Scripture: Luke 3:15-17; Luke 3:21-22

It all began as just another ordinary day down by the riverside.  I can only imagine that John was probably among the first to rise.  After all, he needed the quiet time to pray before the people began to arrive.  Sometimes he must have wondered why, after all those years, they continued to come.

After all, if anything could be said about the Evangelist it was that he was a realist – an extremely honest and remarkably open realist.  That is why he knew not everyone who gathered on the banks of the river did so out of a deep desire to be saved.  Some were there because . . . well, let’s face it . . he was the best show in town! 

But John didn’t care why they came because he that, in the end, there would be a few who came only to heckle that left as believers.  That is all he really wanted.  He wanted people to repent and to prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah.  He wanted them to understand how radically different life would be when God’s reign came upon the earth.

Then it happened!  John looked up one day and there stood Jesus.  While those in the crowd did not understand, John knew.  He knew who is cousin was and what he would do.  That’s what made it so difficult when his cousin waded into the water asking to be baptized.

At first, John refused.  I’m not worthy to untie your shoes, he said.  If I’m not worthy to even be your slave, how can you expect me to baptize you?

Jesus, however, refused to relent.  When John finally realized this was finally someone he would never out argue, he did what was being asked of him.  He baptized the Messiah.

Now what happened next is hard to explain.  It was as if the earth moved and the heavens broke open.  Suddenly, there was a voice that came from nowhere saying:  This is my Son; my beloved.  In you I am well pleased.

The Messiah had come.  God had called him by name.  The world was changed forever.

Christians, I am convinced that what happened on the banks of the Jordan River was never intended to be a one time event.  While it is doubtful that any of us were created, commissioned, or ordained to be a savior, through our baptisms we have been named by God, filled with the Holy Spirit, and adopted as disciples of Christ.

Far too often, however, we approach baptism as a quaint tradition that is passed from one generation to the next.  Yet nothing could be further from the truth.  It doesn’t matter of we were baptized as infants, youth, or adults once we have passed through the waters – once our lives have been sealed by the promise – we should never again allow ourselves to be defined, or limited, by the standards of this world.  Through our baptisms we become a part of something much bigger than ourselves.  We become active participants in the building of God’s holy kingdom.

The challenge, of course, is that we are hesitant to accept that identity and the power that goes with it because (a) we are uncertain as to what it actually means to be named by God and (b) we are unclear as to where such a calling might lead us . . . what it might demand of us.

So, let’s go back to the day Jesus was baptized and see what we can learn that will help us understand our own baptisms.  But this time, why don’t we take our place where we belong. 

Remember all those people standing by the river?  Many of them were probably John’s disciples.  As such, they would have already been baptized.  So, it was no accident they were present.  For you see, they were not only the ones who invited others to come and hear, they were also the ones who retold the stories to those who had not heard.  They were the ones who went back home and lived out what they had learned from John. 

When the going got tough; when the world’s clamoring threatened to overwhelm John, Jesus, or anyone else who belonged to the community of faith, the others were there to love, encourage, and keep each one another strong.  When the demands became too much, when there was no end to what was expected or what needed to be accomplished, the community gathered to pray, to support, and to share in the work that needed to be done.

Christians, the world needs to hear the story we have to tell.  If God’s kingdom is to come then we must be the ones to challenge the injustices.  We must lead others to that place where attitudes can be changed, obstacles can be overcome and divisions can be bridged.  Through our baptisms we have been called and empowered to do that and so much more.

During a particularly trying time in my life, Mom presented me with a coffee mug with these words written by Linda Lee Elrod:  You are a child of God. With credentials like that, you can do anything.

How true.  When we are children of God, we can do anything!

To God be the glory.  Amen.