Matthew 3, 13-17, 2026
Your Word, O God, comes to us in the translation of ancient scripture. Send your Holy Spirit to open our minds with understanding and our hearts with wisdom in the name of Jesus Christ, your Living Word. Amen.
As we come together to worship this morning we bring into this space all of our lives
We have had reasons to celebrate and be glad this week
There have been goals set and maybe achieved
We have met with family and friends
These and other reasons to be happy are ours
As well as the good in our lives there are also the things that bring concern
Those of us who watch the news are aware of world leaders who are more
concerned about adding to their territory than they are to care for the vulnerable in their own land
We watch what is going on, we pray, we wait, we pray some more
With such anxiety we may wonder what the story of Jesus’ baptism has to say to us
How can an ancient happening have a message for us in the twenty-first century?
Let’s look at that story together, as it is recorded in Matthew and see what the living word of God has to say to us
In our gospel lesson this morning Jesus had the courage to make a public
declaration
Well not so much a declaration as a definitive action
An action that would begin the life of ministry and would begin to give a glimpse of how Jesus viewed success
This baptism that began Jesus’ ministry did not mark him as one who was
concerned with power, money or glamour
His baptism was an act of obedience
When Jesus came to see John at the Jordan he had a reason for being there
He wanted to be baptized
Baptism was a known practise in the ancient world
There were various faith groups that used baptism as part of their initiation and affirmation ritual
Jesus was to be baptized by John whose baptism was a one of repentance
He himself said, “I baptize with water for repentance, but one who is more
powerful than I is coming after me”
John understood himself to be the one who would get people ready for Jesus
And one day Jesus showed up at John’s spot asking to be baptized
This was hard for John to accept
And it can be hard for us to understand
Why would Jesus want to be baptized?
Jesus had no need to repent, so why come to John for baptism?
We read in our gospel lesson, verse 15, that Jesus submits to this baptism as a fulfillment of God’s righteousness. Some believe this act was not only an act of obedience to God and the consecration of his coming mission,
this baptism was also an act of being in “solidarity with sinners.”
Standing in solidarity with those who often feel unworthy of God’s love and grace is a powerful act that is vividly portrayed in this text and throughout the ministry of Jesus. (Karyn Wiseman)
By this act of baptism Jesus was demonstrating that he is on our side
We don’t need to convince Jesus that he might want to like us a bit
He knows we are frail, vulnerable and that we make mistakes and he chooses to stand with us anyway
In spite of all this, John would have prevented Jesus from being baptized
John understood that Jesus was a great prophet
The one who had been promised
The person of promise that he, John, was introducing
And he felt that he was unworthy to baptize Jesus
This act of baptism had less to do with John and his abilities
And more to do with what God did with that act
The baptism of Jesus was the way by which God told the people who Jesus was
Jesus was his loved son
He was the one with whom God was well pleased
This simple act of John baptizing Jesus with water became the means by which God proclaimed who Jesus was
Through the revelatory events of this text, the opening of the heavens,
the descent of the dove,
and the affirmation of Jesus and his coming ministry,
we see that this is no ordinary baptism (verses 16-17)
This baptism is different.
In it we get a clear sense of who Jesus is as God acknowledges Jesus from the
heavens as “my Son” (verse 17).
It is a profoundly important moment as Jesus is about to encounter the testing in the wilderness (4:1-11) and the beginning of his public ministry (4:12-17).
We hear the affirmation of Jesus, and witness the preparatory act for completing the tasks before him.
And we also hear God who says to anyone being baptized,
“I love you,” “You are mine,” and “I am pleased with you.”
These are powerful affirmations to receive from our Creator. (Karyn Wiseman)
As God gives us these messages that we are his and he is pleased with us
We can think of how this can be lived out
For sure, if we know and believe that God is pleased with us, we will pass that on to others
Fred Craddock had the following happen to him
In a book called Craddock Stories, noted preacher and Professor of Preaching and New Testament Fred Craddock remembers preaching at Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King, Jr.’s church, sometime in the 1980s.
He says,
“Joe Roberts, the pastor, had invited me . . . and the service had moved to the point where I was to stand and speak.
I’d moved to the pulpit and I had my New Testament (turned to Mark 8) . . . and was ready to read, when Joe Roberts, who was seated up there along with several other persons, began to sing.
Just as I was going to say my first word, he started singing.
“I feel much better now that I’ve laid my burden down,”
and then he sang some more.
Then the associates started singing,
and the musicians went to their instruments,
the piano and the organ and the drums and the electric guitar,
and the people started singing.
I’m standing up there with Mark 8, waiting.
“Then, I suddenly realized, I’m the one up front,
I’m the leader of this, so I started clapping my hands and singing.
Then everybody stood up and started clapping their hands and swinging and singing, and it was just marvelous.
Then at a certain point the pastor, Joe Roberts, put his hand out, it got quiet, they sat down and I started preaching.
I could’ve preached all day.
Afterwards I said to Joe, “Well, that kind of shocked me a little bit.
You didn’t tell me you were going to do that.”
He said, “Well, I didn’t plan it.”
“Then why did you do it?”
And he said, “Well, when you stood up there, one of my associates leaned over to me and said, ‘That boy’s going to need some help.’” (p. 128)
“That boy’s going to need some help.”
