Baptism of the Lord, 2016

LUKE 3:15-16, 21-22

AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, MY WIFE AND I HAVE NINETEEN GRANDCHILDREN. THE OLDEST IS NINETEEN AND THE YOUNGEST IS FOUR. THEY ARE ALL UNIQUE; SOME MORE UNIQUE THAN OTHERS. I'VE BAPTIZED ALL BUT THREE OF THEM – ONE WAS BORN BEFORE I WAS A DEACON AND TWO WERE BORN OVERSEAS. IN ANY EVENT, IT'S BEEN A GREAT PRIVILEGE TO WATCH THEM GROW UP.

IN ONE OF THESE FAMILIES THERE IS A FIVE YEAR OLD WHO IS THE YOUNGEST OF THE CREW. IF YOU WERE TO ASK ANY OF HIS OLDER SIBLINGS WHICH CHILD THE PARENTS LIKE THE BEST, THEY WOULD ALL AGREE THAT IT'S HIM. AND IF YOU WERE TO ASK HIM WHO HIS PARENTS LIKED THE BEST, HE WOULD AGREE – HE WOULD HAVE NO HESITATION IN SAYING IT WAS HIM.

THERE ARE TWO REASONS FOR THIS; FIRST, WHEN YOU ARE SMALL, YOU ARE CUTER THAN WHEN YOU GET OLDER, AND YOU ATTRACT MORE POSITIVE ATTENTION. PLUS OBJECTIVELY YOU REQUIRE A LOT MORE MAINTENANCE FROM MOM AND DAD TO STAY CLEAN AND OUT OF TROUBLE COMPARED TO YOUR OLDER SIBLINGS, SO IT APPEARS THAT THEY ARE GIVING YOU MORE ATTENTION. BUT THE OTHER REASON IS THAT WHEN YOU ARE LITTLE, YOUR THOUGHT PROCESSES AREN'T VERY COMPLICATED. YOU DON'T OVER-ANALYZE THINGS, YOU DON'T HOLD GRUDGES, YOU AREN'T FRUSTRATED BECAUSE YOU CAN'T HAVE SOMETHING YOU THINK YOU NEED – AT LEAST NOT FOR VERY LONG. AND AS A RESULT, YOU HAVE FEW INTERNAL BARRIERS TO ALLOWING YOURSELF TO BE LOVED.

I KNOW NOT EVERY PERSON HAS HAD A GREAT CHILDHOOD; BUT I SUSPECT THAT MOST OF US AT SOME POINT DURING OUR CHILDHOOD KNEW ABSOLUTELY AND WITHOUT QUESTION THAT WE WERE LOVED.

IN THE GOSPEL STORY WE'VE JUST HEARD, JESUS UNDERGOES THE BAPTISM OF JOHN AND IMMEDIATELY RECEIVES THE ASSURANCE THAT HE IS BELOVED, THAT HE IS PLEASING TO HIS FATHER. NOTICE THAT HE HASN'T DONE ANYTHING YET; HE'S WORKED AS A CARPENTER, HE'S LOOKED AFTER HIS MOTHER, HE, LIKE HUNDREDS OF OTHERS HAS BEEN A FOLLOWER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST – HIS LIFE IS NOT OBVIOUSLY ANY DIFFERENT FROM OTHER MEN LIKE HIM. HE HASN'T PREACHED, HE HASN'T WORKED MIRACLES, HE HASN'T COLLECTED APOSTLES – AND HE HASN'T SUFFERED AND DIED AND ROSE FROM THE DEAD. BUT IT IS AT THIS POINT, BEFORE HE'S DONE ANYTHING, THAT HE IS ASSURED THAT HE IS LOVED BY THE FATHER.

WHEN A LITTLE CHILD KNOWS HE IS LOVED UNCONDITIONALLY, HE CAN BE A LITTLE BRATTY. BUT THAT'S JUST BECAUSE HE SENSES THAT HE CAN PUSH THE BOUNDARIES A LITTLE. KNOWING YOU ARE LOVED MAKES YOU BOLD; YOU HAVE AN ANCHOR IN THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU. BECAUSE SHE IS LOVED, A LITTLE GIRL TAKES HER FIRST STEPS, SAMPLES UNFAMILIAR FOODS, GOES TO SLEEP IN THE SCARY DARKNESS OF HER BEDROOM. BEING LOVED GIVES YOU POWER. IT ISN'T JUST TRUE OF LITTLE KIDS, EITHER; IT'S TRUE FOR YOUNG COUPLES WHO UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF BEING LOVED GET MARRIED AND TURN THEIR WHOLE LIVES UPSIDE DOWN; MOST OF US WHO ARE MARRIED CAN THINK OF THINGS WE DID BECAUSE WE WERE EMPOWERED BY LOVE, THINGS WE'D NEVER DO OTHERWISE.

