The Baptism of Our Lord
Preaching
Lectionary Preaching Workbook
Series III
Some times the Baptism of our Lord, or the First Sunday after the Epiphany, functions as the octave of Epiphany. The Epiphany motif is proclaimed once more on this Sunday to make a theological, rather than an historical, statement. Jesus is identified by God as his Son when he is baptized by John in the Jordan, thereby adding another dimension to the evidence of his identity in the birth narratives of Luke and Matthew. As has been men-tioned previously, the festival of the Epiphany had three elements in the Western Church - the birth of Jesus, the baptism of the Lord, and the first miracle he performed at Cana in Galilee. All of the major lectionaries participate in the separation of the latter two biblical themes from Jesus' birth, and all highlight the baptism of Jesus on the Sunday after the Epiphany. The Second Sunday after Epiphany, it will be remembered, finds the miracle at the wedding at Cana assigned to Cycle/Year C only; in the other two years, John's witness to Jesus and the calling of the first disciples at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry are the assigned lections. Portions of chapters 1 and 2 of John (1:29--2:11) are the gospel lections for all three years.
In the baptism of Jesus, there is also an inherent theological statement made about baptism itself. Baptism makes people Children of God - forever. Those who have been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit reside in the blessed assurance that they have a heavenly Father, who loves them so much that he sent his Son to save them by dying - which is the completion of his baptism by John the Baptizer in the Jordan - on a cross.
The Prayer of the Day
A new collect, or a revision of an older prayer, had to be prepared by several churches for the Baptism of our Lord or First Sunday after Epiphany. They differ very little - but significantly, at times. For example, the Episcopal and Lutheran collects begin almost identically, but the petition differs. The Episcopal prayer reads: "Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior." The petition in the Lutheran collect prays: "Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful in their calling to be your children and inheritors with him of everlasting life." The Prayers of the Day are evidence of the "theological fall-out" about baptism. In the Gospel baptism applies to those who have been baptized in the Lord.
The Psalm for the Day
Psalm 29:1-4, 9b-1O (R) - The Roman Catholic Church assigns this psalm, as it does the readings for the Baptism of our Lord, to all three years of the lectionary. See comments in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A.
Psalm 45:7-9 (L) - The LBW lectionary assigns this psalm to the Baptism of Our Lord in all three cycles. Comments on this psalm can be found in the workbook for Cycle/Year A.
Psalm 89:1-29, or 89:20-29 (E) - This psalm is also the responsory for all three years in The Book of Common Prayer lectionary; however, it was not included in the workbook for Cycle/Year A. It affirms the covenant that God made with David, "chosen one" of God, to whom he declared, "I will establish your line forever, and preserve your throne for all generations." (verse 3) Verse 20 picks up this theme again, declaring, "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him.... My faithfulness and love shall be with him.... [and] He will say to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation'." (Verses 24 and 26) This exceedingly long psalm (52 verses) finds liturgical utility - and theological "connection" with the readings for this day - in its shorter form. It gets to the heart of the worship for this occasion and eliminates much of the repetition in the complete psalm.
The readings:
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 (R); 42:1-7 (L); 42:1-9 (E)
This reading, also appointed for the Baptism of Our Lord in Cycle/Year A, received consideration in the workbook for that cycle.
Genesis 1:1-5 (C)
The Common lectionary departs from the other lectionaries rather radically in its selection of its first two readings for the Baptism of Our Lord, but employs the same Gospel for the Day, Mark 1:4-11. In the first reading, the first five verses of the creation account are read to emphasize that the God who created all things is doing a "new thing" in the baptism of Jesus, whose life and death will result in a "new creation."
Acts 10:34-38 (R, E, L)
The Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran lectionaries assign this reading to The Baptism of Our Lord in all three years/cycles. Commentary can be found in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle/Series A.
