January
13th, 2019 “Child
of God” Rev. Heather Jepsen
Isaiah 43:1-7 and
Luke 3:15-22
So often in our world today we find ourselves
searching for meaning, especially this time of year. I think that often in the New Year many of us
become reflective. We think of the year
past, things we did well and things we could have done better. And we think of the year to come, what are
our plans for ourselves and our families.
Many of us make resolutions or promises to ourselves about what kind of
people we want to be in the coming year.
Maybe you are trying a new diet or exercise plan these days, or maybe
you are focusing on a new prayer regimen.
Whatever promises we might make to ourselves, for many of us, this is a
time of year to wonder just who we are and what, if anything, makes us of
value.
Our Biblical texts for this morning are
all about value. Our Old Testament
reading from the prophet Isaiah was written to the Israelites when they were
captive in Babylon. Isaiah can have some
pretty harsh words for the people of Israel; in fact, he claims that the
destruction of Jerusalem and their current state of exile are all their fault because
they had such bad behavior. But in this
reading for today, Isaiah only has words of comfort for the broken nation.
“Thus says the Lord” Isaiah claims and
the listener is to understand that these are not Isaiah’s words but rather the
words of God spoken directly to the community.
“Thus says the Lord” I am the one who made you, I am the one who formed
you, and I am the one with the power to make you again. I have redeemed you, I have called you, and I
will be with you when you pass through the waters and fire of chaos. I will give the world for you. You are precious to me and I love you. I am with you and will gather you together
once more, into the nation of Israel.
God’s promises to the people Israel are
powerful and moving. God is the one who
created this special people, and though they are scattered and broken now, God
promises that God will re-create the nation again. The language is intimate. God is speaking to the whole nation, but the
language of the text is “I” and “You” as if God is also speaking to each individual
person. “I love you” “You are mine” “You are precious” and “I am with you” are
words of deep power and meaning. What an
exquisite expression of God’s love for the people of Israel.
We hear words of love from God in our
New Testament reading as well. This is
Baptism of the Lord Sunday, the liturgical day every year when we examine the
story of Jesus’ Baptism. This year we
are looking at the story as told by the author of Luke’s Gospel. The way Luke tells the story, the people of
Israel are wondering if perhaps John the Baptist, the desert preacher, might be
the promised Messiah. John makes it
clear that he is not the one who was to come.
Though he preaches the word of God and tangles with the religious and
state authorities, John is only the predecessor of the true Messiah. He tells all who will listen that “one who is
coming who is more powerful than I”, and so the people are on the lookout for
something more.
That something more, of course, is
Jesus Christ. The readers of the gospel
know that this man is special, having heard the stories and promises made at
his birth. But the characters in Luke’s
story do not know who Jesus is. Luke
tells us that after everyone else was baptized by John, Jesus too enters the
water. He is baptized by John and then
begins to pray. Each gospel writer tells
the story a little differently and this time of prayer is unique to Luke. It is during his prayer, that Jesus sees the
heavens open and the Holy Spirit descending and landing on him as if it was a
dove. Jesus hears a voice from heaven
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Again, we hear words of profound comfort and
love from the Creator.
Both of these texts offer answers to us
when we are wondering just who we are and what makes us of value. Through the life of Jesus Christ, the
promises God makes to the state of Israel through the prophet Isaiah, are
promises that God makes to us as well.
God is the one who created and formed us, each one of us a unique and
blessed work of art. God is the one who
calls each of us by our own names, and claims us as God’s own. When we are suffering in times of difficulty,
passing though the deep waters and fierce fires of life, God promises to be
with us so that we shall not be overwhelmed and consumed by our suffering. God will give the world for us, because we
are so precious to God.
Each of us as individuals can hear
God’s promise to be with us, and encourage us not to be afraid. And we can look forward to the time when God
gathers us together with all the world, people from all times and places, a new
creation made whole again through God’s redemptive love. This time of year, as we are so often busy
judging ourselves and looking for all the places where we haven’t measured up,
what would it mean for us to take these words of God to heart? “I love you, you are mine.”
We remember these promises of love and
care when we celebrate the sacrament of Baptism. When Jesus was baptized he got in line with
the rest of the world. The Son of God
came among us, taking his places with all the regular schleps of the world, and
joined with us in this ritual of cleansing and redemption. Theologically we might wonder why a sinless
Lord would need to be baptized, but emotionally we can see the power of God’s
love expressed through Jesus’ willingness to join us in our mess. The words God says to Jesus upon his baptism
are the same words God says to us when we are baptized. “You are my child, I love you, with you I am
well pleased.” Again we hear that we are
of infinite value, a pleasing creation loved by a gracious Creator.
Today we remind ourselves of these
promises of love and affirmation. We
will gather together at the communion table, coming forward to receive the
bread and cup. As we eat and drink
together, we are reminded of Jesus intimate fellowship with the broken world. Not holding himself aloft or separate, Jesus
formed real relationships and made real friends. He shared meals in community, as he taught us
who God was and who God was calling us to be.
In the sacrament of communion we
remember God’s communion, coming together, with us as a creation. In the bread and cup we celebrate the life
and death of Jesus Christ, the deepest expression of how much God loves and
values this world. And we look forward
to the promises of Isaiah, where God will gather all people together, from
north and south and east and west, so that we may once again be a whole and
healed creation.
Today we are also taking a moment to
remember our individual baptisms. Some
of us were baptized as teens or adults and so we have a living memory of the
event, but many here were baptized as children.
To take the time to touch the water is an opportunity for you to once
again embrace your baptism and the promises made on your behalf to raise you in
the faith. In our baptisms we are called
and claimed as beloved children of God.
In the world we live in, we are so
often tempted to find ourselves coming up short. We aren’t as skinny or fit as our neighbor,
we don’t have as much money, and we don’t have as many friends. Many of us find ourselves to be lacking, we
aren’t the people we wish we were. Our
Scripture texts for today point out that this couldn’t be farther from the
truth. Today we hear from the voice of
God that we are the exact people we are supposed to be. Sure we fall and fail, sure we will make
mistakes, but even in the midst of our brokenness we are beloved. Even in the midst of our failure, we are
precious. Even in the midst of our
sinfulness, we are loved beyond our ability to comprehend.
So today, as we gather around the font
and table, hear these words from God to you.
“You are my child” “I love
you” “Do not fear” “I am with you”. May we take these words to heart this day as
beloved children of God. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment