"With Jesus I can Make It"
based on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22; Isaiah 43:1-7
by Rev. Ralph Miller

²¹ When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened ²² and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with  the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire."

            During Jesus' baptismal prayer, the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice from heaven (presumably God the Father's) said to him, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure nothing that dramatic happened at my baptism.  At least my parents never mentioned anything about it, and I think they probably would have.  And I know nothing like that has ever happened at any of the baptisms I've done as a minister.  Things like that just don't seem to happen anymore.  At Jesus' baptism, there was no question whether it ‘took' or not.  He got almost immediate assurance that it did.  Not so for the rest of us.  We're left to wonder, especially those of us who were baptized as infants with no say in the matter and no memory of the event, did I really receive the Holy Spirit?  Was my baptism enough?  Did it take?

            Part of the problem is the fact that many of us aren't really sure what baptism is.  Some are taught that it's what gets you into heaven, and you can't get into heaven at all without it, no matter what.

            There are other misconceptions about baptism - some are so comfortable in the fact of their own (properly conducted) baptisms that they honestly believe that that one-time event serves as a kind of ‘get out of hell free' card, and they don't need to go to church or pray or even think about God, because they've been baptized and are automatically going to heaven.

            Other arguments about baptism abound.  It has to be done by ordained clergy verses it can be done by anyone.  It has to be done in a certain denomination verses baptism is baptism, regardless of the flavor of Christianity that administers it.  It can only be done once verses it can be done over and over, as many times as you want to renew your relationship with God.  It only works if the water is sprinkled on the person, or poured on the person, or if the person is fully immersed.  It doesn't count if the person doesn't make a decision to commit their life to Christ, so it can only be effective after a certain age.

            But we so often forget that baptism is not really about what we do.  It's about what God does.

            "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."  These are the words God the Father says to Jesus when he is praying after his baptism.  God names him his Son, and expresses his delight in him.  But the thing is, we're only in the third chapter in Luke.  Up to this point, Jesus hasn't really done anything for God to be delighted with.  He's been born to Mary at a really inconvenient time, forcing her to go into labor while spending the night in a smelly stable.  He's caused his parents to worry when he was twelve years old by going off on his own during a trip to Jerusalem and staying lost for three days while they looked for him.  And he's partaken with everyone else in John's baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.  The only thing on that list that might have been particularly pleasing to God was the baptism, and Jesus did that along with hundreds, maybe thousands of other people.  So why was he singled out for special treatment?

            Partly because even though Jesus of Nazareth hadn't done very much yet in his life, Jesus of Nazareth was no ordinary man.  Jesus of Nazareth was indeed, as God so named him, God's own Son.  In our reading from Isaiah today, God tells his people, "I have called you by name, you are mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you."  Jesus himself had no need for a baptism of repentance, because he had nothing to repent for.  He didn't need his sins forgiven, because he had no sin. 

            As I said, Jesus of Nazareth, Son of God, Word made flesh, didn't need a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, but he joined with all those who did need it, and by doing so God himself was indeed with his people when they passed through the waters.  Jesus wasn't baptized for his sake, but for ours.

We are joined with Jesus Christ in the waters of baptism, and that gives whole new meaning to the the passage out of Isaiah where God says:

But now, this is what the Lord says--
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.
² When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.
³ For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior
 

The truth is that all of us deal with those metaphorical rivers and the threat that they might sweep over us feels very, very real.

I don't know what you are dealing with, maybe you are overcome by regrets, perhaps you have done things in the past you're not proud of, maybe you have messed up your own life, and you have a hard time forgiving yourself.

Or perhaps you are haunted by inner demons-- voices in your head feeding you lies.

Some of us here this morning are facing demons of addiction, and every day they must stand against those demons and rebuke them in God's name.

And some of us here this morning were wounded by someone and there are days when you're hurting so much that you cannot stand it any longer.

Others cannot stop thinking about losing the one person that mattered most in their lives, and every day is a struggle because certain things bring up the memory of him or her all over again.

And God wants every single one of us to know this morning that when he says I will be with you in the waters, I will be with you as you go through the fire, he is not just saying that, but he is doing it!

For in baptism, Jesus said to every single one of us: You are mine and I will never leave you nor forsake you! You're not standing alone in the waters of the river, I stood in those waters long before you, I understand what it's like in these waters and I am standing with you. That's a promise! I know what you're going through and I will see you through! It's still going to be hard, but I want you to know, I'm right here in the waters with you.

Amen.