Baptism of the Lord, 2015

MARK 1:7-11
I KNOW AN ELDERLY MAN WHO SPENDS MUCH OF HIS TIME WITH HIS WIFE, WHO HAS SEVERE ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE.  I DON'T THINK SHE'S EVEN AWARE THAT HE'S THERE, AT LEAST NOT IN ANY WAY YOU COULD DETECT.  HE COULD BE DOING OTHER THINGS, AND SHE WOULDN'T KNOW.  BUT HE'S THERE, BEING PRESENT TO HER, ACCEPTING HE AS SHE IS.  I DON'T KNOW IF HE'S DOING HER ANY GOOD, BUT SHE ALLOWS HIM TO FEED HER HER LUNCH, AND WHEN HE'S THERE SHE IS CALM.  WHEN HE'S NOT, SHE SEEMS A BIT ANXIOUS AND HAS MOMENTS OF AGITATION.  HIS PRESENCE SEEMS TO HAVE A POSITIVE EFFECT ON HER.
TO A GREATER OR LESS DEGREE, MOST OF US DESIRE TO BE ACCEPTED.  IT MOTIVATES US, ESPECIALLY IN THE EARLY PART OF OUR LIVES.  WHEN A NEW BABY IS BORN INTO A FAMILY, THE OLDER SIBLINGS OFTEN CHANGE THEIR BEHAVIORS – SOMETIMES FOR THE WORSE, CALLING ATTENTION TO THEMSELVES, SOMETIMES FOR THE BETTER, HOPING TO DRAW SOME OF THAT ATTENTION AWAY FROM THE BABY TO THEMSELVES.  AND THIS GOES ON; THE DESIRE TO BE ACCEPTED BY PEERS IS FELT ACUTELY BY HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS.  CLIQUES QUICKLY FORM; THE ATHLETES, THE POPULAR KIDS, THE NON CONFORMISTS, THE GEEKS – AND EVEN THE GEEKS NEED ACCEPTANCE – I KNOW, BECAUSE I WAS ONE.  THE DESIRE FOR ACCEPTANCE SOMETIMES IMPACTS ON YOUR LIFE CHOICES.  YOU FIND THAT OTHERS ENCOURAGE YOU TO PURSUE THIS PATH OR THAT IN LIFE, AND WHEN YOU DO, YOU FEEL ACCEPTANCE.  WHEN WE GET MARRIED THAT'S DRIVEN IN PART BY THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ACCEPTED BY SOMEONE YOU HAVE COME TO REALLY LOVE.
PEOPLE WHO FEEL ACCEPTED SEEM TO HAVE ADVANTAGES OVER THOSE WHO DON'T.  THEY ARE MORE RELAXED FOR ONE THING, MORE SELF-CONFIDENT.  AND FROM THAT VANTAGE POINT THEY ARE CAPABLE OF ACCOMPLISHING MORE.  STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT WHEN YOU FEEL ACCEPTED, YOU PASS ON THIS ACCEPTANCE TO OTHERS;  THAT'S ESPECIALLY TRUE IN FAMILIES WHERE THE PARENTS HAVE A  LOVING AND STRONG RELATIONSHIP;  THE CHILDREN SEEM TO DO BETTER IN ALL WAYS ON THE AVERAGE.
TODAY WE SEE A  TURNING POINT IN THE LIFE OF  JESUS.  SINCE THE BEGINNING OF CHRISTIANITY PEOPLE HAVE  ASKED, WHY DID JESUS ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE BAPTIZED?  HE HAD  NOTHING FROM WHICH TO REPENT – HE WAS SINLESS.  DID HE GET BAPTIZED AS AN EXAMPLE FOR US?  BUT THEN HE WOULD JUST BE GOING THROUGH THE MOTIONS.  THAT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE JESUS.
WHEN WE THINK OF HIS BAPTISM, THOUGH, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT HE WAS A HUMAN BEING.  WE CHRISTIANS HAVE A HARD TIME WITH THIS IDEA; WE TEND TO BE DOCETISTS – HERETICS WHO BELIEVED THAT GOD THE SON APPEARED TO BE A HUMAN BEING, BUT WASN'T REALLY.  BUT IF JESUS IS  REALLY A HUMAN BEING, HE'S LIKE YOU AND I AND HAS CERTAIN PSYCHOLOGICAL  NEEDS AS WELL AS PHYSICAL ONES.  JESUS NEEDED TO KNOW THAT HE WAS ACCEPTED.
