The second sermon in the series. I've preached Jesus' baptism several times in my tenure (8 years) at the church I currently serve. I looked at previous sermons to try to not repeat myself too much. Jesus passing through the waters to discover fully his identity was a new point. It worked well with the point about how we discover our identity in baptism.
“All the People”, January 12, 2025; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Luke 3: 15-22
15As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, 20added to them all by shutting up John in prison.
21Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
Introduction: In his 1995 autobiography, *In the Arena*, Charlton Heston describes making *The Greatest Story Ever Told* in November of 1963.
are some of you may remember, Max von Sydow played Jesus, and Heston appeared as John the Baptist.
Director George Stevens had chosen to film the baptism in Glen Canyon, Arizona, on the Colorado River.
Heston points out that in November the water temperature was in the forties. It made for some interesting reactions as the hundreds of extras were immersed, one by one, in the cold Colorado.
"As they came up, gasping and wild-eyed, the cameras conveyed pure, heartfelt epiphany."
It took several days to shoot the scene. Heston remarks that they "baptized" around sixty a day. He suspects the real Baptist did better.
So, after several days of standing in cold water dressed in a bearskin, he got to pretend to baptize Jesus. As he was waiting in the water for the shot, he warmed his hands on a cup of coffee with his head down.
This might have caused Stevens some concern, for he called out, "How ya doin', Chuck?" And Heston says he answered, "I'm okay, George. But I'll tell you this, if the Jordan had been as cold as the Colorado, Christianity never would have gotten off the ground.”
As we read in the Gospel of Luke this morning, Jesus’ baptism takes place in the much warmer river Jordan when “when all the people were baptized….”
“all the people”
this morning, we continue our preaching series that will take us to Lent.
The preaching series explores the expansive nature of God’s actions as we focus on words in the lectionary texts such as “all” or “everyone,” which remind us of the expansive nature of God’s claim and call.
In this story of baptizing that begins Jesus’ ministry
and in our ongoing practice of baptism in the Reformed tradition here at St. Andrew,
we see the expansive claim and concern of God as all people are invited to the waters of baptism
and all people need the waters of baptism.
move 1: All the people are invited to the waters of baptism
a. John the Baptist does not have a list of those who can be baptized and those who cannot.
1. If you come to the River Jordan, you can be baptized.
I suppose John the Baptist would like for you to have an attitude of repentance, but who’s to know what in the heart or in the mind of the person standing before him in the Jordan river?
2. we do not know that everyone who showed up at the river Jordan was baptized, but as Luke tells it, “all the people were baptized.”
3. An expansive claim that speaks to the expansive nature of the invitation to the waters of baptism.
4. Baptism is not just for those who are on a certain list;
Baptism is not just for those of a certain heritage;
Baptism is not just for those who are worthy;
Baptism on the river jordan was a gift to which all were invited.
b. As we continue the practice of baptism in our own tradition, we too have an open invitation.
1. no particular list of those who can be baptized;
no pedigree you have to have to be baptized.
in fact, the first question we ask someone who is being baptized is, “Do you desire to be baptized?”
or in the case of a child being presented for baptism, we ask the persons presenting the child, “Do you desire this child to be baptized?”
2. We do, of course, understand baptism within the context of the church community.
3. to be baptized is tied to profession of faith in Jesus Christ and binds us to the church community.
I’m reminded of the story a parent told about looking out the window and seeing his child 'playing church' with their cat. His daughter had the cat sitting quietly and she was preaching to it. The dad smiled and went about his work.
A while later he heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see his daughter baptizing the cat in a tub of water. He called out, ', stop that! The cat is afraid of water!' His daughter looked up at him and said, 'the cat should have thought about that before it joined my church.'
4. In the Reformed tradition, we do not understand baptism outside of the context of the church community.
as you know from participating in baptisms here at St. Andrew, we understand God acting in the waters of baptism and the faith community playing an important role in the ongoing living out of the baptismal vows.
but the invitation to come to the waters of baptism is open for any and all.
