Sermon at Winterslow All Saints’ Parish Church, - Baptism of Christ – Sunday 9th January 2022
Acts 8 : 14-17; Luke 3:15-17,21-22
Today we celebrate the Baptism of Christ by John the Baptist
in the River Jordan; but as well as being such a celebration we are still in
the Season of Epiphany – that time when we remember the coming of the three
wise men or “kings” bearing prophetic gifts to the infant Jesus – gold to
represent his kingship, frankincense to represent his holiness or divinity and
myrrh, that perfume with which the dead are anointed to represent the great
sacrifice he would later make for all.
However, in these readings we are reminded that not all
kings come bearing such gifts. It has
been suggested that John the Baptist’s reference to Jesus, the one who is to
come, the Messiah, with a winnowing folk in his hand, to clear the
threshing-floor and burning the chaff is a veiled reference to Herod Antipas,
who although probably a shadow of his tyrannical father, the old King Herod, is
nevertheless probably a danger to modern prophets as John himself would soon
find out.
These two readings, one from Acts and one from Luke’s
Gospel, are rich in lessons for us today. In our epistle reading from Acts we
read, straight away, that the Samaritans had accepted the word of God. Historically, the Samaritans and the Jews had
been at logger-heads – distrusting each other. Just like many divided communities
today, they had each built up over many generations a hatred for each
other. In very simple terms, it arose
because of fundamental religious differences – like so many conflicts in the
world today. Samaritans believed that
their form of worship was the “true Jewish religion” because Samaritans had
remained in the land of Israel during the period of the Babylonian Exile
whereas those who went into exile and returned had had their religion tainted
by leaving the Holy Land. It is true to say, therefore, that both Jew and
Samaritan believed in God but not necessarily where the word came from. Now we read that following on from Jesus’s
ministry they truly believed the same as those early Christians. Christianity as a global phenomenon was being
established.
This is why the words of John are so important. Up until the
time Jesus began his ministry – which was on the day that he was baptised by
John, those who wished to accept the new testament of God acknowledged and
accepted this by being baptised in the Jordan – baptism of water. A symbolic act to wash away the old life and
begin the new – what John called “metanoia” or repentance; an acceptance of the
new way. We do this today. However, with Jesus would come the Holy
Spirit to all who wanted it – “He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and
Fire” – in other words not only will you be changed through the cleansing of
your body as a symbol of washing away the old tainted ways, but you will also
have something brand new bestowed upon you.
We read towards the end of the passage in Luke how this was
revealed to the people. After Jesus had been through the ritualistic baptism
with water, Heaven, we read, was opened and the Holy spirit descended upon
Jesus in the form like a dove. You will
all recall that it was the dove which came back to Noah’s Ark with an olive
branch in its beak to indicate that the cleansing of the world by the Great
Flood was now over and a new world can begin; it is also the dove which for
generations has been the symbol for peace throughout the world; a symbol of new
beginning and of understanding between all peoples.
With the Holy Spirit descending upon Jesus he was able to
share that spirit with all who came to him and sought and followed his ministry
and, as we know following his death, resurrection and ascension, at Pentecost
the Spirit descended upon all who sought it.
That is precisely where we find ourselves today. The Wise Men came bearing gifts to the infant
Jesus, Jesus himself, through his ministry, death and resurrection has bestowed
the greatest gift of all, the Holy Spirit, free and unconditionally to all who
seek it. Actually, there is one
condition, and that is that having received it you do not grieve it – that is
to renounce it or denigrate.
I believe the world is, today, hungry for the Holy
Spirit. Later this morning we are going
to be discussing how the church can put into practice good stewardship ideas
for the good of our planet starting here with our church and community.
Excellent and well done to all!
Sometimes we get so caught up with our own little worlds
that we forget that we all live in one greater world; but it is not all that
great. We are all living on a planet, a
spaceship which is less than 8,000 miles in diameter in the vastness of a cold
and hostile universe billions and billions of light years across – if it has
any boundaries. It is the only home we
have and really can ever have this side of the grave. Jesus, we are told by John, came into the
world to save the world not to condemn it.
We read this morning and we have just discussed how he
brought with him that greatest of extra-terrestrial gifts – the Holy Spirit;
that is the presence of God here on Earth. These last few words I have spoken
remind me of the words of the 1930s and 1940s film comedian Will Hay – star of
“Oh Mr Porter” – who, as William T. Hay, was an accomplished amateur astronomer
– when he said “If we were all astronomers there would be no more wars”.
Similarly I recently watched the movie “Don’t Look Up” starring Jennifer
Lawrence, Mark Rylance and Leo DiCaprio.
It is a little wacky but the essence of it is that in today’s modern age
we spend a lot of time looking down at our devices and accepting what social
media is saying or not saying and no enough time looking up and around us and
discovering reality for ourselves. In the case of the film I have just quoted
there is a large comet heading straight for Earth which will destroy the planet
in six months’ time. The politicians and media people don’t seem to care
worrying about mid-term elections and the love lives of celebrities. In fact social media and politicians start a
campaign doubting the existence of the comet despite the scientists’
assurances. Does that ring any bells?
John the Baptist asked those around him to repent –
metanoia; to look at things afresh. To wash away the old and tainted and to
step out clean, refreshed and into a new world with Jesus Christ as our king
and saviour. As true Christians we should honour the pledges he made on our
behalf – to move forward with the aid of the Holy Spirit, never grieving it but
upholding it and its powers and making disciples of others.
God bless you all in your endeavours here in Winterslow.
Amen MFB/168/07012022
