Manuscript for Baptism of Our Lord

INVOCATION

P In the name of the Father and of the T Son and of the Holy Spirit.

C Amen.

 

COLLECT OF THE DAY

P Father in heaven, at the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River You proclaimed Him Your beloved Son and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. Make all who are baptized in His name faithful in their calling as Your children and inheritors with Him of everlasting life; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

 

EPISTLE 1 Corinthians 1:26–31

²⁶For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; ²⁸God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, ²⁹so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. ³⁰He is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

A This is the Word of the Lord.

 

HOLY GOSPEL

P The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew, the third chapter.

 

 

¹³Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; ¹⁷and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

 

P This is the Gospel of the Lord.

 

APOSTLES’ CREED

C I believe in God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth.

And in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,  born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead.  He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.  From thence He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Christian Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life T everlasting. Amen.

 

394 SONGS OF THANKFULNESS AND PRAISE

1 Songs of thankfulness and praise,
Jesus, Lord, to Thee we raise,
    Manifested by the star
    To the sages from afar,
Branch of royal David’s stem
In Thy birth at Bethlehem:
    Anthems be to Thee addressed,
    God in man made manifest.

2 Manifest at Jordan’s stream,
Prophet, Priest, and King supreme;
    And at Cana wedding guest
    In Thy Godhead manifest;
Manifest in pow’r divine,
Changing water into wine;
    Anthems be to Thee addressed,
    God in man made manifest 

3 Manifest in making whole
Palsied limbs and fainting soul;
    Manifest in valiant fight,
    Quelling all the devil’s might;
Manifest in gracious will,
Ever bringing good from ill;
    Anthems be to Thee addressed,
    God in man made manifest.

 

4 Sun and moon shall darkened be,
Stars shall fall, the heav’ns shall flee;
    Christ will then like lightning shine,
    All will see His glorious sign;
All will then the trumpet hear,
All will see the Judge appear;
    Thou by all wilt be confessed,
    God in man made manifest.

5 Grant us grace to see Thee, Lord,
Present in Thy holy Word—
    Grace to imitate Thee now
    And be pure, as pure art Thou;
That we might become like Thee
At Thy great epiphany
    And may praise Thee, ever blest,
    God in man made manifest.

Text: Public domain

 

SERMON

Grace, Mercy, and Peace are yours from God our Heavenly Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

[Crabby New Year]

On Tuesday evening, I learned a valuable lesson, when making a drive with a cranky baby, put Grandma and Grandpa in the back seat. They will never grow tired of her, and she will never grow tired of them. Grandma and Grandpa give treats, play games, and let Daisy watch Charlie Brown and co. on their phone to keep her entertained. It was during this car ride that Grandpa played an episode of Peanuts titled “Crabby New Year”. It begins as you’d expect with a conversation between America’s favorite bald child and Lucy. After wishing her a happy new year, Lucy responds, “really? Does saying ‘happy new year’ really make it a better new year?” and Charlie Brown responds, “Not in my experience”. Maybe it’s the bald connection, but I can’t help but agree with Charlie. 

It isn’t too far back for me to remember the turn of the year. People all over Facebook and the news wrote about the evils of 2020 and how it would finally be the end of a horrible year. Match.com even made a commercial showing how 2020 was a perfect match for Satan. Most critics agree that last year was tough. People glanced longingly at January 1st, 2021, saw it as a new page, a new way forward. But if Wednesday revealed anything, it at least revealed the truth. Things don’t just change. Saying, “Happy new year, doesn’t just make it a better new year”. Thursday morning, the question seemed to be, “where do we go from here?”. At these crossroads of the Human experience and these moments of national importance, it can almost seem disconnected to talk about the baptism of Jesus. To simply carry on with the church year, especially when we don’t really know where to go from here.

[The Way of Goverment]

This is the way forward you and I are offered every single year in November. No matter what kind of election is offered for the myriad of offices, the message that splays across your television is the same. Things have become difficult, it’s someone else’s fault, and only this candidate can solve all your issues. Hour after hour, through hundreds of thousands of dollars their name comes up on the screen, or sometimes, the opposite occurs and you see their opponent in all their horror as their worst photos are displayed next to facts of their shortcomings and a deep voice over tells you how awful they are. This is the way forward that is offered in November.