JESUS UNDERWENT BAPTISM IN ONE SENSE BECAUSE HE WANTED TO BE IN SOLIDARITY WITH HUMAN BEINGS.  EVEN THOUGH HE WAS SINLESS, HE WANTED TO ACCEPT IN HIMSELF THE CONSEQUENCES OF OUR SINS.  EVEN THOUGH HE MIGHT HAVE CALLED UPON ANGELS TO ATTEND TO HIS NEEDS, HE CHOSE TO MEET THOSE NEEDS LIKE HUMAN BEINGS DID, THROUGH HIS OWN EFFORTS.  HE LED OUR LIFE SO THAT WE COULD LEAD HIS; THAT'S THE MEANING OF HOLY COMMUNION, WHEN WE INVITE JESUS TO BECOME ONE WITH US.
BUT ON ANOTHER LEVEL, JESUS' BAPTISM WAS A MOMENT WHEN HE FELT THE ACCEPTANCE OF GOD THE FATHER, WHEN HE HEARD THE WORDS “YOU ARE MY BELOVED SON, IN YOU I AM  WELL PLEASED.”  THE REST OF HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY WAS A CONSEQUENCE OF THIS PROFOUND ACCEPTANCE – HE WENT ABOUT SHOWING PEOPLE THAT NO MATTER HOW DEFORMED, ILL, SINFUL OR HOPELESS, JESUS ACCEPTED YOU, AND SINCE JESUS WAS GOD, WHEN HE ACCEPTED YOU, IT WAS A SIGN THAT THE FATHER DID AS WELL.  IN A SHORT TIME WE WILL WATCH THAT SCENE WHERE JESUS STRETCHES OUT HIS HAND AND TOUCHES A LEPER.  THAT WAS UNHEARD OF, THAT WAS AGAINST ALL THE RULES; BUT JESUS, WHO FELT THE DEEP AND ABIDING ACCEPTANCE OF THE FATHER, COULD REACH OUT AND ACCEPT THIS POOR CREATURE.  ON THE CROSS JESUS CRIED OUT, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORESAKEN ME?” AND PERHAPS IN THAT MOMENT THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE FATHER WAS NO LONGER FELT; BUT HIS COMPOSURE SOON RETURNED AND HE SAID, “INTO YOUR HANDS I COMMEND MY SPIRIT”.
THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE CHRISTIANS NEED TO KEEP GOING BACK TO.  MOST OF  US DON'T REMEMBER OUR BAPTISM.  I HAVE A CERTIFICATE AT HOME THAT I COULD LOOK AT SO THAT I WOULD AT LEAST KNOW THE DAY I WAS BAPTIZED AND BY WHOM.  BUT I HAVE NO PERSONAL MEMORY OF  IT.  BUT THERE IS SOMETHING WE ALL SHOULD REFLECT ON.  WHEN WE WERE BAPTIZED, WE, LIKE JESUS, WERE ACCEPTED BY THE FATHER.  AND LIKE JESUS, THAT ACCEPTANCE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT WE HAD DONE OR WHO WE WERE.  JESUS RECEIVED  THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE FATHER  BEFORE HE STARTED HIS PUBLIC MINISTRY; THE FATHER CALLED HIM “SON” AT THAT MOMENT, NOT BECAUSE OF WHAT HE WOULD DO, BUT BECAUSE OF WHO HE WAS.  AND HE DOES THE SAME WITH US.  IF I HAD SUPERNATURAL HEARING WHEN I WAS BAPTIZED, I WOULD HAVE HEARD THE SAME LOVING STATEMENT FROM THE FATHER;  “YOU ARE MY BELOVED, IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”
IF WE TRULY UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE HIS BELOVED SONS AND DAUGHTERS, IT SHOULD HAVE AN EFFECT ON OUR OWN BEHAVIOR.  INSTEAD OF TRYING TO PLEASE GOD TO WIN HIS FAVOR, THE MOTIVE FOR OUR GOOD WORKS SHOULD BE OUT OF GRATITUDE THAT WE ARE LOVED AND THAT WE HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BE LIKE OUR FATHER.  IF WE TRULY UNDERSTAND THAT GOD ACCEPTS US WITHOUT RESERVE, THAT HE COULDN'T LOVE US  MORE THAN HE DOES, REGARDLESS OF WHAT WE DO, THEN WE SHOULD HAVE A DESIRE TO HELP OTHERS REALIZE THIS AS WELL.  AND IF WE REALLY KNOW IN OUR HEARTS THAT WE ARE LOVED, THEN WE BEGIN TO SEE EACH OTHER THROUGH OUR FATHER'S EYES – THAT THIS ONE IS HIS BELOVED, AND SO IS THAT ONE.
SO TODAY MEDITATE ON YOUR OWN BAPTISM, AND TRY TO HEAR THOSE WORDS WHICH THE FATHER SPOKE TO YOU THEN, AND SPEAKS TO YOU EVEN NOW, “YOU ARE MY BELOVED, IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.”  AND WHEN YOU ALLOW YOURSELF TO ACCEPT THIS AS ABSOLUTELY AND UNCONDITIONALLY TRUE, IT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE.