Baptism of our Lord, Yr C (2025) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Baptism of our Lord, Yr C (2025) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Isaiah 43:1-7 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
In the name of the one, holy, and living God:
who was, and is, and is to come. Amen.
Today we gather to celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord…
and our own baptisms alongside that of Jesus.
As today’s Gospel begins,
we hear that “the people were filled with expectation.”
It has been about 30 years since Jesus’ birth,
and the people are still waiting with expectation.
They are waiting for the Messiah,
who will come and relieve their burdens…
who will come and make things right,
executing justice and righteousness for all.
So, the people question whether John might be the Messiah…
after all, he is preaching a word of repentance.
Yet John says,
“I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming….
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
“His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his granary;
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” (Lk 3:16-17)
As fiery as John’s speech may seem,
one more purifying is coming behind him.
As I read today’s gospel story,
I found it curious that after Luke’s long and detailed stories
of the annunciations and births of both John the Baptist and Jesus,
he narrates the most minimal account of Jesus’ baptism.
Luke relates: “Now when all the people were baptized,
and when Jesus also had been baptized….”
That’s it: “when Jesus also had been baptized.”
Apparently, Jesus was just one among many,
lined up on the bank of the Jordan,
wading out into the waters like anyone else…
and after the event finding his way back to the shore,
dripping wet like everyone else…
unremarkable.
Perhaps no one else even noticed anything at all out of the ordinary.
The voice that comes down from heaven seems to speak only to Jesus:
“You are my son, the Beloved;
with you I am well pleased.”
Then there follow three words in this passage that I have never noticed before:
“and was praying.”
Listen again: “Now when all the people were baptized,
and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,
the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form.”
After his baptism, Jesus prays.
I wonder what he was praying!
Whatever it was,
it appears that the source of his strength is beyond himself.
The heavens are opened,
and the Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus in bodily form, like a dove.
Then after the Spirit descends upon Jesus,
she leads him into the wilderness,
where he is tempted for forty days (but I’m jumping ahead of the story).
On this day,
we gather to celebrate the baptism of Jesus,
and we also are called to remember our own.
If you stop and think about it,
the only reason we all gather together (in this place,) at this time, is Jesus!
I consider it an honor and a privilege to know each and every one of you…
a true gift,
and yet if it weren’t for Jesus,
I probably wouldn’t know any of you (aside from my husband)!
Somehow,
like the magi,
our hearts have been captivated by this baby-man-God named Jesus,
and through our relationship with him,
we have been so moved to gather together, and pray, and eat, and serve.
In our baptismal vows we promise to turn from evil and follow Christ,
to continue to come together and break bread and pray,
to proclaim by word and example the Good News of God’s love for the world,
to seek Christ in all persons, loving others and ourselves,
to strive for justice and peace among all people,
to respect the dignity of every human being.
And, if we are honest with ourselves, that, at times, is HARD!
Sometimes I get irritated when my time is encroached upon,
when I have given and given to the point of exhaustion
such that I think I have nothing left to give…
but then I remember that the poor have no “day off,” and I am humbled.
No one plans to get sick or go to the hospital or have a family crisis….
No one plans to get laid off or have their vehicle break down…
No one plans to break an arm or a hip when they slip on the ice.
And I am not just talking about the work of a priest or deacon…
this is the baptismal work of us all:
tending to our neighbors,
our co-workers,
our friends,
our families,
and the strangers in our midst!
Sometimes, it is just hard.
And that is where that little phrase that I’ve never paid attention to in this Gospel story becomes so important:
“and when Jesus also had been baptized
and was praying.”
Prayer can happen at any time,
in any place.
Even if it’s a simple “Help me.”
or “God, help me get out of myself and see who is standing before me so that I can respond with love and compassion.”
or “Thank you.”
Our strength to live out our baptismal vows is not our own…
our strength comes from beyond us.
Jesus prayed and prayed often.
He prayed as soon as he was baptized.
He prayed before he called the twelve.
He prayed before he taught the disciples how to pray.
He prayed in the garden of Gethsemane.
He prayed from the cross.
Perhaps it is no accident that the first question in the baptismal covenant following our affirmation of belief in the Trinity is whether we will continue in the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, the breaking of the bread and in the prayers!
To gain strength and nourishment for the journey,
we are called to come together in community,
break bread,
and pray.
Our strength comes from beyond ourselves.
We must turn our lives over to God.
What is begun in baptism
we live out through prayer
so that we may be empowered to move into the world as Christ’s Body.
In a few moments, we will renew our baptismal covenant.
Then we will pray for the Church, the world, and ourselves.
Baptism,
prayer,
action.
As we go forth into our daily lives,
let us remember that we have been baptized with water and with fire,
being cleansed, renewed, and empowered for the work for which God has prepared us.
Amen.
