Isaiah 42:1-9
Matthew 3:13-17

This past Thursday, January 6, we began the third season of the church year, the season of Epiphany, which means manifestation or making known of someone or something, in this case, Jesus. This season is preceded by Advent and Christmastide. During this season of revealing who Jesus is we normally share the following stories:

1. The Magi or Wisemen bringing gifts to the new King of the Jews.
2. The baptism of Jesus, which we do today, in which God declares that Jesus is God's Beloved Son.
3. The first public miracle of Jesus which is turning water into wine at a wedding feast.
4. The sharing of Jesus' teachings in the Beatitudes.
5. The transfiguration which again declares God's love for Jesus and prepares Jesus to go to the cross.

Today we concentrate on the baptism of Jesus. Baptism is an extremely important act for all of us, and every Gospel account has some mention of it although the Gospel of John is vague when it comes to Jesus' baptism. The baptism of Jesus is difficult for many to understand in that we associate baptism with the forgiveness of sin, and for those who believe Jesus was without sin, it is seen as an unnecessary act.

Matthew attempts to address this situation in that while he follows Mark which was written earlier he adds a conversation between John the Baptist and Jesus. As an aside we no doubt are familiar with Jesus humbling Himself to wash the disciples' feet on the evening of the Last Supper. At first Peter refused this washing. Jesus told him it had to be done if he desired to be part of Him. In dissimilar fashion John the Baptist protests that he should not be baptizing Jesus but rather Jesus should be baptizing him. It is at this point that Matthew gives us a clue into understanding what is taking place. In Matthew 3:15, Jesus says, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."

I believe there is a connection between this and Isaiah 42:6 where God says, "I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness." My sense is God called Israel into this covenant relationship to do these things. When they failed as a nation God called Jesus who was one of them to fulfill what the nation without Him could not do. Jesus invited the nation, His own people, to do this with Him. The religious leaders put Him to death; His disciples when filled with the Holy Spirit later continued what Jesus began. Later did they realize the relationship God offered was for all people.

When Jesus talks about righteousness He is using a term and a concept that is as old as God. It is the foundation of the covenant relationship God desires to have with us and the foundation of the relationship we are to have with each other.

Paul Achtemeier, professor, author and Bible scholar writes in The Interpreter's Dictionary of the Bible an article entitled, "Righteousness in the New Testament," (page 91) "In the New Testament, righteousness is a relational concept. Righteousness presumes a covenant relationship that needs the active participation of both covenant partners. Thus the one who upholds, and therefore participates in, this covenant relationship is designated 'righteous' and as in the Old Testament, those acts which preserve a covenant relationship, either between God and man or between man and man are righteous, while those acts which break this relationship are unrighteous."

Achtemeier goes on to say, "Jesus presents Himself for baptism, as did others who accepted John's baptism for repentance, as a declaration that God alone is 'righteous.' Baptism is a declaration on both God's and our parts stating we want to be in relationship."

Baptism is the public way we acknowledge that we want a new relationship with God. We declare we want to be in God's Kingdom and not just the Kingdom of this world. We want to sit at the table with Jesus and all others who are our brothers and sisters. As I shared last Sunday, we are the prodigal child declaring that we want to come home and live in God's house, the abode of our eternal parent. We want to be designated by the family name that is God's to give.

John Stendahl writes in the December 24, 1997 issue of The Christian Century, "The calling of Jesus is not about a job or a career. It is not a word of mission, sending him into the future. Not at the outset. The word of baptism is first of all about the delight of God in this beloved; this chosen, this child called by name. Not a call to do, but a calling that names."

In baptism we are called "a child who belongs to God." When we declare our desire to be baptized in this way we are declaring a desire to be in relationship with the One who loves us and brings us life. This declaration no doubt needs to be renewed several times as we discover more about God and about ourselves which we want to have connected through a loving relationship.

Baptism, both Jesus' and ours, is meant to be a declaration of desire for right relationship with God and others. The gift of God's Spirit is given by God to us in order to help make this relationship be possible.

Our righteousness is made possible by God. However, it involves our being faithful in attempting to be obedient to the covenant promises we make when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. In His being baptized Jesus is not acting to be forgiven for sin but in acknowledging for all of us it is necessary for us to understand and act upon our need to accept the new life God offers us by being in relationship with God in God's Kingdom.

The latest worship book of our denomination has a brief service for those wishing to reaffirm their baptismal vows. I invite anyone who wishes to do so to stand at this time.