Kempsey Uniting - Baptism of Jesus

Kempsey Uniting Church

Sunday 11 January 2015

                                                Epiphany No 1

Old Testament Reading – Genesis 1:1-5

The Story of Creation

1 In the beginning, when God created the universe,^{[a] 2} the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God^[b] was moving over the water. ³ Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared. ⁴ God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, ⁵ and he named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the first day.

While on holidays over the past week at Narrabri a rural town, a farming community where livelihoods are dependent on cereal crops, cotton and cattle. There is a new beginning on their backyard in the form of mining of coal and gas explorations occurring that is bringing new opportunity for the immediate present to the town but also to churches with transient workers. Opportunities have been created for residents to be employed within these industries. As a church we are concerned for the welfare of members within the communities but also in the church. The Maules Creek project of the Whitehaven Coal Limited is the vehicle that is bring this extra growth to the townships on the NSW Slopes & Plains. While this project is new, coal operation has been a major economic player on the Gunnedah basin in Gunnedah and Boggabri.

In the Genesis reading, the scriptures remind us that God created earth for mankind and the Spirit of God moved over the waters. In recent time during 2014 we witness peaceful protest at the Maules Creek site because of possible long term effect to planet Earth and where members of the church have participated.

At the church coal front, we are face with two concerns for the immediate welfare of members living in our community (church or society) and living off the benefits from participation through employment for survival. Secondly is the Christian guardianship of planet Earth for the long term benefits for future generations.

As a Christian we are living in the now and also looking to the future glory with Christ where our hope must lie. In God’s redemption plan from the beginning when God created Earth and it was formless and void as the scriptures declares. We must remember that God here that the Hebrew people worship was Elohim, not a single entity but a plural entity where we acknowledged God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. When we speak of God, it is the plural entity as one God. God the Son existed before time began and the creation of Earth.

We know the story of humanity from creation with the pledge of obedience to portraying periods of disobedience; humanity was discharge from the Garden of Eden, no longer walk with God in the cool of evening. Humanity shall then benefit from the fruits of their labour in the environment they find themselves living. This was a new beginning for humanity to be self-reliance for survival and so it is today. Communities and peoples finding ways to be self-reliance, it is echo in the hall of Parliament by the government that communities and people need to be self-reliance for survival. God has a plan of restoration for humanity in which he will provide and no need for self-reliance.

We know the story with Israel of periodical sacrifice for their atonement to God. We heard the story that God was going to intervene into history of planet Earth with a delivery plan, implement a strategy. The prophets’ message was about the coming of the Messiah; to lead the people to salvation, to seek that which is lost to be saved.  We have just witness the Christmas event, the birth of Jesus and now we see Jesus as an adult heading towards John his cousin down at the water edge.

It has probably been asked, how a Hebrew God can be a God for us. Why should He be concerned for us? Firstly because God was at beginning of creation and before humanity was created through Adam. God the Son was there at the beginning of time. We have this picture of God existing in parallel to the history of humanity. The Apostle Paul reminds us in Ephesians 3:6 that Gentiles are part of God’s mysterious plan. This mysterious plan includes both Jews and Gentiles, who believe the Good News and we will share equally in the inheritance, of the same body, enjoy the promise and belong to Christ Jesus.

Gospel Reading: Mark 1:4-11

⁴ This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. ⁵ All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. ⁶ His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷ John announced: “Someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to stoop down like a slave and untie the straps of his sandals. ⁸ I baptize you with^[d] water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit!”

⁹ One day Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee, and John baptized him in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ As Jesus came up out of the water, he saw the heavens splitting apart and the Holy Spirit descending on him^[e] like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”

Our Gospel’s narrative brings to the forefront relationships, where we encountered John the Baptist preparing the way for the Messiah. John is calling the Jewish people to repentance and to show their repentance by immersion. Around that time a baptismal ritual of daily immersion to symbolise daily cleansing from religious impurity has been discovered according to the Dead Sea Scrolls at Qumran. But John baptismal ritual was different, administered only once to each repentant sinner and it was to all Jewish people. John acknowledges someone greater who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. John is a forerunner to that person.

