January 8, 2017
Stetson Memorial UMC
Baptism of the Lord
Sermon Series:
“Becoming You…”
Adapted from Marcia McPhee’
“Who Are You?” Sermon Series
Isaiah 42:1-9 NOG
Bible
Matthew 3:13-17 MSG
Bible
Acts 10:34-43 The
Living Bible
“Cherished, Favored,
and Loved…”
Prayer that God’s Word is heard through me or
in-spite of me…
Let
us pray: Almighty God, the life you birthed in us by baptism into Jesus Christ
will never die. Your justice never fails. Your mercy is everlasting. Your healing river flows. Your Spirit blows
where you will. We cannot stop you, God!
We
are dry and thirsty, O God. Come, refresh us!
Come
upon us, Holy Spirit!
Come
upon these waters.
Let
these waters be to us drops of your mercy.
Let
these waters remind us of your righteousness and justice.
Let
these waters renew in us the resurrection power of Jesus.
Let
these waters make us long for your coming reign.
Most
Holy God, Father! Full of Truth and Grace! Glory to you!
Jesus
Christ, Savior, Lord! Glory to you!
Spirit of fire, Spirit over the waters, Spirit
of holiness! Glory to you!
Eternal
God, One in Three and Three in One! All glory is yours, now and forever. Amen!
Have you ever just wanted to belong to something
just the way you are? I mean there are so many conditions to being part of something.
I like Planet Fitness’ slogan “A judgement free zone.” You can go there and not
be ridiculed by what you look like, how much weight you can or can’t lift, or
even how long you can walk on the treadmill. A place where you can feel
comfortable as you take care of the temple God has given you.
Today is baptism of the Lord Sunday. Now we know
that you receive the Holy Spirit at baptism and it is through the baptismal
waters that we receive grace. In other words, in our baptism of water…our
rebirth…we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit…the flame within us. God is
the Master Creator…creating and recreating His creation. God created…the earth
was birthed, out of the waters that covered the earth. Something new was
created out of the water. But in our baptism there is yet another element that
is added to the creation. Fire is added…the Holy Spirit…to complete the new
creation… It is through this same Spirit that we are guided…it is a gift given
to all who believe… We are accepted into…become part of…the family of believers
at our baptism.
This truth, can be very hard to understand if we
don’t realize who we are in Christ Jesus. Who are we really…how does
God equip us…what are we supposed to do…? We have begun to look at who we are
in Christ…we have begun a deep journey into these questions and more. Let’s see
what transformation happens as we become who God says we are and not who the
world thinks we are.
The
first fact is this…you are God’s beloved. You are cherished, favored, and loved
by God. Now this may be hard to grasp. We live in a world that we have a fear
of rejection. You must have the right connections, wear the right clothes, do
the right things to be “part of society” and not on the out skirts thereof.
Love, for many, is conditional. We are loved if we…fill in the blank. Can you imagine what the world would be like
without the human fear of rejection place that you are accepted for who you are
and not who others want you to be.
Beloved
this world does exist…there is a place where you and I are accepted, flaws and
all. It is at the foot of the cross of Jesus… It is within our baptismal waters
of Grace. Listen to what happened when Jesus came to the Jordan River where
John, the baptizer, was baptizing the people for their sins…read Matthew 3:13-17…
Matthew 3:13-17 The Message
(MSG)
13-14 Jesus then
appeared, arriving at the Jordan River from Galilee. He wanted John to baptize
him. John objected, “I’m the one who needs to be baptized, not you!”
15 But Jesus insisted.
“Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming
together right now in this baptism.” So John did it.
16-17 The moment Jesus
came up out of the baptismal waters, the skies opened up and he saw God’s
Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on him. And along with the
Spirit, a voice: “This is my Son, chosen and marked by my love, delight of my
life.”
This
is my son…this is my daughter…chosen and marked by my love…she is the delight
of my life…he is the delight of my life… We too are beloved…we too hear these
words of love…we also hear these words of affirmation not only who but whose we
are.
We
are chosen…by God…to be like Peter and the other apostles to share this good
news that we continue to be witness of to this very day. Listen to what Peter had
to say to those who were listening…listen to the promise of acceptance…read Acts 10:34-43:
Acts 10:34-43Living Bible
(TLB)
34 Then Peter replied,
“I see very clearly that the Jews are not God’s only favorites! 35 In
every nation he has those who worship him and do good deeds and are acceptable
to him. 36-37 I’m sure you have heard about the Good News for the people
of Israel—that there is peace with God through Jesus, the Messiah, who is Lord
of all creation. This message has spread all through Judea, beginning with John
the Baptist in Galilee. 38 And you no doubt know that Jesus of Nazareth
was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with power, and he went around
doing good and healing all who were possessed by demons, for God was with him.
39 “And we apostles are
witnesses of all he did throughout Israel and in Jerusalem, where he was
murdered on a cross. 40-41 But God brought him back to life again three
days later and showed him to certain witnesses God had selected beforehand—not
to the general public, but to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from
the dead. 42 And he sent us to preach the Good News everywhere and to
testify that Jesus is ordained of God to be the Judge of all—living and dead.
43 And all the prophets have written about him, saying that everyone who
believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”
“We see very clearly that
the Jews are not God’s only favorites! Everyone who believes in him will have
their sins forgiven through his name.” This is the message...this
is the Good News…therefore we ARE BELOVED. Nothing of our own doing. We are
accepted…as we are…by grace and grace alone. I would like to propose this…I
would like to challenge us. Let’s live in the abundance of grace and acceptance
and just see what happens when we offer that to others.
Today is the Baptism of the Lord Sunday, the day
when we remember not only his life changing baptism but ours as well. Through
water we are saved. Through water we are redeemed. Through water we are given a
new life. (Walk down the aisle with the
Baptismal Bowl and sprinkle the congregation when saying remember your baptism)
So when the waters of life seem as if they are about to overtake you…remember your baptism…
You are my cherished child in whom I am well
pleased… When
you feel as if you have no one who really cares in your life…remember your baptism…you are the delight of my life. When you feel like an outcast
in this journey of life…remember your
baptism… You
are chosen and marked by my love. When life has thrown you too
many curves and you just can’t take one more…remember your baptism… the skies
opened up and God’s Spirit—it looked like a dove—descending and landing on you.
You have been sealed with love…you have been sealed
with power…you have been sealed with grace…you have been sealed by the Spirit. Remember
your baptism!
Amen
