Let us pray:
Bless O God, the words of my lips and the meditations of our hearts that they be of profit to us and acceptable to thee, our rock and our redeemer. Amen
Greetings: We started off the service with a call to worship in which we recalled the fundamental message of God to us - the story of Jesus and how forgiveness and salvation come through his name. It is the message of the cross that we proclaim - of the cross and the resurrection; yet for many of us proclaiming the message doesn’t come easy.
We know what the message is, we have taught when we were kneel high - but we find it difficult to express it to others, - to get others to really feel and sense the importance of it, sometimes, even to get others to listen to us. It is getting others to listen to us, that I would like to share with you this morning. I want to do so by us looking at one of the great mystery of Jesus' life - the mystery of his baptism. Theologians, scholars, and just plain folk like you and I are puzzled as to why Jesus was baptized.
Jesus himself tells us why he was baptized to "fulfil all righteousness", but that term is never explained by him, and there is nothing else in the passage to help us understand why Jesus, who was sinless, received, at John's hands, a baptism for the repentance of sins.
What theologians and bible scholars are all agreed on however, is the fact that the baptism of Jesus by John at the Jordan marked the beginning of his ministry - it was his coming out of the closet as it were - and that at the end of it he received the approval of God, who speaks from heaven, and says: "this is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
There is no question that the baptism of Jesus was a significant event, a turning point in his life and through him - a turning point in our own lives. So what does the baptism of Jesus show us? How does understanding it lead us to being more able to communicate the gospel to others - to be able to get others to listen to us?
The answer is contained in the reason that Jesus gave for his baptism when John says to him - in vs. 14 of Matt.: "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" and Jesus responds
Righteousness is an interesting word. It is found 232 times in the bible - and in close to half of these occurrences it refers to the righteousness of God - to his love and his justice, to his saving activities and purposes. In other words, contrary to the popular understanding, the word "righteousness" does not primarily refer to someone who is living a good moral life, rather it refers to a state being in which the way of redemption is actively offered or illustrated by someone.
To be righteous is not just to be good - it is to be in the right kind of relationship with God and with others - to be a relationship which brings salvation, which brings wholeness, which brings the good news of God's love, to others, and a relationship which honours God.
Righteousness is something active - not simply a description of one's moral state. - "Righteousness delivers us from death." Proverbs 11:4, and again in Proverbs 15:9 - "God loves the one who pursues righteousness" and in Proverbs 21:3 we see these words - "To do righteousness and justice, is more acceptable to God than sacrifice."
So when Jesus says to John: - "let it be so, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness" what he is saying is - "do it, it is a good thing to do - because in this way we will go further towards saving others, we will deliver them from death, we will make God's loving purpose more evident, more accessible to others." Do it John.
And indeed the baptism of Jesus brings the healing word of God to others; and it shows us, as well, how the saving message of Jesus is best delivered. There are three points I would like to share with you if don’t mind.
First - the baptism of Jesus shows us that Jesus truly did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped - to be held on to. His baptism, there in the muddy Jordan - shows that he identifies with us and with our sins - and not only with God and God's perfection. Jesus did not need to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins - all agree about this - but he chose this path - he chose to be seen with us – as one of us - because in this way - so Jesus says - righteousness is fulfilled.
Each one of us here has had pronounced upon us the forgiveness and acceptance of God. In fact, according to the bible, we can think of ourselves as chosen by God, as being selected by him for glory.
In his baptism Jesus identifies with us. He shows us the way of righteousness, the way of saving others, is a way of empathy and understanding - of putting ourselves in someone else's shoes. In Gospel narratives we learn that Jesus does not "lord" his superior knowledge over others.
Instead he sits with them in their homes, he eats their food, he answers their questions, he laughs with them in their joy, and he cries with them in their grief. And with them, and with us, he descends to the Jordan and is washed for the forgiveness of sins. Our sins and not his. Do we want to proclaim the message and be heard in it as was Jesus?
Then we need to identify with the people we are speaking to. We need to remember where we have "been there" before, and if we have not actually been there - well, we still need to try to put yourselves in the other persons shoes, and try to really understand what it going on in their hearts as well as in their heads.