Acts 19:1-7 (C)
As is the custom of the Common lectionary in parts of years A and B, a reading that is not included at all in the other lectionaries has been selected for the Baptism of Our Lord. It differentiates between the baptism of John the Baptizer, with which the disciples that Paul found at Ephesus had been baptized, and that "of Jesus." Paul's explanation of the difference between the two baptisms is that John's was for repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But Paul insisted that people who were baptized should believe in Jesus, for Jesus' baptism bestowed the gift of the Holy Spirit on believers. Subsequently, they were baptized again, received the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in tongues. This reading turns baptism from the person of Christ toward the faithful, assuring the believers that God makes them his children through the same Holy Spirit that came down on Christ at his baptism. It orients the day's preaching toward an interpretation of baptism for contemporary Christians.
Mark 1:4-11 (L, C); 1:7-11 (R, E)
John the Baptizer is portrayed as a prophet/preacher who had a two-part message: 1.) He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; and 2.) he declared that a "mightier" person than he was coming after him, "whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie." This One would also baptize - but with the Holy Spirit, not just with water, as did John. His preaching was received with great enthusiasm by the common people and, according to Mark, Jesus himself came to John to be baptized. Nothing is said about whether or not John recognized Jesus as the "mightier One." He simply baptized him. It is unclear whether he saw the dove that descended on Jesus or heard the voice that spoke to him saying, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well-pleased." Many scholars believe that these were inward experiences of Jesus. This much is evident, however, Mark wanted his readers to comprehend that Jesus, not John the Baptizer, was the Messiah, and that it was in his baptism by the Baptizer that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and announced - to the world - that Jesus is his beloved Son.
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 1:4-11 (L, C); 1:7-11 (R, E) - "The Holy Spirit, Water, and the Word of God."
Local tradition has it that one pastor contacted the parents of newly-born children, inviting them to have their babies baptized in his church by advertising: "Have your baby baptized in this church with water from the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer." Many people responded. He performed thousands of baptisms during his ministry because, for one reason, people believed that the water made the baptisms more authentic than if the children had been baptized with water from an ordinary tap. (I suspect, however, that the unchurched among these mothers and fathers were impressed that this pastor took an interest in them. He called on many of them after they took their babies home from the hospital. More than a few of these people became members of that congregation.) The pastor's theology was, I am certain, better than his "come-on" for baptism. He knew very well that without the Holy Spirit there is no baptism, only water.
1. Jesus was baptized by John with water from the Jordan, but God "anointed" him with the Holy Spirit and the Word. In baptism God always comes to his children in water, word, and the Holy Spirit.
2. This is what makes Christian baptism different from that of John the Baptizer's in the Jordan. God the Father transformed the baptism of John into a Christian sacrament when Jesus was baptized.
3. We, unlike Jesus, the sinless son of God, need to be baptized with the "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," as well as the assurance that, in our baptism, we have become children of the heavenly Father.
4. Jesus' baptism resulted in his contemplation in the wilderness and his clear call to service and ministry. But his baptism was not completed until he was nailed to the cross and died to save us from our sins. It is that way with us, too, in our baptism.
Luther wrote:
Baptism - the dying and drowning of sin - is not fulfilled completely in this life. Indeed this does not happen until man passes through bodily death and completely decays to dust. As we can see, the sacramental action of baptism is over quickly. But the spiritual baptism, the drowning of sin, which it signifies, lasts as long as we live and is completed only in death. Then it is that a person is completely sunk in baptism, and that which baptism signifies comes to pass.... Therefore the life of the Christian, from baptism to the grave, is nothing more than the beginning ofa blessed death. For at the last day, God will make him altogether new.
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Genesis 1:1-5 (C) - "Creation - Old and New."
Luther, as the above statement suggests, would be very happy with this choice of reading for the Baptism of Our Lord. Baptism, finally, is the promise of reconciliation with God that will lead to that final day when God will make us new creatures in Jesus. Life, for the Christian, is a succession of deaths and resurrections, which through repentance and faith - and the work of the Word and Holy Spirit - occur every day as long as we live.
1. On the first day of Creation, God created the heavens and the earth and, with darkness and light separated as night and day, set time in motion. Creation is an Epiphany of God.
