January 7th,
2018 “Epiphany of
Love” Rev. Heather Jepsen
Isaiah 60:1-6 and
Mark 1:1-11
Today we are celebrating a combination
of two liturgical holidays. Yesterday
was Epiphany, or the day we celebrate the Magi coming to worship the baby
Jesus. It is a day focused on God’s
light in our world, and our own enlightenment regarding who God is. Today is Baptism of the Lord Sunday, a day
when we honor and remember the baptism of Jesus Christ, and search for meaning
surrounding our own baptisms. This week
I find these two church holidays together to be an interesting and insightful
combination.
I want to begin with the reading about
Jesus’ baptism. We are in liturgical
year B this year, which means we will be spending a lot of time in the gospel
of Mark. You will notice that Mark’s
style of writing is very brief and concise.
This is the very beginning of Mark’s gospel and absent is the story we
have been celebrating for weeks. There
is no narrative about a virgin, angels, or a holy birth. Mark begins with the story of John the
Baptist, the one who is preparing the way for the Lord Jesus, who doesn’t
appear until the 9th verse.
Mark also leaves out some of the more
interesting details about John. Gone is
his preaching on God’s wrath and his arguments with the religious leaders. Gone is his struggle to define why exactly,
he, who is less than Jesus, should be the one to baptize the Messiah who is
greater than him. Like Elijah, John is
simply out in the wilderness, serving as a prophet for the Lord.
Jesus comes and is baptized by John
there in the river Jordan. As Jesus was
coming up out of the water, he has a vision.
The heavens are torn open and the Spirit descends like a dove. Jesus, and perhaps John and the crowds as
well, (Mark isn’t clear exactly who), hears a voice declaring “You are my Son,
the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”
In theological circles, there is a lot
of talk around this passage and folks wonder whether or not this is God
adopting Jesus as God’s son. With Mark
being the earliest gospel written, these words were probably composed before
the narrative we have been celebrating for weeks. Logically, if there is no story of a miracle
birth, no angel announcements, no worshipping magi, then this character of
Jesus in Mark’s gospel might not be the “son of God” like we read about in Luke
where the Holy Spirit comes upon Mary and the child who will be born is holy.
Some scholars think that if there is no
birth narrative that this point, at the baptism, is when Jesus becomes the son
of God. The formula of words God uses
here is the legal language used in the culture of the time to signify
adoption. So, scholars think this may be
the moment when Jesus was adopted as God’s son, rather than being born as God’s
son.
All just ideas, and I don’t really want
to go too far down that road, but I do want to talk about what God says. God says, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with
you I am well pleased.” Issues of
adoption aside, these were the words that really struck me this week, because I
think that these are the words that God says to us too. “You are my child, I love you, and with you I
am well pleased.” Especially as we join
ourselves with Jesus in our own baptisms.
Like Jesus, we are children of
God. Like Jesus, we are God’s
beloved. And like Jesus, God is well
pleased with us. “Wait a minute,” you
might be saying “I haven’t done anything to make God pleased with me.” Possibly, but look at the text, Jesus hadn’t
done anything either. This is the very
beginning of Mark’s gospel. Jesus hasn’t
done any miracles, he hasn’t taught any lessons, he hasn’t mixed it up with the
Pharisees, and he hasn’t healed anyone.
He might not even know he is God’s son.
According to Mark, Jesus is just suddenly there in the water, and God is
pleased with him. He hasn’t done any
ministry, and God is pleased with him.
Jesus is of inherent value to God, not for what he does, but for who he
is.
This is my epiphany this week. Like Jesus, we are of inherent value to God,
not because of the things we do, but simply because of our belovedness. When the world around us constantly tells us
that we are not good enough, pretty enough, rich enough, or whatever enough;
our God tells us, “you are my child, I love you, and no matter what I am
pleased with you.” That is a pretty
profound thought for this New Year.
Our reading from Isaiah is an epiphany
reading, not a baptism reading. While it
seems like nothing but positive, this scripture was actually written in very negative
circumstances. The people of Israel have
returned from exile in Babylon only to find their country in ruins. The cities and towns are wastelands, and the
disappointment they feel is profound.
Isaiah once again, offers the people a vision of hope.
Look and see, he says. Israel will be a light for the nations. Even though the people feel like they are in
darkness, the light of God is shining all around them. Darkness will be in the land, but the people
of God will be a light in dark places.
The people of God will open their eyes and they shall be radiant. Their hearts will rejoice, and it will draw
others into their midst.
I think that if we truly believe that
we are God’s children, if we believe God loves us and if we believe that love
is not about what we do, but about who we are; then we as a people can be a
light to the nations. Just like the Israelites
our world is a dark place. But God is in
that darkness because God is in our hearts.
God has adopted us as beloved children, and God loves us no matter what
we do. With that love in our hearts, we
can go out into the world and be a light in the darkness. Like Isaiah writes, “when we see this we
shall be radiant; our hearts shall thrill and rejoice, and the nations shall
come to us.”
The season of Epiphany is a season of
light and it will last in the church until Lent starts next month. During this time of new awakenings, and
celebrating the light of God, I want you to remember your own state of
belovedness and your own inherent value.
Like Jesus, who was praised before his ministry even began, God loves
you. God loves you not for what you do,
God loves you for who you are, a beloved child of God.
I want you to remember your baptism
today, as you are one who is united with Christ and with God’s love. As we make our way this year in a dark and
cold world, remember God’s love, and let that love shine in the darkness as a
beacon for others. For if God loves us, then
God loves us all. May we live an
epiphany of love, and may we be a light in the darkness this New Year. Amen.
As we strive to remember our baptisms
and remember our union with God’s love in Christ Jesus, I invite you to come
forward during this next hymn and touch the waters of baptism.
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