Now Jesus of Nazareth was approaching John the Baptist down at the Jordan River as a mark of new beginning of Jesus’ ministry. John is the endorser of Jesus. The stage is set as with many people coming to John for new beginning in their lives, a turnaround moment and by public demonstration where other Jewish people are observing the repentant people. It is in this setting that Jesus is approaching John to be baptised. Jesus enters the water to meet John, remember John hold the centre stage and who administer the baptismal ritual of Jesus. At this historical moment of John performing the baptism of Jesus, Mark records the descent of the Spirit of God like a dove. Something dynamic has taken place as Jesus is raised from being immersed, a dove descending and a loud voice proclaiming the relationship of Jesus to God, his son. The prophecy of Isaiah 64 is being fulfilled in Jesus. Here is the unique capture of the Christology of whom Jesus is the Son of God when the Father utters those words, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” Mark 1:11

Just to recap in the Old Testament reading we are introduce to God and the relationship with the creation of the universe and earth. The gospel reading centres on the relationship John the Baptist with Jesus of Nazareth and God with His Son Jesus and the Spirit of God. These relationships are new beginning that Jesus and his ministry, which encompass God’s deliverance for humanity. We see that the Jewish people come to John the Baptist to affirm their relationship with God and in public witness of baptism of their repentances of sin.

2nd Reading – Acts 19:1-7

Paul’s Third Missionary Journey

19 While Apollos was in Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior regions until he reached Ephesus, on the coast, where he found several believers.^{[a] 2} “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” he asked them.

“No,” they replied, “we haven’t even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.”
³ “Then what baptism did you experience?” he asked.
And they replied, “The baptism of John.”
⁴ Paul said, “John’s baptism called for repentance from sin. But John himself told the people to believe in the one who would come later, meaning Jesus.”
⁵ As soon as they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ Then when Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in other tongues^[b] and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

Our 2^nd reading takes us forward into time, where Paul is evangelising throughout Asia Minor and he reaches Ephesus. Again we discover a relationship issue that Paul observed with a group of believers. So Paul begins to question the group’s belief and started with a question about the Holy Spirit. Paul had an interest as he was a planter who establishes new beginnings for Jesus with people who are receptive to the Gospel of Jesus. Paul questions their experience not knowledge about the Holy Spirit. Paul wanted to get to the root of their experience and they gave an affirmative no, they had no knowledge of the Holy Spirit. The foundational question was then asked, “What baptism did you experience?”  Paul is challenging the group of their relationship they had through repentance and redemption they experience through baptism. The experience they related to was the baptism offered by John the Baptist.
We capture Mark’s narrative of the baptism ritual of when Jesus went to John the Baptist earlier. John the Baptist was a forerunner to Jesus, John’s message for repentance was pointing to someone greater than he and he will baptise with the Holy Spirit.
These believers that Paul encounter had experience the baptism that John the Baptist was preaching for repentance of their sin and that there was someone who will baptise with the Holy Spirit. Please do not relate the baptism that John the Baptist performs is what we experience as a Christian baptism the commentators warn. First century believers who experience the baptism of repentance from John the Baptist were fixed here and now. They had not experience the empowering of the Holy Spirit by baptism in the name of Jesus. The Christian baptism began with the Apostles who baptise in the name of Jesus. One cannot read that those baptise by John did not received the Spirit at their baptism.
Paul explained to them the true intention and meaning of John’s baptism. Firstly a baptism of repentance and secondly believe in the one to come after, that is, in Christ Jesus. After they received the instruction from Paul, they believed. The result was that two activities happened, firstly being baptised in the name of Lord Jesus secondly, the receiving of the Holy Spirit after Paul pray to God and with laying of the hands on them. God responded to Paul’s prayer and the belief of the group. The experience they had was like the day of Pentecost where they demonstrated the speaking of tongues and prophesied.
Throughout the three reading, we have witness God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, the triune God was at work at creation, the Baptism of Jesus and a group of people at Ephesus believed the message, the Gospel of Jesus as the One that John the Baptist was proclaiming from the river Jordan and received the Holy Spirit which God responded to them.
We are on the journey home with God through the redemptive work of Jesus with the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Jesus bridges the gap between humanity and God through his baptism, death, burial, resurrection and ascension into heaven.
The journey is about relationship with each other and with God. This is God’s world in which he created at the beginning of time. The whole creation is the expression of God, for he spoke it into fulfillment.