2. God rewound his time-clock with the birth and baptism of Jesus, because time - through sin and the breaking of the covenant - was running out on the human race. The world needed a new Epiphany.
3. Jesus' baptism - in the Jordan and on the cross - renewed God's covenant with his people, assuring them that they are his and, in light of the resurrection, will be lifted up to new life at the end of time. Baptism is God's new Epiphany.
4. In this life, baptism makes us, as it did Jesus, servants of God and human beings. In loving service we live out our baptisms and engage in God's work of supporting and preserving his creations and his creatures.
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, (R); 42:1-7 (L); 42:1-9 (E)
Homiletical suggestions for preaching from this reading are included in the material for Cycle/Year A of the Lectionary Preaching Workbook.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, Acts 10:34-38 (R, E, L)
See the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle/Year A for sermon suggestions.
Acts 19:1-7 (C) - "A Case for a Second Baptism."
Baptism is a one-time phenomenon. Most denominations agree that a person only has to be baptized once - in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Some disputes still exist between those who declare that baptism has to be by immersion if it is to be valid, and those who claim that sprinkling or pouring are equally valid modes of baptism. Some consider baptism an act on the part of human beings wherein they offer and dedicate themselves, or their children, to God. But fewer and fewer churches are demanding that people should be re-baptized when they seek membership in their congregations.
Paul, however, made a case for re-baptizing the disciples he found in Ephesus. They were really disciples of John the Baptizer, rather than of Jesus; they apparently hadn't heeded John's announcement about the "mightier One." Paul straightened them out on that point and proceeded to baptize them with water, Word - and God sent the Holy Spirit to seal them into his Kingdom.
1. Baptism "takes" - and a single, one-time baptism is all that is necessary for forgiveness and deliverance from sin and death - when water, word and Holy Spirit combine in a sacrament of life.
2. Re-baptism is unnecessary, even undesirable. But it is renewed whenever people go to the table of the Lord, hear Jesus' words "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins," and receive his body and blood in repentance and faith.
3. Few of us will speak in tongues, but all of us are given the Holy Spirit - in baptism and its renewal through word, spirit, and sacrament - and called to become witnesses for Jesus Christ in the world, speaking the gospel with enthusiasm and clarity to those who need to hear it.
In the baptism of Jesus, there is also an inherent theological statement made about baptism itself. Baptism makes people Children of God - forever. Those who have been baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit reside in the blessed assurance that they have a heavenly Father, who loves them so much that he sent his Son to save them by dying - which is the completion of his baptism by John the Baptizer in the Jordan - on a cross.
The Prayer of the Day
A new collect, or a revision of an older prayer, had to be prepared by several churches for the Baptism of our Lord or First Sunday after Epiphany. They differ very little - but significantly, at times. For example, the Episcopal and Lutheran collects begin almost identically, but the petition differs. The Episcopal prayer reads: "Grant that all who are baptized into his Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior." The petition in the Lutheran collect prays: "Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful in their calling to be your children and inheritors with him of everlasting life." The Prayers of the Day are evidence of the "theological fall-out" about baptism. In the Gospel baptism applies to those who have been baptized in the Lord.
The Psalm for the Day
Psalm 29:1-4, 9b-1O (R) - The Roman Catholic Church assigns this psalm, as it does the readings for the Baptism of our Lord, to all three years of the lectionary. See comments in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle A.
Psalm 45:7-9 (L) - The LBW lectionary assigns this psalm to the Baptism of Our Lord in all three cycles. Comments on this psalm can be found in the workbook for Cycle/Year A.
