Joined With Christ in Baptism

There are many legends and tales surrounding St. Patrick of Ireland, and while I would not want to vouch for the historical accuracy of any of them, nevertheless, there is one which I would like to share with you this morning.

When Patrick was an old man, though he had some physical weaknesses and infirmities, he was still strong in his faith and strong in the pursuit of his ministry. Through his fervent preaching of the gospel, Patrick had just persuaded yet another Irish chieftain to abandon paganism and convert to Christianity.

On the appointed day, with several hundred members of the chieftain’s clan watching, the elderly saint led the young clan leader out into a river to be baptized. The current was swift, and the old bishop was thankful for his staff, on which he leaned heavily to maintain his balance.

About midstream in waist high water, Patrick and the young clan leader stopped, and there, with appropriate ceremony, Patrick baptized the chieftain in the holy name of the Trinity.

With the baptism concluded, Patrick and Ireland’s newest Christian prepared to make their way back to dry land. It was then that Patrick first noticed that the water around where he and the young man were standing had taken on a reddish tint, which extended on far downstream. Patrick then saw that the young Irishman, who otherwise seemed fine, was walking toward the bank with a slight limp, a limp which he had not displayed earlier.

Upon leaving the river, Patrick discovered that while they had been in the water, he had placed the end of his staff on the chieftain’s foot, and the old saint had leaned so heavily upon that staff, he had driven it deep into the flesh, nearly all the way through.

Patrick was most apologetic, but he asked of the young man, why had he not said anything, why had he not cried out, not even grimaced? The young leader replied, “You preached to us about how they drove nails into the hands and feet of Jesus. I thought it was part of the ritual.

Unlike the Irish chieftain in the story, most of us are well acquainted with the rite of Christian baptism. While many of us were baptized as infants, and therefore cannot remember our own baptism, yet we have had occasions to witness this sacrament many times, and perhaps even to have participated as godparents or sponsors.

And while depending on denomination and custom, baptism may be done by pouring, sprinkling, or immersion, the way we understand and accept it, it is always done with water and always in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Today’s gospel gives us the story of another baptism, and it is a story which is founded upon historical fact. It is the story of the baptism of Christ, the event which we remember and celebrate upon this first Sunday after the Epiphany.

The event of Jesus’ baptism is recorded in all three synoptic gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. There is also reference to the same event in the Gospel of John. With only some minor differences in detail, all these accounts are consistent with one another. Today of course, we heard Matthew’s version of the story.

Jesus was about thirty years old. His public ministry had not yet begun. He had not yet called anyone to be a disciple.

John the Baptist, of whom we heard so much during Advent, was busily conducting his ministry on the Jordan River. John was calling for everyone to repent of their sins and to be baptized, to be washed clean in order to prepare for a new life of righteousness and obedience to God.

The Jewish people who came to John were accustomed to ritual cleansing with water. It was expected that anyone who had done something to make themselves unclean under the law would undergo a ritual bath of purification before rejoining the community. But John was calling on everyone, the entire nation, to repent and be baptized. He told them this was necessary because the coming of the Messiah, the Anointed One, was near at hand, and all the people needed to be prepared.

But John made it clear that he was not the Chosen One; he was only the messenger. “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me

. . . He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Then one day it happened. Without any fanfare or warning, Jesus came from his home in Galilee to the Jordan River. He came asking to be baptized by John.

John seems to have been caught off guard. He apparently at once recognized who Jesus was. He knew Jesus was the Messiah, but had not expected the Messiah, the Christ, to come asking him for baptism. John did not consider himself worthy to do such a thing, and according to Matthew’s version of the story, he protested.

John said to Jesus, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus responded: “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” In other words, Jesus assured John that it was God’s will for it to be done and that it would be in fulfillment of God’s purpose. Having heard this from Jesus, John made no further protest, and Jesus was baptized.

As soon as Jesus came up from the water, God gave dramatic affirmation to what had happened, and Jesus was empowered by the Spirit to begin his ministry, to begin the fulfillment of his Messianic calling.

The scripture says, “The heavens were opened to [Jesus], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.” Then, echoing the words from Isaiah about God’s chosen servant, a voice from heaven, the voice of God himself proclaimed, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

Jesus had been born as the Christ; he had been born the Son of God. The birth narratives, the nativity stories of both Matthew and Luke, make this clear. Now God had reaffirmed his special relationship with Jesus. God had anointed him and commissioned him to begin his ministry to humanity.

I now invite you once again to think back on all the baptisms you have witnessed, and whether you can remember it or not, to consider and reflect especially upon your own baptism in relation to today’s gospel.

Perhaps your initial response is something like this: Well, I don’t recall the heavens being opened to allow the Spirit to descend upon me as a dove, nor do I recall hearing the voice of God. But after all, we may tell ourselves, who are we to compare our own baptisms to the baptism of Jesus. He was, after all, the Son of God.

Yes, Jesus was special. He was born the Son of God. Jesus was divine, and most certainly we are not.

But that is not to say we are not special to God in our own way. In baptism, we were joined to Christ: Joined to him in death and joined to him in resurrection. In baptism, we were reborn as new creatures. In baptism we became children of God by adoption, and the heavens indeed opened to us.

I would also submit that everyone who has been baptized has heard the voice of God. Perhaps not exactly in the same manner as in today’s gospel story, but everyone who has been baptized has heard, or will hear, the voice of God calling them. We may hear it in a variety of ways, but we do hear it. The voice of God calls us when we do wrong to repent and to return to God. The voice of God is constantly calling us into a relationship of love and to share God’s love with everyone. And the voice of God calls us all to do ministry in the name of Christ.

Remember who the prayer book identifies as the ministers of the church: lay persons, bishops, priest, and deacons - - in that order - - you first, deacons last. Actually, of course, all these ministries are important, and all are necessary if the Body of Christ is to be truly alive, healthy and active in the world.

And to help us do our ministry, to empower us and make us effective in representing Christ to a world that needs him badly, we received the Spirit when we were baptized. Whether it came to us a dove, or as fire, or as a rushing wind, or in the quiet stillness of God’s infinite peace and wisdom, all Christians have received the Spirit. The Spirit is in us, and it is there to comfort us, to inspire us, and to give us strength to do God’s will in ways most powerful.

So how special were our baptisms? In our baptisms, each of us, in our own individual name, was signed and sealed by the Spirit - - anointed and marked as Christ’s own forever. What could be more special than that? Amen.