Yet, you and I must remember as Christians, Government is a gift from God. It seems difficult to believe sometimes, but this is how our God speaks about government. It’s full of sinful people, just like everywhere else. Yet, God works through them to fulfill the will He would see accomplished on Earth. Just like God works through you and me to accomplish His will in our various vocations. We may not like taxes, speed limits, or the way our tax dollars are spent, but we know there is good the Government does. The roads are cared for, laws are established to protect you and me, and national parks help preserve the beauty of God’s creation in the midst of human expansion.

If there is something capable of doing real good in our society, something that can be greater than the individual can do, it should be the government. They have the money, resources, and power. Warts and all, the only shortcomings are only there because of the “other guys”, you might think. If only we could get the right people into office, if only we could get the bad ones out. Then we could fix things. 

But you know this isn’t the case. If one man is sinful, then a larger group of them is, simply put, a large group of sinful people. You and I can barely “fix” ourselves, so where do we get the idea that we can fix an entire country? How do we believe that only we know the way forward, what is right, and what is wrong? Many of us struggle daily with the responsibilities of our vocation, and yet we believe we have the capacity to rightly dictate the vocations of those who were elected into office. At its best, a Christian who participates as an ordinary citizien looks like a Christian following their vocation as a citizen and voting in the polls, at its worst, it looks like storming the capital.

No, it doesn’t seem as if we can rely on a big grand institution. There are too many sinners and problems that are complex and difficult to solve. Where do we go from here then, when it seems like we can’t rely on the government to save us and make this year better than last year?

[The Way of Personal Responsibility]

Perhaps the easiest decision to come to is one of personal responsibility. After all, this is where the practice of resolutions can really bear fruit. While most of our resolutions can be centered around health, personal goals, and work, maybe we could focus them on better endeavors. Loving the neighbor. Speaking the truth in love. Praying for our enemies and those who curse us. If you and I can just make the effort to improve ourselves, then at least the small corners of the world that you interact in will become a little brighter, a little more positive, and a little more peaceful.

That’s what Charlie Brown might have thought at the time when he asked Lucy if she would make any resolutions. Her response? “What are you insinuating? That I need to change? I’m fine just the way I am! I don’t have to improve, how could I improve?”. And if we’re being honest, we tend to agree. Most resolutions aren’t earth-shattering. I’ll run a little more, eat a little less, drink more water, control my temper better, and just buff out the rough edges of my life. 

Because that’s how you and I see ourselves isn’t it? Generally okay, with just enough “minor character flaws” to keep us interesting. If we were ever pushed to change, to really change, we’d push back as hard as Lucy. Why should I change? I’m okay the way that I am, it’s those idiots in congress, the failures of the media, the laziness of others, and the generations that were raised. Twitter and Facebook are to blame for all the vitriol and violence in the world today, not the comments of the users.

No, if you and I try to leave things to personal responsibility, we only reveal how evil man really is. Herod didn’t need science to murder infants, Nero never scheduled a Zoom meeting, and Hitler thought black and white TV was “cutting edge”. Mankind is sinful from birth. I only have to look at my daughter scream and bite when she’s angry to know this is true. 

Truly, there is no harm in making resolutions to improve ourselves. It is good for you and I to find areas we can improve on, especially when it comes to loving your neighbor. We may be sinner and saint at the same time, but we should never be satisfied with how much sin is in our lives. Resolutions can be good, they just won’t save us from having a “Crabby New Year”. “New year, new me,” is not the word that will bring about much good.

So, what is the way forward for us? You and I obviously cannot put all our trust in our government, despite the fact that it’s a gift from God. But neither can we shoulder the responsibility on our own. What’s the way forward in a year where it only took six days to witness something that hasn’t occurred since 1812? What is the way forward for people who feel isolated, alone, and unable to see the gifts God has given?

[The Way Revealed]

This is why we gather here today. On the first Sunday of Epiphany, a word which means to reveal, you and I gather to have the same truth revealed to us again. Come back to the shore of the Jordan and see the man be baptized. See Christ himself go down into the water to be baptized. Hear the revelation, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. Before, John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you!” but Christ revealed something better for him. Christ gave him the truth. Christ gives you the truth.

You and I cannot “fix” the world through Governments or our ability to make resolutions for ourselves. These may seem like a wise way to take, but God points you towards the true way: Christ in the flesh and some simple water. Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” and you and I believe those words as God’s dear children.