Psalm 89:1-29, or 89:20-29 (E) - This psalm is also the responsory for all three years in The Book of Common Prayer lectionary; however, it was not included in the workbook for Cycle/Year A. It affirms the covenant that God made with David, "chosen one" of God, to whom he declared, "I will establish your line forever, and preserve your throne for all generations." (verse 3) Verse 20 picks up this theme again, declaring, "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him.... My faithfulness and love shall be with him.... [and] He will say to me, 'You are my Father, my God, and the rock of my salvation'." (Verses 24 and 26) This exceedingly long psalm (52 verses) finds liturgical utility - and theological "connection" with the readings for this day - in its shorter form. It gets to the heart of the worship for this occasion and eliminates much of the repetition in the complete psalm.
The readings:
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7 (R); 42:1-7 (L); 42:1-9 (E)
This reading, also appointed for the Baptism of Our Lord in Cycle/Year A, received consideration in the workbook for that cycle.
Genesis 1:1-5 (C)
The Common lectionary departs from the other lectionaries rather radically in its selection of its first two readings for the Baptism of Our Lord, but employs the same Gospel for the Day, Mark 1:4-11. In the first reading, the first five verses of the creation account are read to emphasize that the God who created all things is doing a "new thing" in the baptism of Jesus, whose life and death will result in a "new creation."
Acts 10:34-38 (R, E, L)
The Roman Catholic, Episcopal, and Lutheran lectionaries assign this reading to The Baptism of Our Lord in all three years/cycles. Commentary can be found in the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle/Series A.
Acts 19:1-7 (C)
As is the custom of the Common lectionary in parts of years A and B, a reading that is not included at all in the other lectionaries has been selected for the Baptism of Our Lord. It differentiates between the baptism of John the Baptizer, with which the disciples that Paul found at Ephesus had been baptized, and that "of Jesus." Paul's explanation of the difference between the two baptisms is that John's was for repentance for the forgiveness of sins. But Paul insisted that people who were baptized should believe in Jesus, for Jesus' baptism bestowed the gift of the Holy Spirit on believers. Subsequently, they were baptized again, received the Holy Spirit, and began to speak in tongues. This reading turns baptism from the person of Christ toward the faithful, assuring the believers that God makes them his children through the same Holy Spirit that came down on Christ at his baptism. It orients the day's preaching toward an interpretation of baptism for contemporary Christians.
Mark 1:4-11 (L, C); 1:7-11 (R, E)
John the Baptizer is portrayed as a prophet/preacher who had a two-part message: 1.) He preached a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins; and 2.) he declared that a "mightier" person than he was coming after him, "whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie." This One would also baptize - but with the Holy Spirit, not just with water, as did John. His preaching was received with great enthusiasm by the common people and, according to Mark, Jesus himself came to John to be baptized. Nothing is said about whether or not John recognized Jesus as the "mightier One." He simply baptized him. It is unclear whether he saw the dove that descended on Jesus or heard the voice that spoke to him saying, "Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well-pleased." Many scholars believe that these were inward experiences of Jesus. This much is evident, however, Mark wanted his readers to comprehend that Jesus, not John the Baptizer, was the Messiah, and that it was in his baptism by the Baptizer that God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and announced - to the world - that Jesus is his beloved Son.
A Sermon on the Gospel, Mark 1:4-11 (L, C); 1:7-11 (R, E) - "The Holy Spirit, Water, and the Word of God."
Local tradition has it that one pastor contacted the parents of newly-born children, inviting them to have their babies baptized in his church by advertising: "Have your baby baptized in this church with water from the Jordan River, where Jesus was baptized by John the Baptizer." Many people responded. He performed thousands of baptisms during his ministry because, for one reason, people believed that the water made the baptisms more authentic than if the children had been baptized with water from an ordinary tap. (I suspect, however, that the unchurched among these mothers and fathers were impressed that this pastor took an interest in them. He called on many of them after they took their babies home from the hospital. More than a few of these people became members of that congregation.) The pastor's theology was, I am certain, better than his "come-on" for baptism. He knew very well that without the Holy Spirit there is no baptism, only water.
1. Jesus was baptized by John with water from the Jordan, but God "anointed" him with the Holy Spirit and the Word. In baptism God always comes to his children in water, word, and the Holy Spirit.
