could return that love. Led by God, Jesus died for us while we were yet sinners. That proves God’s love for us. We are cleansed of our sins and set on a new path. (And we will need all the help God can give us!)

*In the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, we are freed from bondage to sin and death, as a gift, offered to us without price.

*We are pronounced God’s beloved children, too!

*We are welcomed into the body of Christ, the church community, into a great extended family which is deep and broad and timeless. (Baptism makes tangible the Waiting Father’s love for the prodigal as well as the elder son or daughter.)

*And we are commissioned by the Holy Spirit to continue to do the Spirit’s work.

*And each time we witness another baptism or confirmation, we remember our baptism and give thanks to God, and we “re-up” for the duration of our lives.

STANDING BY IT

“As with any other relationship, if this bond is not nurtured, it atrophies. The way it is awakened and nourished is by hearing the voice from above, “You are my beloved child in whom I am well-pleased,” echoed within the community.”

This is what is happening during this Winter break as college students came home and we greeted  them as God’s beloved children.

We “stand by it,” and------ step by step----- we follow Christ. Baptism is a “yielded way of life.”

In the Heidelberg Catechism of 1563:

“Question: What is your only comfort in life and death?
Answer: That I belong, body and soul, in life and in death, not to myself, but to my faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.”

You see, God’s claim on us through the gracious waters of baptism is enduring. Persistent. Loving. God is in our midst, in our lives, not hidden in the heights.

And “baptism puts life in proper perspective. We have, following our commitment, but one purpose: to bring Christ forth into the world.”

What was God so pleased with about Jesus?

He would be among humans as one who serves. And he will listen for and obey God’s voice in his life, to love God will all of his heart and mind and soul and strength, and to love his neighbor as he loves himself.

Jesus was called God’s beloved Son. “The rest of the gospel tells us how he fulfills his God-given mission.”

So many vows and promises we make that we cannot or do not keep.

I choose to believe that, when it comes to the baptism vows, God takes us at our word.

That is, God’s gift is sure.

At your baptism and or confirmation, God has said that you are one of his beloved children.

“You are my wonderful son/daughter. You make me very glad.” ( N.T. Wright, Mark for Everyone)

God has placed the Holy Spirit in you to guide and empower you.

God has a cross for you, a life of service for him, meant just for you.

Will you spend the rest of your life fulfilling your own God-given mission?