In the world, you’ll constantly hear calls to follow your heart, the rulers, and whatever trend is happening on social media. It is by coming to Church, to gather together, you hear the call of your Father. Our heavenly Father calls us to look to Jesus. He is not to be found in a political party, nor is he found in the yearly practice of making and breaking resolutions. He isn’t found on T.V. You and I see Him right where he chooses to be, with His people. Matthew shows it in our Gospel reading starting with the banks of the Jordan, in a few months, you’ll see the culmination of this journey with Christ on the cross.

There, it isn’t water alone that passes over the body of Christ. But water mingled with his blood. The blood revealing the love of God. The blood revealing that you’re forgiven. Christ who had to die so he could rise again. Christ who revealed himself to the disciples after his resurrection. Christ who gave them the Holy Spirit. The same Holy Spirit you received in your baptism. The one who anointed Christ in the Jordan was given to you in your baptism. 

Because at your birth, you were not fine, you needed to improve, but there was nothing you could do about it. God in His love had to do it. This is why you and return year after year. Because no matter what happens God wants you to focus your eyes on His beloved Son. If he’s pleasing to His Father, He’s more than good enough for us.

[Something Old]

So, where do we go from here? Turns out the answer isn’t “new year new me” nor is it the message preceded by “I approve this message”. We go back to something old. We go back to the same message you’ve heard most of your life. The same God we worshipped through all of 2020, the same Christ who forgives our sins, and the same baptism we received. The answer has already been revealed. The complex problems and shortcomings of our times require sinful people to try and work within God’s creation to treasure creation for the gift it is, but for Christians, the end goal has already been achieved. The baptism that you received has given you the forgiveness of sins, salvation, and life everlasting. This baptismal identity is what comes first in your life. Because you have an identity that lets you live in this world with hope. Hope in the risen savior’s return. Hope in the one whom God said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

So be it.

Amen.

These things were spoken so you might believe that Jesus is the Christ and by believing in Him, you may have life everlasting. Amen. 

 

 

 

PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

P In peace, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P In thanksgiving for the revelation of Jesus Christ to us in His wondrous Epiphany in the Jordan, and for the revelation of God’s name and blessing to us in Holy Baptism, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P For all the baptized children of God, that we may daily die to sin and rise to newness of life, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P For the Holy Church here and scattered throughout the world, that God would send laborers into His harvest, give steadfast faith to Christians by the preaching of His Word and through the Holy Sacraments, enliven the love of His saints to bear one another’s burdens and show mercy toward those outside of the Church, and quicken us in the hope of eternal life in Christ Jesus, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P For the family, especially all Christian homes; for husbands and wives, that God would turn them toward one another in love; for fathers and mothers, that God would equip them for their holy duty as teachers of the faith; and for all children, that God would preserve them in the saving faith and certain promises of their Baptism unto life everlasting, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P For our nation and its leaders; for those who serve for the good of our people and for their protection; and for peace in our time and the peace which God alone can give, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P For the sick, depressed, tired, confused and those in any need, that they would know God’s comfort; and for all expectant mothers and their children, that they may have a safe delivery and be brought also to the life-giving waters of Holy Baptism and Your name, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P For those who are near death, that they may hear Your Son’s Words of grace in their last hour and be confident in their Baptism, where You named them Your child, let us pray to the Lord:

C Lord, have mercy.

 

P Lord God, heavenly Father, You manifested Yourself, with the Holy Spirit, in the fullness of grace at the baptism of Your dear Son and, with Your voice, directed us to Him who has borne our sins, that we might receive grace and the remission of sins. Keep us, we beseech You, in the true faith. Since we have been baptized in accordance with Your command and the example of Your dear Son, we pray You to strengthen our faith by Your Holy Spirit and lead us to everlasting life and salvation; through the same Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

C Amen.

 

 

LORD’S PRAYER

C Our Father who art in heaven,

     hallowed be Thy name,

     Thy kingdom come,

     Thy will be done on earth

          as it is in heaven;

     give us this day our daily bread;

     and forgive us our trespasses

          as we forgive those

          who trespass against us;

     and lead us not into temptation,

     but deliver us from evil.

For Thine is the kingdom

     and the power and the glory

     forever and ever. Amen.

 

BENEDICTION

P The Lord bless you and keep you.

The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you.

The Lord lift up His countenance upon you and T give you peace.

C Amen.