Today's Scripture Readings
Genesis 1:1-5 (NRSV)
In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
Psalm 29 (BCP., p.620).
Acts 19:1-7 (NRSV)
While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus, where he found some disciples. He said to them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?" They replied, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit." Then he said, "Into what then were you baptized?" They answered, "Into John's baptism." Paul said, "John baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus." On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied-- altogether there were about twelve of them.
Mark 1:4-11 (NRSV)
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Blog Reflection
Of this Feast of The Baptism of the Lord, St. Maximus of Turin wrote:
For when the Savior is washed all water for our baptism is made clean, purified at its source for the dispensing of baptismal grace to the people of future ages. Christ is the first to be baptized, the, so that Christians will follow after him with confidence. (The Liturgy of the Hours: Volume 1, Advent and Christmas Seasons, p.613).
Today, we celebrate how Jesus gave us this wonderful Sacrament of Baptism. Episcopalians and Anglicans take our Baptism very seriously. We renew our Baptismal Vows at various times of the year. Today's Feast, Easter, Pentecost, All Saints and at any service where we celebrate Baptism, Confirmation, the Reception of New Members and we even have a Rite for the Reaffirmation of our Baptismal Vows. These services can be found in The Book of Common Prayer, beginning on page 415 through page 419.
We continue to worship in a Church and live in a society that is divided by titles and labels. Many titles and labels do carry some truth. In the case of the Church, we have the four orders of ministry. Bishops. Priests. Deacons. Laity. I am a Religious and a Monk in training. There is a vocation and an identity within those titles and labels. However, our identity does not begin or end there. A vocation within the Church and outside of the Church is a path by which God empowers us to walk in the way God marks out for each of us. A vocation is a means God uses to remake us into the person that God wants us to be; but our end is not in this world. This is why sometimes it just bothers me to pieces when Church leaders are so eager to push their "authority" claiming it to be a matter of "ministry" or "protection" as a "shepherd." Human authority even in the Church can make mistakes. Human authority can injure and be destructive to a person's faith if that authority is used carelessly and recklessly. A clerical mistake in the Name of Christ, is still a mistake. A mistake in which there should be more accountability by both the Church, its many leaders and its laity. A Church that refuses to grow out of error, is a Church that stops letting the Holy Spirit lead us into all truth.
When a Christian of any vocation uses the Bible as a means of "authority" on an unsuspecting soul, especially a confused LGBT teen, or questioning adult, the fall out is disastrous to put it kindly.
In our society at large, we have issues of racism, sexism, heterosexism, gender discrimination, prejudice towards people who are mentally, physically and/or psychologically challenged, the unemployed, the sick, the immigrant, senior citizens, etc. All of this happens, because we use these labels to determine who benefits at the others expense. The rich get richer and more powerful; while the middle class becomes poorer. Those who are sick cannot get adequate health care or Social Security, because the really well off and the powerful control those in political power. Even Christians sense that we are privileged to the point that we can determine that Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Atheists, Wiccan's and more, just should not be able to have their own opinions or practices apart from ours. In so doing, we render the Gospel of Jesus Christ powerless, by our asserting our own control. God, the Holy Spirit is beyond all human control and certainty. God is greater than our smallness and isolation. God is God and we are not.
As we celebrate The Baptism of the Lord, we can rejoice as that God has identified us. When Jesus came up from the River Jordan, God did not say: "You are my Beloved Jew (Christian, etc) with whom I am well pleased." God also did not say: "You are my Beloved white man." Nor did God say: "You are my lesbian daughter, and you have no right to love who you love." No. In Jesus, God identifies each of us as God's Beloved; with whom God is well-pleased. Jesus is God's prefect revelation in the Word made Flesh. Jesus is God's human perfected in our imperfection, uplifted, made Divine and redeemed in Christ. All of us are also God's Beloved in Christ; and with us God is well-pleased.
Perhaps this week, we can all take some time to meditate, pray and act on that thought. It just may be the sweetest and most wonderful thing that happens in this New Year of 2015.
Amen.
Prayers
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River
Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him
with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into his
Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly
confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy
Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen. (Collect for the First Sunday After the Epiphany/The Baptism of the Lord. The Book of Common Prayer, p.214).
Gracious Father, we pray for thy holy Catholic Church. Fill it
with all truth, in all truth with all peace. Where it is corrupt,
purify it; where it is in error, direct it; where in any thing it is
amiss, reform it. Where it is right, strengthen it; where it is in
want, provide for it; where it is divided, reunite it; for the sake
of Jesus Christ thy Son our Savior. Amen. (Prayer for the Church. The Book of Common Prayer. p.816).
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