Today is the first Sunday after the Epiphany. "Epiphany" is a word that means "to appear", "to reveal", or "to make known." In the Episcopal Church, The First Sunday after the Epiphany is always the Baptism of Our Lord, a time when the voice from heaven "makes it known" that Jesus is "my son." The Last Sunday after the Epiphany in our tradition is always the Transfiguration of Our Lord, a time again when a voice from heaven "makes it known" that Jesus is "my son." Between these two Sundays, we will hear stories about how Jesus became known among the people as he performs miracles, heals sick people, and proclaims salvation for the poor and oppressed. Through these acts, God made Jesus known to be the Christ, the Savior of the world.
There are two different stories in the Bible about Jesus' baptism. One is in Matthew, where Jesus finds John the Baptist at the Jordan river and as asks to be baptized. As Jesus comes up out of the water, a dove lands on his shoulder and everyone hears a voice thunder out "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." I think of that as the movie version of Jesus' baptism, with James Earl Jones playing the voice of God. It is a clear proclamation of who Jesus is, and what his mission in the world is to be. There is authority in that voice, and an unmistakable endorsement of Jesus' mission.
But today we heard a different version of the story. Luke's portrayal of Jesus' baptism is quieter and a lot more subtle. It tells us that after his baptism, Jesus is alone praying when the Holy Spirit comes upon him. And he hears a voice that is still and small – a voice with a private message that only he can hear: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."
This is the way most of us hear from God – not as a huge thundering voice that proclaims to the world that we are a child of God, but as a still, small voice we hear inside us, a voice that we're not quite sure we heard correctly. It is the voice that we hear when we come home from work frustrated, and we wonder whether or not we are doing what we're meant to be doing with our lives. It is the voice we hear when we struggle with being faithful to those we love. It is the voice we hear when our child is sick, and we don't know how to make her better. It is the voice that we hear when we've lost our job, and we wake up at 3:17 in the morning, wondering how we're going to make ends meet for our families.
Christ is revealed to us in lots of ways, of course. For some, it is a sudden life-changing event – a conversion experience, in which they have a blinding encounter with God. One day, their lives are empty and unfulfilled, and the next they are transformed into to completely new people, filled with love for everyone. But the fact of the matter is that most of us just don't have that kind of conversion experience. Most of us just don't have far quieter and more gradual journeys with Christ, journeys that have all kinds of ups and downs, twists and turns that wind us closer and closer to God. Some times, we filled all kinds of fear, uncertainty and doubt about what we should be doing with our lives or the direction God wants us to go. Other times, the path looks remarkably straight, and the voice comes through loud and clear.
You are my child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.
There are two ways that this Gospel speaks to us today: as individuals and collectively as a congregation. As individuals, the important thing to remember is that God blesses us and claims us before we ever do anything. Jesus had not even begun his ministry when God spoke to him. It's not about what we do for the sake of God, it is about what God does for our sake through our baptisms. We become children of God forever and ever and ever. We are beloved of God, and we are marked and sealed with the sign of the cross as Christ's own forever. It is like starting out with straight A's in school, before we even take our first class. When we are baptized God claims us, just a surely as God claimed to Jesus at his own baptism. By our baptisms, we have become children of God.
Does this mean that we'll never have another sleepless night, or wrestle with another question or doubt in our minds? Does this mean that we'll never screw up and sin? Of course not – we who are baptized struggle just like anybody else to live faithful, honest and honorable lives. We are not any more or less tempted than anybody else to stray from what God is calling us to be. But we also know that through Jesus Christ, we are offered forgiveness. Through him, God has made known to us the way to restore ourselves to wholeness, so that we can continue to live loving, fruitful and fulfilling lives.
The second thing to remember is this: As important as our baptisms are for our own personal journey to God, it is also through us that God is made known to other people in the world today. Just as the Holy Spirit came upon Jesus that day, she comes upon us all, and it is through her power that we become part of God's revealing of Christ. The world comes to know Christ through us, and through the love that we share as members of the Body of Christ.
This congregation of St. Simon and St. Jude is called to make Christ known in the world through our action in the world. It is through outreach and mission, through teaching and worship, through our care for one another – that we fulfill that mission. It is when we give ourselves in service to one another that God makes Christ known to the community of Irmo.
At Jesus' baptism, God claimed him as his child. "You are my son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." In our baptisms, God has laid claim on each of us, and we become part of God's continual revealing, making Christ know throughout the world. Today, as we remember our own baptisms, let us remember that God claims each of us as his own. Remember that you belong to God, and with you God is well pleased.
Thanks be to God.
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