The Baptism of Our Lord: January 8, 2006.

Genesis 1:1-5

Psalm 29

Acts 19:1-7

Mark 1:4-11

First Reading

In her commentary on this Genesis text, Elizabeth Achtemeier notes that these verses have been called the "most consciously theological" in the Bible, rivaled only by the first chapter of John, and it is clear from the first part of the first sentence why this is so (Commentary on Genesis 1:1-5, in The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday's Texts, the first readings, ed. Roger E. Van Harn [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 2001], 4-7). The words "In the beginning" are a flag signaling to us the author's intention to tell a story of origins, a story of why things are the way they are today--in other words, a story of the deepest and most profound meaning. And what comes quick on the heels of those three words is the word "God." This word tells us that this story is not one of chance occurrence or random events. Instead, this story brims to overflowing with intentionality and purpose. This story is going to tell us as much about God as it does about us; in the end, what it emphasizes perhaps more than anything else is that our story is joined to God's story, that we cannot understand who we are without considering who God is.

What do we learn about God from these few verses? First, and most obvious, we learn that God is the creator of the universe. The Bible states unequivocally that our cosmos was not the result of random chance or accident. Instead, our planet was brought into being by the only One who had the power to do so, and we must understand ourselves therefore as "creation," not merely as "cosmos." We exist not through any powers of our own but rather because God chose to create us; without God, there would be nothing--only the chaos of the formless void.

Second, we learn that God is the source of light and that it was in the creation of light that the primordial darkness was banished. The Bible returns to this theme of light triumphing over darkness again and again, possibly because it was so vividly appreciated by the people of that time. Even in modern society, with the power of light at our fingertips, most of us have experienced the fear of the dark night and the longing for the light of day. This light, which wakes us from nightmares, warms us with the sun, and inspires fresh hope in our heart, is the same light that God created on that first day, the first expression of God's love for creation, the first aspect of creation called "good."

Finally, we learn that God alone has the power to name reality. In the entry on "onoma" in the Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, we read that "By giving someone a name, one establishes a relation of dominion and possession towards him" (Hans Bietenhard, "onoma," Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, ed. Gerhard Kittel, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley [Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans, 1967], 5:253). Thus, in naming the light (as well as the rest of creation), God shows that God is truly Lord over heaven and earth, as we are reminded in Ps 147: "The LORD ... determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names" (vv. 2-4). This theme will come up again later in Genesis when God names Abraham (from Abram) and Israel (from Jacob), giving them a new identity, again creating something new in them as well.

Pastoral Reflection

Naming is a powerful aspect of God's creative work, one that God exerts from the beginning of time and still shows forth in the sacrament of baptism, when we receive the name "Christian." In baptism, we become new people as we die to sin and are reborn in Christ, and our membership in the church is a sign of our new identity. As Lutherans, we believe that this work of God is a once-for-all kind of activity: our baptism never expires, never wears out, never fades. We never need to be rebaptized, even if we have been away from the church for a long, long time. God never forgets who we are and whose we are, even when we do. The identity God bestows upon us in baptism lasts a lifetime, and when we join the body of Christ we are members forever.

Yet, at the same time, this new identity is always somewhat of a work in progress--thanks be to God! The Spirit continues to work on us and in us every moment, changing us daily into the people we are called to be. In the Small Catechism, Martin Luther writes that baptism "signifies that the old person in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned through daily sorrow for sin and repentance, and that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever" (Martin Luther, Small Catechism, trans. Timothy Wengert [Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1996], 37). Daily we are drowned, and daily we are born again.

This is a word of precious gospel to all of us who sometimes feel like we have really mucked things up in our lives and long for a new beginning. In those times of frustration, doubt, and discouragement, Luther reminds us that we do not need to change jobs, cities, marriages, or even churches in order to get a fresh start. Instead, all we need to do is return to the font and remember our baptism. Our baptism guarantees us that our past mistakes, our sinfulness, and our misdeeds will not define us, and we need not carry them around forever. The water of baptism washes those sins away and with them all the accompanying guilt, shame, and grief; thus, the water of baptism is truly life-giving water for us. And because the Spirit of the Lord is at work in the water, it continues to give us life long after the droplets have dried from our foreheads.

Given all of this, today would be a great Sunday to invite the whole congregation into an Affirmation of Baptism service and a wonderful opportunity to spread those droplets around again, offering everyone the possibility of a new beginning in Christ. KJL