2. This is what makes Christian baptism different from that of John the Baptizer's in the Jordan. God the Father transformed the baptism of John into a Christian sacrament when Jesus was baptized.
3. We, unlike Jesus, the sinless son of God, need to be baptized with the "baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," as well as the assurance that, in our baptism, we have become children of the heavenly Father.
4. Jesus' baptism resulted in his contemplation in the wilderness and his clear call to service and ministry. But his baptism was not completed until he was nailed to the cross and died to save us from our sins. It is that way with us, too, in our baptism.
Luther wrote:
Baptism - the dying and drowning of sin - is not fulfilled completely in this life. Indeed this does not happen until man passes through bodily death and completely decays to dust. As we can see, the sacramental action of baptism is over quickly. But the spiritual baptism, the drowning of sin, which it signifies, lasts as long as we live and is completed only in death. Then it is that a person is completely sunk in baptism, and that which baptism signifies comes to pass.... Therefore the life of the Christian, from baptism to the grave, is nothing more than the beginning ofa blessed death. For at the last day, God will make him altogether new.
A Sermon on the First Lesson, Genesis 1:1-5 (C) - "Creation - Old and New."
Luther, as the above statement suggests, would be very happy with this choice of reading for the Baptism of Our Lord. Baptism, finally, is the promise of reconciliation with God that will lead to that final day when God will make us new creatures in Jesus. Life, for the Christian, is a succession of deaths and resurrections, which through repentance and faith - and the work of the Word and Holy Spirit - occur every day as long as we live.
1. On the first day of Creation, God created the heavens and the earth and, with darkness and light separated as night and day, set time in motion. Creation is an Epiphany of God.
2. God rewound his time-clock with the birth and baptism of Jesus, because time - through sin and the breaking of the covenant - was running out on the human race. The world needed a new Epiphany.
3. Jesus' baptism - in the Jordan and on the cross - renewed God's covenant with his people, assuring them that they are his and, in light of the resurrection, will be lifted up to new life at the end of time. Baptism is God's new Epiphany.
4. In this life, baptism makes us, as it did Jesus, servants of God and human beings. In loving service we live out our baptisms and engage in God's work of supporting and preserving his creations and his creatures.
Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7, (R); 42:1-7 (L); 42:1-9 (E)
Homiletical suggestions for preaching from this reading are included in the material for Cycle/Year A of the Lectionary Preaching Workbook.
A Sermon on the Second Lesson, Acts 10:34-38 (R, E, L)
See the Lectionary Preaching Workbook, Cycle/Year A for sermon suggestions.
Acts 19:1-7 (C) - "A Case for a Second Baptism."
Baptism is a one-time phenomenon. Most denominations agree that a person only has to be baptized once - in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Some disputes still exist between those who declare that baptism has to be by immersion if it is to be valid, and those who claim that sprinkling or pouring are equally valid modes of baptism. Some consider baptism an act on the part of human beings wherein they offer and dedicate themselves, or their children, to God. But fewer and fewer churches are demanding that people should be re-baptized when they seek membership in their congregations.
Paul, however, made a case for re-baptizing the disciples he found in Ephesus. They were really disciples of John the Baptizer, rather than of Jesus; they apparently hadn't heeded John's announcement about the "mightier One." Paul straightened them out on that point and proceeded to baptize them with water, Word - and God sent the Holy Spirit to seal them into his Kingdom.
1. Baptism "takes" - and a single, one-time baptism is all that is necessary for forgiveness and deliverance from sin and death - when water, word and Holy Spirit combine in a sacrament of life.
2. Re-baptism is unnecessary, even undesirable. But it is renewed whenever people go to the table of the Lord, hear Jesus' words "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, shed for you and for all people for the forgiveness of sins," and receive his body and blood in repentance and faith.
3. Few of us will speak in tongues, but all of us are given the Holy Spirit - in baptism and its renewal through word, spirit, and sacrament - and called to become witnesses for Jesus Christ in the world, speaking the gospel with enthusiasm and clarity to those who need to hear it.
