First Sunday after the Epiphany
The Baptism of Jesus
Mark 1:4-11
Superman
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of
repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the
people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan,
confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, and had a leather girdle
around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I,
the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy
Spirit."
9 ¶ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was
baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens
opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove;
11 and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I
am well pleased."RSV
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the
Christ. Amen
Do you remember this introduction to a long ago favorite TV program,
"Look , its bird, its a plane, its Superman. Superman who was faster
than a speeding bullet, more power full than a locomotive and able to
leap tall buildings with a single bound, can bend steel in his bare
hands. Disguised as Clark Kent the mild-mannered reporter for a large
metropolitan newspaper, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice
and the American way."
As I was growing up that was one of my favorite programs. Superman had
a long life. He was born in the comic books. I remember sitting in the
barber shop hoping you had to wait a long time so you could read all
the comics, he grew in television and matured in the movies. Superman
always defended those who were powerless to defend themselves; he was
responsible to bring justice to the land. Using his great power and
strength and his x-ray vision he was able to subdued the guilty parties
and bring them to jail.
One quality of superman, the superman of TV, that I especially liked
was his gentle manner. There was some violence in his shows, but not
like the kind we have today. He never killed' and usually he tried to
be very gentle. Superman was moved by emotions; but he always had a
gentle touch, he was sensitive to human feelings. Superman showed us
that the mighty, the powerful can also be tender, loving and caring.
I miss that kind of gentle goodness in the world today as we see people
in the movies and on TV, shoot, kill, blow-up, people, places and
things. I miss the calm, gentle, touch of Superman as he stood for
justice in a way that brought justice along with goodness, kindness and
compassion.
Our gospel lesson and a passage from Isaiah speak of another superman,
one who would bring justice to the land. In Isaiah 42: 2-4 it says " he
will not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a
bruised reed he will pot break and a dimly burning wick he will not
quench."
In our gospel lesson, John the Baptist says; "After me comes he who is
mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop
down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you
with the Holy Spirit."
This superman will be powerful, but in a gentle, loving, compassionate
way. We are of course speaking of Jesus as he came to represent the
Messiah, God's chosen and powerful leader. Chosen to bring justice and
peace into this world, chosen to bring freedom to the oppressed, but in
a gentle and meek way.
The baptism of Jesus was his signal or sign to begin his pubic
ministry. In this baptism performed by John, Jesus understood that his
ministry of justice was to begin. And in this baptism, Jesus learned of
this relationship with the Father.
He saw his ministry was a new beginning in his life and for the world,
and he understood he was called to serve, called to serve with a gentle
touch and a compassionate smile.
We are going to look at the relationship Jesus learned about himself
and His Father in heaven this morning.
In this baptism experience, Jesus received a sign from his Father,
assuring him of his new role, a sign assuring him he was about the plan
of his Father, assuring him that the Father through the spirit would be
with him as he began his public ministry. The text says, "10 And when he came up out of the water,
immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon
him like a dove;
11 and a voice came from heaven,
"Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."RSV
A relationship was established between Jesus and the Father, a
relationship which would give Jesus the strength, the confidence, the
courage, the faith to endure the hardships of his public ministry
This relationship would help Jesus endure the fate of the cross, to
endure the testing and criticism of the religious leaders and to endure
His battle with Satan before the glorious resurrection on that first
morning of the week. This baptism renewed , strengthen, and cemented
together the relationship Jesus had with his Father. It was a sign from
the Father in heaven that Jesus was beginning his chosen appointed
task. Jesus was to begin his public ministry, begin his public life
serving the Father in the same way all of us begin our life of faith
through baptism.
As this baptism of Jesus signaled a beginning, a starting point for
Jesus in his life of public ministry, so too with us. Baptism begins a
process, baptism is a starting point for us in our faith life. It is a
step taken to begin our life with God, to begin our life in the grace
and love of God, and to have his spirit with us as we walk down the
road of life.
One author says this about baptism, "Whether an infant or adult, the
person baptized answers from that moment to the name Christian. No
other loyalty comes before this and being a Christian should be the
baptized person's most distinctive characteristic."
Somehow the baptism event in your life and mine should make us
different people.
Somehow because we are God's in our baptism, that should make us
different, set apart people, because we have been given a new name, the
name of Christ sealed by the sign of the cross.
Remember in the Old Testament, Abram was called by God to begin the
process of establishing God's 's chosen people, and his aged wife Sarai
was called to begin the process by having a son in her mature years,and
then remember that God then changed their names to Abraham, and Sarah,
changing their names meant for them a special relationship had been
established with God.
Remember Paul, before God encountered him on the road he was Saul, but
after God had transformed him, after God had begun a new kind of
relationship with him, Saul's name was changed to Paul.
Our names are changed in our baptism. We are given the name that our
parents have chosen for us, and at the same time we are given the name
of Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, a person who has begun a
relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.
When we introduce ourselves, we might want to say, my name is Timothy
Barton Zingale, a Christian. Now that tells everyone something special
about us. We are God's people. We are in a relationship with God. God
and I are one.
There is an old story which illustrates what I am trying to say.
''There was a famous actor who years ago was giving 'readings' to an
art and literature group which met in the afternoons. One of the ladies
asked the actor if he would recite the 23rd Psalm. He did so
eloquently, with masterful flourish and diction and when he was
finished the entire group clapped.
Then someone noticed an elderly pastor standing near the rear of the
hall and they asked him to recite the 23 psalm also. He protested,
saying he was not a great speaker. They finally convinced him to
present the psalm. His speech was haltering, his manner was not showy,
and yet when he was done, everyone remained silent. Something happened
to the group.
One of the person's present asked the actor afterwards; 'What happened
back there?' What was the difference in your two presentations. It was
the same psalm ... '
And the actor replied thoughtfully: 'I knew the psalm, he loved the
shepherd."
Do you love the shepherd in such a way that it shows to those around
you? Do love him in a humble, mild-mannered way which demonstrates his
love in your life?
A superman appeared on the scene this day over 2000 years ago. A
superman who was to change our lives as they could have never been
changed before. This superman had a gentle touch, a compassionate heart
and a healing touch. This superman, Jesus, knew his relationship with
the Father in heaven, and through that relationship, He was able to
know and do the Father's will on this earth.
Have you let that superman touch your life?
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale