Homily for 1 Epiphany (Baptism of the Lord)

My brothers & sisters let us be refreshed in our commitment to follow Christ.

In our reading from Isaiah we hear that “your Creator has redeemed you!” You are precious and be loved in the sight of God. The prophet address the people in the voice of God: you are created by God and should not fear for the future. God will come through for you. The prophet uses many symbols of danger (“waters ... rivers ... fire, etc.) to dramatize the point that God will be with them in any circumstance. God’s people are precious to Him.

In our reading from Acts, we see Jesus’ disciples reaching out to the non-Jewish world. Prior to this story Philip has traveled from Jerusalem and found a willing audience. He was part of the first group of Deacons chosen by the Church. When persecution became strong in Jerusalem, he traveled to Samaria to preach the good news there: the first known evangelism outside Jewish areas. Now the apostles send Peter and John to Samaria. Usually in Acts, converts receive the Holy Spirit at baptism (or even before it) but here they receive it sometime after being baptized, and only when the two apostles, representatives of the mother church, come.

Our Gospel story, Jesus is baptized and recognized as “the one.” John recognizes him and God miraculously gives his blessing on Jesus’ future ministry. John uses lots of symbolic language but some is probably not all that familiar to us. A “winnowing fork” is used to separate the wheat grains from the stalks. First the harvested wheat plants are threshed, i.e., they are laid out on the ground and animals are walked over them so that the grain removed from the stalks (chaff). Then a fork, like a pitch fork is used to toss bunches of trampled stuff into the air. The breeze then blows away the lighter stalks (chaff) and the grain falls back down. Once the chaff is all removed the grain can be gathered. It is clearly a symbol of separation and judgment. What is good and valuable is kept and what is not is thrown out.

One of many symbols in Jesus baptism is to show his solidarity with John’s proclamation of part of God’s plan for saving all who come to him. God shows himself to believers at the moment in an event beyond human language. The author uses the imagery of the dove and booming voice from heaven to describe the experience to his audience. It must have been a powerful and mystical moment.

Today we commemorate the day Jesus was baptized, the traditional moment that his ministry began. Traditionally, Jesus was seen as working in the trade of his father Joseph until he heard of John’s preaching and went to be baptized. From that moment on we see the public (prophetic) Jesus taking up his mission. It all begs the question: when did Jesus know who He really was? One can reasonably assume that the human part of him grew as would any boy; gradually coming to know who He was. Somehow he became fully aware of his unique relationship with the Father in heaven and the mission that was uniquely his.

Certainly his baptism in the Jordan River by John the Baptizer was one of the high points of his personal journey. Certainly at that moment we just heard about in today's Gospel account he was committing himself to the destiny that lay in front of him. Today then is a perfect time for us to recommit ourselves to our mission or destiny, as Christians. We will have just that chance when we renew our Baptismal Promises together.