10 January 2021 Saint Athanasius Lutheran Church
The Baptism of our Lord Vienna, VA
“Nothing Changed, but
Everything Changed”
Text:
Mark 1:4-11; Genesis 1:1-5; Romans 6:1-11
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God
our Father, and from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
T |
here is a deadly disease
afoot. It is highly contagious. People with it are quarantined, separated.
There is misery. And people are dying from it.
There is political
unrest. Uprisings. Violence. People wanting change, wanting to throw off the oppression. The military keeping the peace.
The rich are getting richer,
and the poor, well, seem to stay poor. The gap between rich and poor seems to
be getting wider, and the difference between these two groups is striking. Hard
to believe they both live in the same world.
There is racial
prejudice. Hatred. Division.
There is confusion. Lots of different teachings floating around. Lots of different gods. Some say this, some say that. Who to
believe?
And
always uncertainty about the future. Will things change? And
what will happen to me when they do? Will I get swept up and swept away? Will
life as I know it continue? What if
. . .
That is the situation
when Jesus steps into the Jordan.
And when He came up out
of the water, there was still a deadly disease afoot, and people still dying of
leprosy.
There was still the
unwelcomed rule of Caesar and Rome, and its taxation and occupation and
military.
There was still injustice
and unfairness; prejudice and hatred between Jews and Gentiles and Samaritans;
division and financial inequality.
There were still lots of
gods and different teachings floating around.
And there was still
uncertainty about the future.
So it seemed that when
Jesus stepped into and then out of the Jordan that day, not much changed. It
didn’t really make much difference. Oh, it was cool! The heavens opening,
a dove descending on Him - don’t see that every day! - and then a voice from heaven, “You are my
beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
But for Joe the plumber,
Simeon the shepherd, Miriam the mother, when the heavens closed back up, the
dove flew away, and the voice stopped echoing, it was back to the same ol’, same ol’.
And yet at that moment,
everything changed.
For now there would be,
could be, life after leprosy. Life after Covid.
Now there is a kingdom
open to you, for you to be a citizen, that will not rise and fall like earthly
ones, but last forever. One not oppressive or subject to the
whims and sins of people or politicians.
Now there are riches
beyond anything in this world.
Now all races,
nationalities, languages, and cultures will become one in Him; one holy,
Christian Church.
Now
certainty, clarity, and confidence. For
now an epiphany. Of a God come for us, not to
demand from us, but to serve us, to help us, to save us. So that we will
not be swept up and swept away by sin and death, but that those would be
swept up by Him and destroyed. So that we could be swept up by Him and
saved.
All
because Jesus stepped into the Jordan that day.
The
holy and sinless Son of God standing with sinners and taking our place. The Son of God who didn’t need to be baptized, but wanted to
be. For you. To be your
substitute. To take your place in sin and death, that you have His place
in His kingdom, and have forgiveness and life.
For here, standing in the
water that once marked the border of the Promised Land, is God Himself, in
human flesh. Come to give us a new Promised Land. Come to restore a fallen
creation.
For creation was not
always like this, of course. Not always like the situation in Jesus’ day, not
always like it is today. In the beginning, when God created
the heavens and the earth, it was good. Everything was good, and its working together very good. There was
no sin, no death, no division, no poverty, no confusion, no fear, no pain, no
hatred or prejudice or oppression. Only joy and perfection.
Until we decided we could
“improve” it. Adam and Eve doing what God told them not to do. Not doing what
God told them to do. And eating what God told them not to eat. But
things didn’t get better. They got worse. A whole lot worse.
A world of pain and death.
But then Jesus stepped
into the Jordan that day. To do, as
we just sang, His Father’s pleasure (LSB #407 v.1). To do
everything we didn’t do, couldn’t do, wouldn’t do. Perfect obedience. From A to Z, from
beginning to end. Nothing
omitted. And then to lay down that perfect life for us.
To be our substitute both in life and in death. To restore creation. Fix what sin had broken. And to redeem us. Set free all of us taken captive by sin
and death.
That began when Jesus
stepped into the Jordan that day, and it was finished when He
stepped out of the tomb on the third day. So in
Him, now, a new creation. New life.
New hope.
New
life and hope that become yours when you are baptized.
But how can water do
such great things? Luther asked in his catechism. Well, it can’t. Not just
water. Not even Jordan water. But when the Word of God is in the water, then
things change.
Paul put it this way, as
we heard today. That when the Word became flesh and was
baptized, He joined Himself to us in our sin and death. He takes
our sin, dies with us, and is buried with us. To defeat it
all. To overcome it. And He did. So that now
when we are baptized, that baptism joins us to Him. Paul says we die
with Him, we rise with Him, we have new life with Him.
And so everything
changes.
Yes, there’s still Covid. There’s still political division and unrest. There’s
still prejudice and hatred. There’s still inequality and unfairness. There’s
still sin and death. And it doesn’t seem to be getting better, but worse.
And yet
. . . even in the midst of all this, you have hope. And
confidence. And certainty. For all these things
and this old world are passing away. They will not last. But you have what does
- the Word and promises of God, and you are citizens
of the kingdom of God. So sin and death no longer have dominion over you.
That’s worth repeating:
sin and death no longer have dominion over you!
Because in baptism you are joined to the One who overcame them and defeated
them. Yes, they will still effect you. You will sin,
but your sin does not rule you. You will die, but your death will not hold you.
You will rise and live.
And that’s not just what
will happen to you on the Last Day, but even now, according to Paul. That’s
baptism’s power. That the reality of the Last Day is
brought back in time to you here and now. Dying to sin now -
repenting, and rising to a new life now - in forgiveness.
So you’re not the same.
This world is the same before and after your baptism, but you’re not. You’re in
Christ Jesus. You have His victory.
So are you going to live
the same old way as before, in the same old sins, or maybe even trying some new
ones, as if, in baptism, nothing changed? By no means! Paul said.
That’s not who you are anymore. You’re a new creation.
But maybe you don’t feel
like a new creation. For there’s too much old in your life.
Too much sin still clinging to you. You know that - good! John didn’t think He was worthy either, to
stand in the Jordan with Jesus and baptize Him. But what you think doesn’t
matter. What God says is what matters. And what God said at Jesus’ baptism
is what He now says in your baptism - and everytime
you remember your baptism and repent of your sins and receive His forgiveness: You are my
beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.
And you really are. And
He really is. It is true. Not because of what you have done, but because of
what Jesus has done for you, and given to you.
You are my beloved Son;
with you I am well pleased.
Let those words sink in a
bit. Others may not be well-pleased with you, and you may not be with them, in
this world of sin. There are still a lot of problems in this world, and they
don’t seem to be going away any time soon.
But your baptism
transcends all that. Like Jesus, you are in this world but citizens of another.
You are children of men but really children of God. You are dying, but really
going from life to life. God calls a thing what it is, and so should we. In the
beginning, it was day and night. At the Jordan, it was Jesus as His beloved Son.
And here, in these waters, it is you as His beloved child. And so you
are.
And until that day, the
God who calls a thing what it is calls this bread and wine the Body and Blood
of His Son - and so it is. And it is for you. For the forgiveness you
need and the life you need. That in this world of disease, political unrest,
division, inequality, prejudice, confusion, fear, and death, you have what is
most sure and true, and all that you need. For Jesus is here. The Son of God
who stepped into the flesh, who stepped into the Jordan, who stepped up to the
cross, who stepped forth from the grave, now steps down to you here in this
water, in these words, and in this bread and wine.
And when he does, nothing
is the same. Everything changes. That’s our epiphany today.
That in this world where it seems like nothing ever changes, everything has
changed. Because Jesus is in the water, and in the water, you are in Him.
So you now have what the
world needs. Just as Jesus stepped into this world for you, so you now step
into the world for others. With the truth of God’s Word.
With the love that overcomes hatred and prejudice. With the life that overcomes
death. With clarity in the midst of confusion. With confidence in a world of fear. With
forgiveness for those in the snares of sin. For you are baptized. You are [God’s] beloved Son; with you [He
is]
well pleased. Your future is secure. Everything has changed for
you.
Remember that. Every day. Every time you hear bad news. Every time sin
rears its ugly head. Every time you wonder what will come next? You may
not know what is coming next, but you know WHO is coming, that you have
His Spirit, and that heaven is open to you.
So don’t leave that all
here! Like nothing has changed for you. By no means! Take that life,
that confidence, with you as you step out of this place. And live as the
baptized child of God you are.
In the Name of the Father, and of the (+)
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Now the peace of God which passes all understanding, keep your hearts and minds through faith in Christ Jesus, our Lord. Amen.