True communication can't be done in an atmosphere of judgement, it requires understanding, acceptance, and the willingness to link hearts and minds together.
Second - Jesus shows us in his baptism that it is important to go beyond ourselves when seeking to do God’s work – ‘Seek Ye Fist The Kingdom Of God, and its righteousness….. and every thing else will add to it.’ He shows us that we should turn to God and seek God's help when we are trying to point others to God.
Jesus deliberately goes to a place where God's power and love were being proclaimed and he asks for that power and that love to be poured out upon him in a special act - an act performed by a special man - a man who was filled with the Spirit of God. It is then, and only then, after this has been done, that Jesus goes on to help others.
We often forget this in our attempt to communicate to others the love of God. We want to tell the story of Jesus, we want to share the salvation story of God, but we ignore, neglect, or just plain downgrade the resources of our faith. We speak to others - but we do not prepare ourselves to speak: - we do not pray for God's help, - we do not pause to ask ourselves what Jesus would have said or done in this circumstance.
We do not call upon God's power to assist us in touching their hearts. Further, in most cases, we all too often do not offer them anything special; - we do not show them anything different than that which they already have. We do not offer anything that they have not already been offered.
You see my friends: we just cannot offer something we don’t have ourselves. It just doesn’t work, we cannot show people the way to God through the Bible, when we doubt or disbelieve the source of faith ‘the Bible.’
We can not led others to faith in Jesus Christ, when deep down we struggle with our own doubt about the person of Jesus Christ, who he was, he is, and is to be.
We just can not offer something we don’t have ourselves. This is where most Christian denominations stand today. We are trying to mimic the world and we are doing a poor job at it. We have been over whelmed with the popular culture, thus too often we offer common sense, pop psychology, and the wisdom we receive from self-help books -- instead of the way of God that is found in the Scriptures and in our traditions. My dear friends, the gospel we seek to communicate, the righteousness we are called to fulfil with Jesus, is not something that is based on a "self help" model.
Salvation is something that ultimately comes from beyond us. Righteousness is something that is given to us by God, given as gift through the very Jesus whose baptism we are looking at today. When Jesus wanted to make a beginning, he turned to a spiritual resource.
When he wanted to fulfil all righteousness, he turned to a spiritual man speaking spiritual words. When he wanted to communicate a spiritual message he was first baptized in a spiritual river - the very river Jordan through which the children Israel had passed to enter the Land of Promise. Jesus turned to these things, and he also pointed them out to others the way to God. -
Third - Jesus in his baptism reminds us that we need to set the example. Jesus was, above all things, authentic in his communications. When he spoke of being able to help us carry our burdens - he had already experienced the same trials and tribulations as we do. When he spoke of how trusting in God could help one overcome anxiety, - he had already trusted in God for his daily bread, his physical safety, and his spiritual power. People listened to Jesus - not just because he understood and identified with him, - and not just because he pointed out the way to God but also because he lived his own message.
He didn't just tell others to turn to God - he himself sought out God blessings: at the Jordan and in lonely places away from others - and regularly in places of worship - the synagogues on the Sabbath each week and at the temple at Passover Time.
He didn't just tell others to pray for people, - he himself prayed for them. - as he did for the disciples before going out to the Cross. And continue for pray for us, as a church. He didn't just tell others to forgive each other, - he himself forgave them - even from the cross when he was in the midst of his agony. He didn't just tell others how important it was to heal others - he himself did healings.
He reached out and touched the lepers, beggars, spoke with prostitutes, and sinners. He laid his hands upon the sick and anointed them with his prayers. Jesus did everything he asked others to do. And he was respected for this.
My friends - not everyone will listen to us. No matter how good we are, how righteous we are, there will be some who will take offence at us - as they did at Jesus. The message of Jesus to us is that we need to be like he is. And when we do, when we humble ourselves like little children - like Jesus did - and identify with others, when we tell others about the source of saving power and go to it and accept it for ourselves then God will be well pleased with us.
And his Spirit will indeed be seen to rest upon us as it did upon Jesus
Thanks be to God - for his living word - Jesus Christ our Saviour.
And for his Spirit - which gives up power day by day.
Amen.
Rev. Samuel King-Kabu
January 9, 2005