Thursday, January 10, 2019

So Who Are You? (Reflections on the Baptism of Our Lord, Year C)


Image result for images of jesus baptism
“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22)

I have a lot of affiliations. I’m a Griffiths—my parents’ son, my siblings’ brother, my wife’s husband, my daughter’s dad, my nieces’ and nephews’ uncle.

I’m also an American. I’m a Welsh-American, too, and very proud of it. I’m a citizen of the great Garden State of New Jersey and of my township. I’m a Philadelphia Eagles fan. I’m also a registered Democrat.[i]

I’ve been a Boy Scout, a member of the Actors Equity Association, the Screen Actors Guild, the American Association of Television and Radio Artists, the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees, and the United Teachers of Los Angeles. I’m a “card member” of American Express, and I belong to medical and dental “groups.” I’m an alumnus of the California State University at Long Beach, the University of Wisconsin, and the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia[ii].

I’m an ordained pastor, a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, the Northeast/West Philadelphia Conference, the Far Northeast Philadelphia Ministerium[iii], and Faith Lutheran Church.

And I’m a baptized Christian.

Of all the groups and affiliations to which I may lay claim or which may lay claim to me, that last one is the most important. Why? Because all the others are temporary. Baptism is eternal.

The First Sunday after the Epiphany is traditionally celebrated in liturgical churches as the Baptism of Our Lord. In Luke’s Gospel this wonderful event is handled in only two verses:

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and 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.”

These two verses are packed with a lot of meaning. First, it’s so powerful to see Jesus being baptized. He’s going through the same ritual we all go through. He’ll also go through the same pain, loss, temptation, hunger, disappointment, bereavement, and everything else we face. It’s also inspiring to see him in prayer. But the real power comes when God tears open the barrier between himself and us. God’s spirit comes down on the baptized and declares him to be a son, a beloved child, and one who is the source of pleasure to the Father.

That’s a pretty important announcement, don’t you think? We often think of our baptism as God’s promise of forgiveness, the washing away of our sinful stains. Indeed, that’s what the sacrament is. But it’s also something more. It’s the adoption of us. It’s our inheritance. In this water we become God’s children and, as such, members of God’s family. Jesus became one with us in baptism, but in our baptism, we become one with him, and we receive the same promise—we belong, we are loved, and we delight God.

On my office walls are lots of artwork and certificates. I proudly display my seminary diploma and my certificate of Urban Ministry, my letter of congratulations from the bishop when I became the longest serving pastor of my parish, an award from the Seventh Day Adventist congregation, and my Certificate of Ordination. But I also display my Certificate of Baptism. Of all these other scraps of paper—however nice they look in their frames—this one document resonates with me the most. It says I am God’s child. It says I am part of a family which includes you, my dear reader. It says I can share with Jesus in his eternal life just as he has shared my sin and sorrow. It tells me who I am.


[i] Does this shock you?
[ii] Now part of the United Lutheran Seminary.
[iii] I’m the chairman of that group. Just thought you’d like to know that.

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