Here we are, in the season after Epiphany, the season of Revelation
—what once was quietly pondered by Mary, is now being unveiled
—broadcast to a wider and wider audience
—Salvation has come to us in Jesus Christ.
God’s desire
discovered today in a series of lessons about Baptism
—the water and word revealing what was previously hidden:
Hidden Righteousness—not Self-righteousness,
a Promise—Hidden inside physical things,
and a hidden Lord—a Judge who is also THE Scapegoat.
In Baptism the hidden is revealed.
Let us pray
“No no
Lord, you’re doing it wrong. You need to baptize me.”
We need to do it right.
This line of
logic John is starting down,
tumbles always to a place of self-righteousness OR condemnation.
Absolute correctness, perfection—or perdition,
follow the law exactly, or the law will exact an evil punishment up you.
I did it right, why can’t you?
And yet, he
responds, “Let is be so, it will fulfill all righteousness.”
Righteousness
—Justice & justification, both common translations.
Biblical Scholar and Bishop, NT Wright, offers “Rightwise”
from some form of old English.
Homiletics Professor Richard Jensen offers, “It Works” or “It
is Alight”
as in Bob Marley’s “Don’t worry, ‘cause every little thing gonna be alright.”
“It will
make everything alright
—doing it this way’ll work
—it is justified
—the Baptism of Jesus will rightwise things.”
Matthew’s
Gospel loves talking about rightwising
—later Jesus is confronted by some self-righteous folk,
people who think they can make things work on their own
—they say, “Justify yourself, why do you spend time with traitorous tax
collectors and sinners of all sorts!”
To which Jesus
responds, “I don’t come for the those for whom everything is working out,
but for those who need everything to be alright!”
And so
Dearest Jesus is Baptized by John
—it fulfills all righteousness.
Now—regarding
our Baptism,
it must be said that if we regard it as just water, instead of Justifying
water
—we go wrong.
-If it is a ritual that we
choose,
one that we seek and find,
if it is only a sign of our commitment, our will and work,
screwing up our emotional fervor or biblical knowledge to attain..
-Then, we can just as easily lose
it,
think or work our way out of it,
… lose that loving feeling,
it becomes just another self-justifying ritual
—a lying sign of self-justification…
A theology of choice is an awful,
fearful thing
—for we are fallible, we will try and fail,
and in failing, forgiveness withers and God becomes an Omnipotent Bully,
instead of a Loving Father.
As Luther writes about this theology, it creates “work-Devils” turning faith
into the object of faith, “To have faith in faith is to destroy Christianity
completely.”
Siblings, it isn’t about us,
it’s about God’s grace… first last and always!
God is not a bully
—while we call him Lord and Judge of all
—the one who will bring justice
—look at where he is most clearly revealed—Jesus
—he’s not here to catch you out,
not here to bring down the hammer,
or hurt you!
Yes, the same internal/infernal
voice that causes John to shrink back and say, “Let’s make sure we do it
right” takes a back seat to the voice of God!
“I am please, you are my son, I love you!”
What is
revealed, is a grand surprise
—As I said, Matthew loves talking about rightwising
—Jesus’ final parable there culminates with folk being invited into the throne
room of God and offered good things…
and they are confused and ask why,
and Jesus says, “you fed me and clothed me, you cared for me and visited me.”
And they asked, “When did we do that?”
and Our Lord replies, “when you did it to the least of these, you did it to
me.”
Hidden righteousness
instead of self-righteousness
—that’s our game,
that’s what Jesus promises to us
—holiness flows from being loved,
not from our will,
but from the Beloved.
The Beloved,
who offers us a promise in our baptism…
not water, but water with a promise inside
—not our doing or will, but the clarion call of God to Christ.
God creates through the word!
God makes something out of nothing!
The water! It calls us Children of God,
the wine belts out, “Beloved”
the bread, “I am so very pleased.”
We get to cling to these tactile, experienceable, promises of God
—promises of the sheer and utter love of God
in the face of so much of the opposite.
“Baptism is
neither something that we can destroy once we’re adults, nor a thing chosen by
our wills, instead it is God’s promises. Everything depends upon the Word and
Commandment of God.”
While human hands and everyday water do
the baptism, ultimately, we are baptized by God
—Baptism is an Act of God…
think about that phrase
—insurance companies use it to say, “wild and overwhelming, unavoidable,
uncontrollable,”
that is the unconditional promise
of God,
that meets you in your Baptism!
An unconditional promise revealed in
the water!
A promise by our Lord.
What kind of Lord?
What kind of Judge?
Who brings justice to all the earth!?!
According to Peter in Acts, he is a
Lord of Peace;
the one who will judge the living and the dead
is the same one who just sent a bunch of people out
preaching resurrection to the dead
and forgiveness to the living!
According to Isaiah, the one who will
make sure
“every little thing gonna be alright,”
God’s chosen one, his son, the one who delights the soul
—the one who embodies the stuff of our Baptism
—he will be gentle and humble,
he will bring justice without killing
or maiming or power plays of any sort.
His is a peaceful Lordship
—his voice a merciful whisper,
his rightwising of the world
will not break even brittle reeds
or put blow out a dying candle
—justice, righteousness, everything working out for the good
—without violence or coercion…
these days that sounds like an impossible dream
—but In Baptism the hidden is revealed.
That’s the baptism we are baptized into!
That’s the God revealed in his Son Jesus Christ.
That is God’s righteous gift to us. Amen.