Craddock goes on to give a reflection on how that phrase might have also been used in heaven on the day Jesus was baptized
He says “I can just see The Father and The Spirit peering down from heaven onto the John the Baptist Revival Center and Riverfront Tabernacle down by the Jordan.
Here comes Jesus, determined to get started on his mission and full of vim, vigor and bright ideas.
And The Spirit turns to The Father and says, “That boy’s going to need some help.”
And The Father thinks about it a few minutes, looks out over the horizon and into the future and sees there trials and tribulations, sadness and sorrow, great adulation mixed with abject failure and frequent rejection.
And The Father nods sadly and says to The Spirit, “I believe you’re right.
That boy is going to some help.”
And then a slow smile spread across the Father’s face and he said,
“And guess what Spirit; you’re it.”
And so it was that just as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens split open and the Spirit of God came down in the form of a dove and
alit on Jesus’ shoulder, and a mighty voice boomed from above,
“This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased.”
And after that, the heavens closed and the bird flew off and only a few heard a faint voice whisper,
“There; that oughta do it.”
God used the small act of John’s obedience to show to the world who Jesus was
That boy needed some help
And the help came from God
It came from his mother Mary and Joseph who followed God
And it came from his cousin John who was obedient and who helped with Jesus’ ministry
Jesus made choices and we can too
As Jesus took on our humanity, so we can share in his divinity
We chose to be disciples
We choose to live as those whose lives have been transformed
We choose to reflect God in our living
We live in a world where two realities live side by side
On one hand there is the reality that people are weak and frail
That we boys and girls need some help
That we want to be good but we are afraid, we get sick, we make mistakes, we hoard rather than share and so on
On the other hand there is the reality that in Jesus we have been redeemed
We are made right with God
We have the sign of baptism given to us to remind us of what God has done
The words “My beloved” apply to us
We are God’s dearly loved ones
We are worthwhile
And we have the gift of baptism to remind us that we are to fulfill God’s purpose not our own
Maya Angelou has been quoted as saying “While I know myself as a creation of God, I am also obligated to realize and remember that everyone else and
everything else are also God’s creation.”
This reminder that we are all part of God’s creation is needed for us daily
I think one of the things we fear the most is that we will be overlooked
That someone else will get what is ours
That someone will receive more than enough and we will be left in the cold
When we realize that we are creations of God
That I am a creation of God
That you are a creation of God
Then you know that you are loved
And if you are loved by God that is all you need
And if you are loved by God
You can love others and celebrate the good that comes to them, whether or not you think they deserve the blessing or not
Remember we pray for daily bread, that is we pray to have enough
And when we remember our baptism
We are enabled to live freely
Knowing that we will get the help we need
Knowing that God will give us what is necessary
Knowing that God will give us what is necessary, we are equipped to do the work of Christmas
But wait, you may say, we have finished our Christmas celebrations for this
season
The decorations have been put away
The talk of diets has begun
We may or may not be thinking of the next holiday
But the work of Christmas is a year round occupation
Jesus who was baptized to stand in solidarity with us says “come follow me”
Jesus who showed in his living that
“The … planet does not need more successful people. But it does desperately
need more peacemakers, healers, restorers, storytellers, and lovers of every kind.
It needs people who live well in their places.
It needs people of moral courage willing to join the fight to make the world
habitable and humane. ….”
(David Orr and Dali Lama)
To come back to the question that I raised at the beginning
What does an ancient story have to say to us in the twenty-first century
It says that God who has called us and commissioned us will also be with us
It says that troublesome times do not mean that God has departed
As Jesus was named as the beloved who walked with God
So we are named as the beloved who walk with God
Prayers of Thanksgiving and Intercession (Leave a silence of 5 to 10 seconds after each petition before leading the response.)
Loving God,
you invite us to bring to God our doubts and fears,
our joys and concerns, our petitions and our praise.
We thank you that you are with us in every circumstance,
and that you walk with us through times of celebration and sorrow.
This day, we open our hearts to you,
knowing your Spirit prays in us with sighs too deep for words.
Where people are tired from work or weary with responsibility;
where time and resources feel inadequate and costs overwhelming,
send your Spirit with strength and renewal…
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Where people are facing danger or living under duress;
where people are persecuted for who they are or what they believe,
send your Spirit with courage and comfort…
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Where people have suffered the loss of love or purpose;
and where love seems complicated and challenging,
send your Spirit to bind up the brokenhearted…
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Where people are ill and worry for their future;
where people suffer pain or disability and long for healing;
and where people face the limits to life and options have run out,
send your Spirit with healing and hope…
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Where people seek a reliable friend, a true comforter or wise adviser; where the lonely long for company to cheer them,
and where isolation makes people doubt their value to others,
send your Spirit of wisdom and companionship…
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
Where new life is beginning and hope dawns;
where there is laughter and joy, healing and positive change,
where there is good news to celebrate
and opportunities open up for the year ahead,
send your Spirit with rejoicing and gratitude…
God, in your mercy,
Hear our prayer.
These things we pray in Jesus’ name, giving thanks that we know our prayers will be heard
Amen
Commission and Blessing
You are God’s beloved.
Go in the assurance of this love, to engage the challenges God sets before us with confidence.
And may God who is the Creator, Christ and Spirit,
go with you, and give you joy and peace, now and always.