This week, we celebrated the Epiphany. It
fell on Wednesday; the Twelfth Night of Christmas, when our Orthodox Brothers
and Sisters start their celebration of Christmastide.
And the Epiphany is exciting. Partially,
it's celebrating that the Magi have come. These magi (same root word as magic
and magician, because they were folks who could interpret the inconceivable) -
these magi were wise men - astronomers - scientists. We'll discuss another time
the whole issue of kings and entourages and travel time and popular songs.
For today, however, the impact of their
arrival is what we want to focus on. And what IS that impact? Bluntly: these
folks, who arrive and bring gifts, are the first to reveal to the humans who
have gathered around that Jesus Christ is God - the Son of God - light of
lights - Word made flesh - the manifestation of the Divine into the earthly
realm.
This revelation is what is meant by
"Epiphany" - it can translate from the Greek as 'manifestation' or
'shocking appearance'. The shock is not that the magi defied logic and earthly
challenges to appear to the family of Jesus, but that Jesus - God's only Son,
GOD - is appeared to humankind.
How's THAT for an Ah-HA! moment!
And that's the important message from
mid-week that we carry with us as we hear the scriptures tell us about the
baptism of Jesus.
So let's spend some time on this baptism.
Now, we know that at the time of his
baptism, Jesus was an adult. He was undergoing the Jewish ritual of Mikvah -
spiritual cleansing. We now translate this as baptism.
So as we celebrate the baptism of Jesus, we're
invited to consider the sacrament of holy baptism - that time of spiritual
cleansing, of spiritual renewal, of moving from spiritual stagnancy into
engagement, of moving from death into life.
We hear in the scriptures such a
powerful message of God being recognised. Here he is, friends, the Divine
Presence. The One you've been waiting for. The one whom even John - the
baptiser - says he is unworthy to untie his sandals. Jesus, the manifestation
of Divinity on Earth, is made known.
This is made known to ALL the people - not
just Jesus' parents and immediate family, as was witnessed in the Epiphany
message, but by all the people. Everyone gathered - because the baptism was not
a private affair, John assures us. Once 'everyone' had been baptised, the defining
moment happens - Jesus, praying, is identified as the manifestation of God on
earth. According to Luke, the Holy Spirit descends in bodily form, like a dove.
Unexpected, exciting, and holy. This is not the photo-bombing snowy owl of this
week's traffic cameras; this is a DOVE.
Why is a dove important?
As a species, these birds are beautiful,
special, honoured. They are migratory, wild animals - not easily caught, but
docile once caged. They do better in pairs or families; even for eating, they
feed their mate and let their mate feed them - a single dove doesn't usually
eat. With doves, it's about community
and fidelity and freedom; they are symbols of devoted affection.
This fits well with how doves are
referenced in the bible: there's a long tradition of the dove coming at holy
moments.
* In Genesis, it's a dove who brings the
olive branch back to the ark, as a sign of land and sustenance, and of peace.
* According to the law of Moses, only doves
and turtle-doves could be used for ritual sacrifice, as they were the only
birds deemed sufficiently clean.
* King David's psalms repeatedly refers to the
doves as strong, able to fly beyond distress and strife, pure, gentle,
honorable, creatures of peace.
* And then, of course, the Spirit descends in
bodily form, as Jesus is praying, carrying all of that history and tradition;
the Spirit descends like a dove. To show everyone who had gathered at the river
that this man, this son of a carpenter, this person who looked like everyone
else, was more than what he appeared.
This is an attention getter; this is
shocking, revealing, astonishing. This is so symbolic that everyone gathered
would stop what they were doing, recognising that something truly amazing was
happening.
This man was the manifestation of the Word
Made Flesh - and now the whole world knew it.
And then, just in case there was ANY
misgiving or misinterpretation, a voice came from heaven. Literally,
otherworldly. Profound, unmistakable, personal. Speaking directly to Jesus, the
voice of God declares: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am
well pleased."
Talk about a shocking appearance, of the
physical presence of God, in human form, living and dwelling amongst everyone
else. A moment of surprise, shock, an Ah-HA! moment - truly an epiphany.
Jesus' baptism brings all of this to us. He
is baptised by John, thereby promised the forgiveness of sins. He is recipient
of the gift of the Holy Spirit. He is identified and called out as God's
beloved Son.
And, as we know moving forward in the life
of Jesus, he is about to begin his public ministry.
Sound familiar at all? It should. It very
much should.
Because part of why we celebrate the
baptism of Jesus is that we are invited to remember our own baptism, to renew
our own baptism, and the engage in the living out of our baptismal vows.
Whether they were made yesterday or 100 years ago, by ourselves or by others on
our behalf, whether we think about them every once in a while or every day, and
using whatever service book was used: these vows are the foundational truth of
our lives.
We have promised - vowed - entered into a
holy covenant with God. We have vowed to, with God's help,
"continue in
the apostles’ teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in the
prayers... to persevere in resisting evil and, whenever we fall into sin,
repent and return to the Lord... to proclaim by word and example the good news
of God in Christ... to seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our
neighbours as ourselves... to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being... and to strive to safeguard the
integrity of God's creation, and respect, sustain and renew the life of the Earth"[1]
And God has promised us,
in this same covenant, to love us perfectly, as family, and to delight in us
when we delight in God.
We know that we
are called to take these vows seriously. We are reminded, every time we renew
these vows, that baptism is not a one-day celebration, but a life-long
commitment. We know that these vows challenge us to look at the world through a
new lens, finding new ways to exercise the ministry to which God is calling us.
We know that these vows cannot be accomplished alone, but together with God and
with one another. We know that we will never get it perfect, but will always be
given opportunity to get it better, for the love of God.
We know this,
because God's Divine Majesty has been revealed to us. The Holy Presence, made
manifest in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, was shown to us. Revealed as king
of kings in the visit and adoration of the Magi; revealed as God's beloved Son
in human form, in the descending of the dove; revealed as the divine
inspiration to living a holy life in God's declaration of pleasure.
And so the baptism of Jesus reminds us of all that is possible through God;
it reminds us that at our own baptism God spoke that we are each God's Child,
the beloved, with whom God is well pleased. And it reminds us that this
revelation invites us, every day, to live our lives responding to that love.
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