AND JESUS IS OBVIOUSLY GIVEN GREAT POWER BECAUSE HE KNOWS HE IS LOVED. THE LOVE OF THE FATHER WAS MANIFEST IN BODILY FORM, IT SAYS, BY THE HOLY SPIRIT DESCENDING UPON HIM IN THE FORM OF A DOVE. JESUS WAS GOD FROM THE MOMENT OF HIS CONCEPTION, BUT IT WAS AT HIS BAPTISM THAT HE RECEIVED THE POWER THAT HE WAS TO MANIFEST DURING THE NEXT THREE YEARS. AND THAT POWER CAME BECAUSE HE WAS ASSURED THAT HE WAS BELOVED, THAT HE PLEASED HIS FATHER.

A LOT OF US THINK OF BAPTISM AS THE SACRAMENT THAT REMOVES ORIGINAL SIN. BUT IT'S SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT; IN THE FORMAL CEREMONY THERE IS THE CLOTHING WITH A WHITE GARMENT. THIS IS A SYMBOL OF THE INVITATION TO THE HEAVENLY BANQUET; BUT IT IS ALSO A SYMBOL OF OUR ADOPTION AS CHILDREN OF JESUS' FATHER. OUR GARMENTS ARE WASHED IN THE BLOOD OF THE LAMB, AND BECOME WHITE AS SNOW, AS IT SAYS IN THE BOOK OF REVELATION. WE ALSO RECEIVE A LIGHTED CANDLE AT BAPTISM. THE LIGHT IS TAKEN FROM THE PASCHAL CANDLE, WHICH SYMBOLIZES THE LIGHT OF CHRIST WHICH COMES INTO THE WORLD. AND IT IS PASSED ON TO US. AND FINALLY WE ARE ANOINTED WITH OIL – CHRISMED – AGAIN REINFORCING THE IDEA THAT WITH BAPTISM WE BECOME IDENTIFIED WITH CHRIST.

OVER THE NEXT FEW SUNDAYS WE WILL BE SEEING THE CONSEQUENCES OF THAT MOMENT WHEN JESUS WAS ASSURED OF HIS FATHER'S LOVE. HE WILL SAY ASTOUNDING THINGS, HE WILL WORK MIRACLES, HE WILL GATHER DISCIPLES WHO ARE DRAWN TO HIM BECAUSE THEY CAN SEE THAT HE HAS SOMETHING THEY WANT; HE HAS THE WORDS OF ETERNAL LIFE.

KNOWING THAT YOU ARE LOVED GIVES YOU POWER. KNOWING THAT YOU ARE UNRESERVEDLY LOVED BY THE FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST GIVES YOU IMMENSE POWER IF YOU WISH TO TAKE IT. EVERY ONE WHO HAS BEEN BAPTIZED IS MEANT TO PLAY A UNIQUE ROLE IN THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN, WHICH AS JESUS TOLD US, IS NOT OFF IN THE FUTURE BUT IS AMONG US. THAT SHOULD NOT BE FRIGHTENING, BUT SHOULD BRING US GREAT JOY, BECAUSE WE HAVE BEEN INVITED TO USE OUR GIFTS TO CHANGE THE WORLD, TO WORK ALONGSIDE OF JESUS OUR BROTHER TO MAKE GOD'S WILL A REALITY ON EARTH, AS IT IS IN HEAVEN.

WHEN YOU RECEIVE THE EUCHARIST, WHEN YOU SAY YOUR MORNING OR EVENING PRAYERS, WHEN YOU SPEND A FEW MOMENTS DRAWING BACK FROM THE WORLD AND CATCHING YOUR BREATH BEFORE YOU PLUNGE IN AGAIN, LISTEN CLOSELY, AND YOU ALSO WILL HEAR THOSE WORDS: “YOU ARE MY BELOVED, IN YOU I AM WELL PLEASED.