Mark 1:4-11; Acts 19:1-7
There’s no mistaking that the author of the gospel Mark in offering a quick sketch of John dressed in the way he is, with John’s location in the wilderness, and people coming to him seeking a word, a touch, a new way to live that Mark is describing John as a new Elijah.
For Mark, John’s baptizing Jesus offers no predicaments as is indicated by the church that you can hear in the hesitations and qualifications in Matthew and Luke, or that we might have: if Jesus is sinless why would he need to be baptized by John? Clearly, succinctly, Jesus is baptized by John. What follows for the reader and Jesus, is an Epiphany –the heavens open, the holy Spirit descends, and Jesus is told that he IS the of God. The author of Mark leaves no question for us about Jesus’ identity.
Well, that’s it in a nutshell!
Hold on; we’re not quite ready to sing the last hymn; let me say just a few more things.
John the baptizer is attracting folks to the Jordan – that river separating the land of milk and honey from the wilderness- with the message of change your lives. The Jordan is a border dividing peoples lost from those who have found hope. We hear of the mighty Jordan River; we have images of folks wading into the waters to mark a change in their lives. I remember years ago crossing the Jordan River coming from Amman, Jordan going into Israel. As we prepared to approach the border, we were told to keep our cameras put away and to remain in our seats in the van and not act suspiciously. Security was high; each side closely guarded its side of the border. There would be no baptizing that day. Actually, the great Allenby Bridge and the Jordan River were both a disappointment to my wild imagination in that the bridge was similar to a bridge carried in pieces by the military and then constructed during combat. The river wasn’t the great expanse I had imagined; it was more like a wadi that diminished greatly during dry seasons and almost gave out as it traveled south. There would be no baptizing in that river gone almost dry in that place and on that day.
But for the people of Jesus’ day, they were drawn to that place marking where life changed for the people of Israel. For Jesus, this place also is a change for him. He and John knew each; we’re not clear from the records how well. Jesus is baptized into his ministry; he is baptized into the spiritual renewal movement that has been ongoing since Moses led Israel to Mount Nebo and the sight of the land of milk and honey. Jesus, identified, readied marks a new chapter in the history of salvation. Christianity is born through baptism.
Being drawn to the waters makes sense to me. I remember as a youngster, our family vacations usually had water as the destination - Indian Lake in the Adirondack Mountains, Lake Sunapee in New Hampshire, Prince Edward Island surrounded by the ocean, the St Lawrence River and its Thousand Islands. As a couple, my parents would routinely go for a drive: destination the periphery of Saratoga Lake. When I lived in Boston while in seminary, I would periodically take myself to the water’s edge to regain a sense of order. There’s something about the calming, healing effect of water. I think bodies of water also draw us outside of ourselves; we are reminded that we are not the ‘be all, end all.’ Water draws us back to the environment in which we live; water draws us to the travel of the earth and moon, draws us to the universe.
This baptismal water refreshes, renews us. Each day we are reminded of that. There’s nothing better than a glass of cold water to quench one’s thirst. There’s nothing so tingly as to run under a sprinkler or before an opened fire hydrant on a hot, sultry day!
As babes in the womb, we were held in water; in fact, our bodies still are primarily H2O. Water supports life and helps life grow. Baptismal waters, too, tell us of the preciousness of life. We are recognized as a child of God.
Brushing our teeth without water gives me a great appreciation for a cup of it. Having a bar of soap and no water, we recognize as pretty useless. This water that blesses us also cleans. Symbolically through Christ, we are washed of our sin.
We know the importance of water; we dam it, we fight over it; we control its use. We hoard it from poorer folks; we waste it as privileged ones. Similarly, baptismal waters are important also; they change us. This sacramental water offers us, asks us to live in a new, in Christ. Remember the woman at the well? Christ blessed water so it became Living Water in Him. Christ transformed the Jewish need to use living water – water which was running – in lake, in river, feeding a well – for washing so that through Christ we are fed this Living Water.
Humanity, the U.S. in particular, is on the brink of condemning life on earth by forever changing our climate and world, as we consumers continue to offer in exchange for our demands, continued high levels of CO2 and other toxic emissions into our environment and stratosphere. Scientists studying the melting of glaciers and disruptions of icebergs in Greenland say that within a hundred years, we will have created a situation where not only ocean levels will increase, but ocean temperatures will increase at a greater and greater rate causing the extinction of thousands of species that now live in the oceanic pools of life. Our Baptismal waters remind us of our covenantal relationship with the earth, with the environment, with the waters of the world. Our Baptismal waters alert us saying we can no longer keep consuming, destroying, living life as we always have believing that we will pass on a healthy, whole earth to our generations to come.
Fighting this tendency of disposing of our waterways and environment, a singing group started by Pete Sieger over about the last decade has been working toward alerting folks along the lower Hudson River of its past beauty through in/on-boat concerts. Well into his 7th decade of life – actually – I believe he is at least 80 years of age, he still believes in the power of song that can bring folks together to do good. The continual effort on the Hudson has been successful in gradually getting more and more cleaned up along that part of the river; once again it can be used recreationally, people can boat more safely, people can swim and folks fish. Closer to home, with not a lot of singing but years of fighting, much money and life is at stake, some details still need to be worked through in the Cohoes/Waterford areas, but hopefully, we will be experiencing a great effort in the very near future as PCB cleanup efforts begin just north of us on this Hudson River.
I imagine that the majority of us, who are baptized, do not remember our own baptisms. It was something done to us a long time ago when we were held in our parents’ arms. We never knew any other way. Infant and child baptisms are wonderful; we ooh! and aah! over the child held before us and perhaps the parents’ decision. I’m not sure if the significance of the baptism is not lost to us.
Youth and adult baptisms are special in a very different way. There is a clear distinction, a time before and a time after, a point where one can say, ‘yes that’s what I want. I made a conscious decision to accept Christ Jesus as my Savior and want to be baptized.’
Jesus along with hordes of others was drawn to the river’s edge, to hear John speak and to be baptized into a new life. After that, Jesus began his ministry. So, too, our Baptism marks a time of blessing by God and indicates we have just begun our journey now in ministry with Jesus Christ. For Soheil and Elnaz: they begin their ministry in Christ today.
Our witnessing their baptisms reminds us that we, too, who are already baptized, are all called to be in ministry in Christ. We aren’t called to just wade around in the toddlers’ end of the pool and made to feel good on a Sunday morn. We are called to the deep end, to make a difference in our world in the name of Christ and His Love. We are called to be recognized by our love of God and our love of one another and our love of God’s creation. How do we, how are we going to that?
Take a moment now – remember what happened here at the beginning of this worship. How do the baptisms of today impact your life in Christ? Remember your Baptism.
You were washed; you were sanctified; you were justified; you were blessed in the name of Jesus the Christ and in the Spirit of our God. You are a beloved Child of God. Amen.