5. All the people that day at the river accepted the invitation to be baptized.
Move 2: We read this story in Luke and also recognize that all the people need the waters of baptism.
a. We do not know why all these people are showing up to be baptized at the river Jordan,
but we can make some guesses
because we know in our own lives what they might have been looking for when they arrive at the river Jordan.
1. Maybe some are looking for a new start to their lives,
Like the Israelites who passed through the parted waters of the Red Sea as God led them out of slavery and into new life,
they are looking for a fresh start.
2. maybe some are looking for signs of hope in their lives.
When we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah who made passing through the waters a sign of hope to the Israelites in exile, we recognize the hope that is tied with passing through the waters of baptism.
a hope found in the God who has promised again and again to redeem and save God’s people
a promise which God has fulfilled again and again.
3. Maybe they are looking to God in hopes that just as God blew across the waters to create the world and bring order to the chaos, God might bring order to their own lives of chaos.
4. Maybe some just happen to be there and go along with what everyone else is doing.
4. Regardless of why they come, All who enter the waters of baptism are changed.
b. That this the hope and promise that John the Baptist brings to baptism:
1. a chance to repent and change their ways
to be cleansed in the waters of baptism
to have new life.
2. That is the hope and promise that will be fulfilled and expanded in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
the chance to repent and follow him;
the opportunity to be cleansed in the waters of baptism
the gift of new life we desperately seek is now found as we are united with Christ in the waters of baptism.
All the people need the waters of baptism.
Move 3: did you notice
All of the people being baptized includes Jesus.
a. the mention of Jesus’’ baptism comes almost as an afterthought in the Gospel of Luke.
1. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus comes to the River Jordan specifically to be baptized by John,
and John and Jesus have a discussion about whether John should even be baptizing Jesus.
2. The Gospel of Mark Jesus baptism is so important Mark begins with the arrival of John the Baptist in the River Jordan and Jesus showing up to be baptized.
3. But in Luke, we are told that “all the people were baptized”
and then Jesus was also baptized.
In fact, some translations like the New International Version translate this passage slightly differently,
“When all the people were being baptized, jesus was baptized too.”
Sort of Jesus going along with what everyone else was doing.
no big deal.
b. Through the years, lots of people, including biblical scholars have asked, Why did Jesus have to be baptized by John,
particularly since John’s baptism was tied to the people’s sinfulness and the call to repentance.
2. maybe that’s not the correct question.
Maybe instead of asking “Why did Jesus have to be baptized?”
we should be asking, “Why does Jesus choose to join with us in the waters of baptism?”
3. if nothing else, in his choosing to be baptized with all the other people, Jesus lives into his desire to be with us, to join with us as God in flesh.
c. But we also note that as Jesus passes through the waters of baptism he comes fully into his identity.
1. that, of course, is what sets his baptism apart from all the others.
after his baptism, while Jesus was praying, the heavens were opened,
the Holy Spirit descends,
and the voice of God speaks down from the heavens: “You are my son the Beloved, with you I am well-pleased.”
2. The one whose birth the angels announced from the skies earlier in Luke;
the one who Luke describes as staying in the Temple teaching as a 12 yr old while his parents headed home;
the one who is baptized with all the other people:
Is the Son of God.
His identity confirmed as he passes through the waters of baptism.
d. when we pass through the waters of baptism, we claim our identity as children of God.
1. Our birth gives us our identity as a member of a household;
the relationships we make through the years speak to how we are connected to others;
the work we do give us an identity that speaks to our skills and our desires,
but baptism is where we lay claim to our identity as children of God.
We are invited to pass through the waters of baptism and come fully into our identity as children of God,
as people united with Christ in his baptism,
which unites us with Christ in his death and his resurrection.
Conclusion: All the people were baptized in the river Jordan.
all the people are invited to the waters of baptism.
all the people need the waters of baptism.
Even you and I.
