The Call of the Baptist
Baptism of Our Lord
January 13, 2013
Luke 3.1-22
For those of us who have used the Revised Common Lectionary, today’s reading may seem jarring and out of place. We usually hear the stories about John the Baptist before Christmas during the season of Advent, preparing us for the coming of Jesus as the baby in the manger. Of course, that’s not the way it happened. Narratively speaking, we have the story of John’s remarkable conception and birth intertwined with Jesus’. So, John does come before Jesus in many ways: he born before Jesus, he appears on the scene preaching and baptizing before Jesus, and as foreshadowed in the reading, he will die before Jesus does.
The question is, “What does the story tell us or prepare us for regarding this Jesus character?” The story begins and ends with baptism, but interestingly, Jesus appears late in the story and says nothing. We are not only left with wondering what comes next, but also asking, “Why was Jesus baptized?” Furthermore, we wonder what this story about baptism has to do with our lives of faith. Before we grapple with these questions, it’s important to know that the baptism John performed was not the same as what we know of today. The Jews at the time of John and Jesus had several purification rites they regularly observed.
It is also helpful to acknowledge that what we know as baptism has many aspects to it. As I said to the children, baptism is at heart a gift of God’s grace, which we cannot earn. As David Lose says, “Our relationship with God is the one relationship in life we can’t screw up because we didn’t establish it; we can neglect it, deny it, ignore it, and even run away, but we cannot destroy it.” When I talk to the Confirmation students about baptism as gift, I relate to a baby receiving a pen as a gift with no strings attached. The baby doesn’t know what it’s for, and may put it in its mouth until it learns how to use it properly. The child could throw it in drawer and ignore it, but the gift still remains nonetheless. Second, baptism is a matter of identity; God reaches down and makes us his beloved children. This is good news at a time when many elements of identity have been diminished and replaced by what we own instead of who we are or what we do. No matter what happens to us, we are still loved by God.
This is all fine and good, yet our story doesn’t just leave us hanging with a good feeling; it pushes us ahead. There is “so what?” quality about today’s reading that is also present throughout the gospels. In all four versions of the Jesus story, Jesus’ baptism is the beginning of his public ministry. His baptism more than just a nice transition story from John to Jesus, it is Jesus’ launching pad to the work God called him to do. This says something about what baptism means to us as well. Although the traditional understanding of baptism as cleansing, forgiveness, and renewal doesn’t necessarily apply to Jesus as to us, the force of baptism for us is the same as it is for Jesus; it is a call on our lives.
Our family is a big fan of the JRR Tolkien books, so it was obligatory for us to see The Hobbit. Bilbo is a hobbit, a small being that lives in homes carved in hillsides and enjoys food and drink. Hobbits lead quiet, uneventful lives and are generally free from life’s stress, never travelling far from home. So, when Gandalf the magician shows up along with twelve dwarves to invite Bilbo on an adventure, Bilbo is aghast if not scandalized. He never could have imagined this call on his life. Neither Bilbo nor the dwarves can understand why Gandalf insists on bringing Bilbo, other than they need one more body to avoid an unlucky number of travelers, and truth be told, Gandalf doesn’t, too. Yet, as the story unfolds, all of us learn, Bilbo included, there is more to him than meets the eye.
That’s what our baptisms do: we are not just baptized from something, we are baptized for something. Now, we have to admit, this can be scary, because being Christ’s follower can be risky business, as we see from what happens to John the Baptist. And it’s scary because we never know what God is going to ask of us or where he’ll call us. Yet, it’s tremendously satisfying to know that each and every one of us is set aside by God, given gifts that are hard for us to imagine, and invited to join God in the mission to love and bless the world. The great thing is that even when we stumble, God is right there picking us up and sending us out again.
This is not just armchair theologizing. This is real life stuff, and it applies to us as a church, too. We still need two people to step up and answer the call for leadership on council, two “Bilbos,” if you will. And in two weeks we’ll be approving a ministry spending plan for this year. God is calling us into some crazy adventures. Of course, we always need people to step up other places too, but it’s not just about filling slots with warm bodies, and it’s not even about making sure the church survives. It’s about answering God’s call to serve.
Answering the call of the Baptist means listening to God’s voice in its various modulations as God asks us to engage in mission and ministry so that all will know God’s love. That call comes in our personal and professional lives as much as it comes here. Where is God inviting you to live out your baptism in your daily life? How is God calling you? Wherever it is, touch the ribbons of water as you leave here today to be reminded that you are God’s beloved child, gifted and blessed to be a blessing. Amen.
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