This morning we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord. at Advent Lutheran Church (ELCA).
Sermon
My message, “Living Wet” is based on Luke 3:1-22.
You can watch the message below or read the manuscript.
Excerpt
Getting back to Martin Luther . . . There are so many stories about him and baptism, including the one I shared during the children’s message. You have to wonder if there is something to the legend of him with a large sign in his room that read “when you wash your face, remember your baptism.” We do, however, know that he was fond of remembering his baptism and of inviting others to do the same.
Remember your baptism. You are welcome to do this in a very literal way by recalling the day. Perhaps you have seen pictures or heard stories about your baptism. Maybe you can recall the date. Hopefully you know the basics and are thankful.
The call to remember our baptism is primarily an invitation to reaffirm our baptism. It is an invitation to living wet in an intentional way. It is one way we live out our faith.
Let’s return to our Gospel lesson and focus on the final two verses. John has been baptizing folks – all sorts of folks. And, then, John the Baptist’s work of baptizing culminates in the baptism of our Lord.
Luke doesn’t tell us that there was anything different about the way John baptized Jesus. He does, however, tell us that what happened next was different than anything that had happened before or has happened since.
Heaven opened.
The Holy Spirit descended in bodily form, like a dove.
A voice spoke, “You are my Son, whom I love;
with you I am well pleased.”
In response to his baptism, Jesus heard God affirm his identity and call him God’s beloved.
Jesus entered the baptismal waters as an adult. Most scholars think he was 30 years old at the time. After exiting those waters and hearing God’s words, he began his public ministry.
Today I invite you to do as Martin Luther and many who have come before us in the faith have done and to remember your baptism.
In the waters of baptism, you were clothed with Christ[1] and adopted into God’s family.[2] Whether you were baptized as an infant, a child, a teen, or as an adult, it was a new beginning for you.
Siblings in Christ, remember your baptism. And, as you do, remind yourself that you are God’s beloved child. Know that God is very pleased with you.[3]
[1] See Galatians 3:26-27, Colossians 3:9-10, and Revelation 7:9.
[2] See Ephesians 1:3-5, John 1:12-13, Galatians 3:25-29, and Romans 8:14-17.
[3] A translation intended for children, New International Readers Version, renders Luke 3:22 as “You are my Son, and I love you. I am very pleased with you.”