Sermon - The Baptism of Our Lord 2022 - Matthew 3:13-17

The Baptism of Christ, Andrea del Verrocchio & Leonardo da Vinci, 1470-1475

A blessed Epiphany to you dear friends in Christ! On Christmas we commemorated the birth of Jesus and we celebrated that God became man, that the Son took on our human flesh. Jesus is truly man. He was born as a baby, He grew to be a boy and a full-grown man, He ate, drank, slept, breathed, walked, suffered, died all because He is fully human. That’s the great joy of Christmas, that Jesus became man for our sake to live and die and rise as one of us, so that we would live in Him.

On Epiphany, which was on Thursday, and we’re still in the season of Epiphany, we celebrate that Jesus is not only man, but that He’s truly God! Even an atheist can believe that Jesus was a real man who lived in ancient Palestine, a man who travelled around and taught great wisdom. But the Christian faith is that Jesus isn’t only a real man, but that He’s also the true God!

The visit of the gentile magi from the east who followed a light and brought Jesus gifts and worshipped Him does show that Jesus is the light of the world who has come to bring salvation to all people. But that text doesn’t explicitly reveal Jesus to be the God of the universe. Afterall, gentile pagans worshipped a pantheon of deities, including gods made out of wood and metal. Their bowing down and worshipping Jesus wasn’t any more than they might do to a statue of Marduk. 

But the Baptism of Jesus today does fully reveal Him to be God almighty in the flesh! Not only does this text reveal Jesus to be God, but the Holy Trinity is made manifest to us as well! The Baptism of Jesus is indeed the first great epiphany, manifestation, yes it is even the great theophany, in which the Triune God manifests Himself for us Christians to see and believe. This Word of God we hear today is a greater light than what the magi saw, because today the Word is a light which shows us God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit whom we with the Magi may bow down, worship, and adore.

So we see that Jesus is God, because the Father in heaven plainly tells us: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” When Jesus was here anointed with authority and power from heaven, the entire Trinity was revealed to us. The Holy Spirit descended from heaven in the form of a dove, while the Father spoke from heaven, and the Son of God stood in the Jordan river. Dear Christians, the Holy Triune God has not kept Himself entirely hidden from you, but He made Himself manifest to you so that you may know and worship the only true God. 

It is for this reason that the feast of Epiphany has long been called the “feast of lights.” Jesus said: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Perhaps we would more properly call this the feast of THE Light. Jesus is the light of the world and we don’t walk in darkness; we know who God is! Jesus is the true light who gives light to everyone. 

Though we do live in a dark world. For a long time we’ve said that the early middle ages were the Dark Ages and today we live in the light; but it’s really just the opposite. The middle ages were particularly characterized in the West by Christianity. Those weren’t dark ages at all because many people were living in the light of Christ! If anything, the West is entering into a dark age today as Christianity loses prominence and so few people trust in Christ as their Savior.

With so many people living in the dark, living without Christ and the church, it is tempting for us Christians to despair. It’s tempting to think that the church won’t be here in a few years or to be frustrated about losing traditions and practices. It’s tempting to let the darkness overpower our hearts and minds and for us to give up. But now is not the time to quit at all!

Now is the time to let the light of Christ shine in the darkness! There is but one Hope for this world, there is only One who gives life to the dying, there is one Light who gives people a purpose in life: that light is Jesus! The answer to all of our fears, confusion, and hopelessness is found in Jesus. The beloved Son of God has come into this world to defeat Satan and conquer his kingdom of darkness.

Jesus, the Light of the world, has come and was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. Jesus is true God and therefore didn’t need to be baptized for His own sake. Rather, He was baptized for us, and in His baptism was anointed with power from on high to wage war against death and bring light and life to the captives on earth. Jesus is no mere mortal and so by His death He conquered death for all. 

Jesus is God and so He is the righteous One among all mankind. By His baptism in the Jordan river He sanctified all waters, and all of our baptisms, to be a blessed washing away of sin. By His baptism He has declared us righteous when we were baptized. His holiness and godliness were imparted to us when we, like Jesus, were baptized. In our baptisms the light of the world, the fullness of Jesus and the Holy Trinity, were showered upon us so that we too may shine with the radiance of God’s glory.

Because of Jesus’ baptism, and because you were baptized into Him, you are now lights in the darkness! Because of your baptism Christ lives in you and His light shines through you. This dark world is blessed because you live as Christians and give light to those in darkness. Instead of being depressed about how dark things are, let us see this as a divine opportunity to be the lights God has baptized us to be.

It’s like Jesus said: “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

The only reason that this world is still here and has light is because baptized Christians live in it and reflect God’s light to those around them. This world doesn’t know God. Not just a long ways away, but our own people here in Iowa, in Palo Alto county, live in darkness and don’t know the light of Christ. But that’s why God has placed you here, to live holy and godly lives, to reveal the divinity of Jesus to those around you!

 If you’re not sure how to do that, it’s really quite simple: you joyfully live according to all that God has blessed you with. Ponder for a moment how God has so blessed your life with Christ… When I think about it, I know that being baptized, being a Christian, a Lutheran, is the greatest thing that has ever happened to me! Because I’m baptized, I know what my purpose in life is, namely to be loved by God, love my neighbor, and eventually to be taken into heaven. Speaking of heaven, I know what will happen to me when I die, and therefore I live life without fear because not even death can scare me! Since God has given me all I need, I know how to be content in every situation. In baptism I have a treasure worth more than any other. Jesus died for me, forgiving all of my sins, thus I live without regret and guilt. Having drowned my hard heart, God keeps me safe and secure in the holy ark of the Christian church, so I’m surrounded by others and have a community to keep me company. 

All of what I’ve said is true for every one of us here! Living in the light of Christ is the greatest thing to have ever happened to any of us! I love being a Christian! I love being a Lutheran! Nowhere else in all the world do we have such a treasure than here in Christ’s church, here where we live in the light of Jesus! All of the big questions and problems in this world have been revealed and answered in Jesus! “Why am I here? What is my purpose? What does it all mean? What’s the point? What happens after death?” The answers to those big questions are all revealed clearly for us in Jesus. The world is in darkness, blindly wandering about, looking for meaning in the lamest places. But on us the Light of the World has shone and so we gladly gaze upon Jesus and bask in hope of life that He shines upon us.

This year let us live as Epiphany Christians. Let us live rejoicing in God’s abundant blessings and living as children of the light. May the light of Christ dwell in you richly so that you may be a lamp in the house, drawing others to Christ, the Son of God, who dispels deathly darkness with His righteous light.