Baptism of the Lord

I think all of us, at one point or another have managed to do a project backwards.  I think all of us, at one point or another have gotten one of those presents for Christmas, or have kids who have gotten a certain kind of present.  These presents come with the three words that strike fear in the hearts and minds of parents everywhere.  "Some assembly required"  Invariably, we get all the pieces, and line them up on the floor, and start following the directions.  Then, about half-way through, someone says oh yeah…that makes sense…and starts working away.  A few minutes after that, someone else says….but wasn't this supposed to go on first?  My favorite experience of that was one time at my parents house when we were fixing things up and I heard…umm, isn't the insulation supposed to go inside BEFORE we nail down the drywall…

Then invariably you end up tearing the whole thing apart and putting it back together again.   I think we've all had the experience.   Yet, if you've ever had the experience of getting a pair of presents.  There's an odd thing that happens with that second one.  Somehow, once we've done it once.  Once it's already happened and we know how to do it…suddenly it's perfectly clear.  Suddenly that second one goes together in about a quarter of the time it took the first one to happen.  It amazing how much easier it is to do, when something, or someone has already done it.

Ultimately, that's a lot like baptism, and I want you to keep that in mind as we talk about what it really means that Jesus was Baptized.   We celebrate this feast every year, but pause and stop for a moment and think of ridiculously backwards this sounds.  Baptism washes away all sin.  People were going to John to be washed and cleansed of their sins.  God in the Flesh, completely sinless, the author of life…who was so pure that he was born of a sinless mother.  He's going down to get baptized.  He's going to go through what people do to be cleansed of their sins.  On a surface level, it's sort of like…Imagine Jesus going to confession?  How exactly would that work?  "Bless me father for I haven't sinned, It's Jesus by the way….it simply wouldn't make any sense.

So that's exactly what John the Baptist says to Jesus….Why are you coming here to be baptized…I'm the one who needs to be baptized by you.  This is supposed to work the other way around.  Yet Jesus says to go ahead with it anyway…and so John does, and the heavens open and a voice speaks from heaven and the spirit descends.

Now the Early Church fathers offered an explanation to what was really going on here, Jesus's baptism isn't like our baptisms, it's very much the opposite.  By our Baptism, we are washed clean of sin in water.  By Jesus's baptism, he sanctified all the water of all the world and made it holy.  Jesus's baptism opened the door for our Baptism.  When we talk about a Sacrament, I think we all know the old definition.  A Sacrament is an outward sign, instituted by Christ to give grace.  So by Jesus's Baptism, he took what John had been doing, and instituted the Sacrament of Baptism, in the name of the Father, the voice from heaven saying "this is my beloved Son"  and of the son, Jesus, who was being baptized, and of the holy spirit, that descended like a dove.

So in a real way.  Jesus walked the road ahead of us.  He opened the waters for our Baptism by his baptism, and ultimately by his death destroyed death.  That, really, is the mystery of God incarnate.  Through his life, he opens up the possibility for us to follow him.  He's the guy building the framework, we just have to follow him.  He's the guy breaking down the doors, we just have to come after.  He's the guy who built the house, all we have to do is come along for the ride.

So as we continue this journey into ordinary time, into the normal ebb and flow of our lives.  Am I trying to be the savior?  To trudge it off on my own?  Or do I have real faith that Jesus is my savior…and all I have to do, is to follow him.