First Sunday after the Epiphany
The Baptism of Jesus
Mark 1:4-11
Superman
4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.
5 And there went out to him all the country of Judea, and all the people of Jerusalem; and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, and had a leather girdle around his waist, and ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And he preached, saying, "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie.
8 I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 ¶ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.
10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove;
11 and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."RSV
Grace and Peace to you from our Lord and Saviour, Jesus who is the Christ. Amen
Do you remember this introduction to a long ago favorite TV program, "Look , its bird, its a plane, its Superman. Superman who was faster than a speeding bullet, more power full than a locomotive and able to leap tall buildings with a single bound, can bend steel in his bare hands. Disguised as Clark Kent the mild-mannered reporter for a large metropolitan newspaper, fights a never ending battle for truth, justice and the American way."
As I was growing up that was one of my favorite programs. Superman had a long life. He was born in the comic books. I remember sitting in the barber shop hoping you had to wait a long time so you could read all the comics, he grew in television and matured in the movies. Superman always defended those who were powerless to defend themselves; he was responsible to bring justice to the land. Using his great power and strength and his x-ray vision he was able to subdued the guilty parties and bring them to jail.
One quality of superman, the superman of TV, that I especially liked was his gentle manner. There was some violence in his shows, but not like the kind we have today. He never killed’ and usually he tried to be very gentle. Superman was moved by emotions; but he always had a gentle touch, he was sensitive to human feelings. Superman showed us that the mighty, the powerful can also be tender, loving and caring.
I miss that kind of gentle goodness in the world today as we see people in the movies and on TV, shoot, kill, blow-up, people, places and things. I miss the calm, gentle, touch of Superman as he stood for justice in a way that brought justice along with goodness, kindness and compassion.
Our gospel lesson and a passage from Isaiah speak of another superman, one who would bring justice to the land. In Isaiah 42: 2-4 it says " he will not cry or lift up his voice or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will pot break and a dimly burning wick he will not quench."
In our gospel lesson, John the Baptist says; "After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
This superman will be powerful, but in a gentle, loving, compassionate way. We are of course speaking of Jesus as he came to represent the Messiah, God’s chosen and powerful leader. Chosen to bring justice and peace into this world, chosen to bring freedom to the oppressed, but in a gentle and meek way.
The baptism of Jesus was his signal or sign to begin his pubic ministry. In this baptism performed by John, Jesus understood that his ministry of justice was to begin. And in this baptism, Jesus learned of this relationship with the Father.
He saw his ministry was a new beginning in his life and for the world, and he understood he was called to serve, called to serve with a gentle touch and a compassionate smile.
We are going to look at the relationship Jesus learned about himself and His Father in heaven this morning.
In this baptism experience, Jesus received a sign from his Father, assuring him of his new role, a sign assuring him he was about the plan of his Father, assuring him that the Father through the spirit would be with him as he began his public ministry. The text says, "10 And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens opened and the Spirit descending upon him like a dove;
11 and a voice came from heaven, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased."RSV
A relationship was established between Jesus and the Father, a relationship which would give Jesus the strength, the confidence, the courage, the faith to endure the hardships of his public ministry.
This relationship would help Jesus endure the fate of the cross, to endure the testing and criticism of the religious leaders and to endure His battle with Satan before the glorious resurrection on that first morning of the week. This baptism renewed , strengthen, and cemented together the relationship Jesus had with his Father. It was a sign from the Father in heaven that Jesus was beginning his chosen appointed task. Jesus was to begin his public ministry, begin his public life serving the Father in the same way all of us begin our life of faith through baptism.
As this baptism of Jesus signaled a beginning, a starting point for Jesus in his life of public ministry, so too with us. Baptism begins a process, baptism is a starting point for us in our faith life. It is a step taken to begin our life with God, to begin our life in the grace and love of God, and to have his spirit with us as we walk down the road of life.
One author says this about baptism, "Whether an infant or adult, the person baptized answers from that moment to the name Christian. No other loyalty comes before this and being a Christian should be the baptized person’s most distinctive characteristic."
Somehow the baptism event in your life and mine should make us different people.
Somehow because we are God’s in our baptism, that should make us different, set apart people, because we have been given a new name, the name of Christ sealed by the sign of the cross.
Remember in the Old Testament, Abram was called by God to begin the process of establishing God’s ’s chosen people, and his aged wife Sarai was called to begin the process by having a son in her mature years,and then remember that God then changed their names to Abraham, and Sarah, changing their names meant for them a special relationship had been established with god.
Remember Paul, before God encountered him on the road he was Saul, but after God had transformed him, after God had begun a new kind of relationship with him, Saul’s name was changed to Paul.
Our names are changed in our baptism. We are given the name that our parents have chosen for us, and at the same time we are given the name of Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ, a person who has begun a relationship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. When we introduce ourselves, we might want to say, my name is Timothy Barton Zingale, a Christian. Now that tells everyone something special about us. We are God’s people. We are in a relationship with God. God and I are one.
There is an old story which illustrates what I am trying to say. ’’There was a famous actor who years ago was giving ’readings’ to an art and literature group which met in the afternoons. One of the ladies asked the actor if he would recite the 23rd Psalm. He did so eloquently, with masterful flourish and diction and when he was finished the entire group clapped.
Then someone noticed an elderly pastor standing near the rear of the hall and they asked him to recite the 23 psalm also. He protested, saying he was not a great speaker. They finally convinced him to present the psalm. His speech was haltering, his manner was not showy, and yet when he was done, everyone remained silent. Something happened to the group.
One of the person’s present asked the actor afterwards; ’What happened back there?’ What was the difference in your two presentations. It was the same psalm ... ’
And the actor replied thoughtfully: ’I knew the psalm, he loved the shepherd."
Do you love the shepherd in such a way that it shows to those around you? Do love him in a humble, mild-mannered way which demonstrates his love in your life?
A superman appeared on the scene this day over 2000 years ago. A superman who was to change our lives as they could have never been changed before. This superman had a gentle touch, a compassionate heart and a healing touch. This superman, Jesus, knew his relationship with the Father in heaven, and through that relationship, He was able to know and do the Father’s will on this earth.
Have you let that superman touch your life?
Amen
Written by Pastor Tim Zingale January 6, 2003
