Epiphany and Baptism: Sermon for Baptism of our Lord Sunday Jan 11, 2015

Sermon:

Text:

Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ who we are joined to in our baptism.

            Last Tuesday was Epiphany, and the last day of Christmas. 12 days after Christmas day, we celebrate the Wise Men coming to visit Jesus. Since Epiphany always falls 12 days after Christmas on Jan 6, it rarely falls directly on a Sunday, so we don’t look at it as much as we should. It’s a very interesting Holy Day. Most scholars think it takes place 2-3 years after Jesus is born, so unfortunately our nice manger scene of wisemen, shepherds, and animals doesn’t all happen at the same time. But, of course when it occurs is not the important part of the story, we don’t even know if there were only three wise men! We have just assumed that because of the three gifts. But, that does make the point, it’s the gifts that are important to this story. In fact the practice of giving gifts at Christmas originated with giving gifts at Epiphany and has since moved forward to Christmas instead.

            We all know the gifts that are given, Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh. Of course I saw this comic a while ago. I think that would have been a bit of a shock to Mary and Joseph.

            First Gold, we of course all know what Gold is, it’s the image of richness and royalty. So with the gift of Gold, we find the Wisemen identify Jesus as a king. Of course we know that Jesus will be different than King Herod that they had just talked to. And based on the other two gifts, it appears the wisemen know this too.

            Our second gift is Frankincense obviously not Frankenstein. Frankincense is a form of tree sap from the Boswelia tree, it can be crushed into a powder and mixed with oil to produce anointing oil, or burned in it’s resin form as seen to produce incense. It is one of the incenses most used by the priests in the Temple in Jerusalem. By giving Frankincense to Jesus the Wisemen are identifying Jesus as a priest.

            Our third gift is Myrrh, it is also a tree sap resin, which comes from the commiphora myrrha tree. It too is used in incense at the temple, but a more common use was in the anointing oil and cloth used to prepare those who have died. It may indicate again that Jesus was a priest, but it points more to Jesus being one destined to die.

            Together they are rather strange gifts for a child. The first two can make sense, you wish for riches and power, and in Judaism, the first born is presented to the Lord. The gift of Gold, you’re going to be king, really good gift! The gift of Frankincense, you’re going to be a priest, really good gift again! The gift of Myrrh, You’re going to die! Ok, seemingly not so great.

            But, we know that it’s precisely because of Jesus’ death and resurrection that he becomes king and priest. What really matters about Jesus is precisely because of that Myrrh pointing to his death.

            Now today of course is not Epiphany, it’s the Baptism of our Lord, and so our Gospel for today jumps ahead 27-30 years. But, just as Epiphany foreshadows what Jesus will do for us on the Cross, the Baptism of our Lord also foreshadows what he has already done for us. In Jesus’ baptism, we see our own baptisms.

            What is baptism? Well, it’s a pouring on of water, a washing, where we die to our old sinful lives, and rise anew in Christ clean. In baptism we are washed clean of all our sins, all the fallen stuff that keeps us from God. In fact our baptism is so powerful that whenever we offer the forgiveness of sins it is our baptism that again washes us clean. That one baptism is enough for our whole lives.

            But, what kind of washing is it? I think we see a lot of similarities between baptism and the gifts that the Magi gave to Jesus.

            Our first gift was Gold, for a king, and first baptism is a pouring on of water. We anoint the head of the baptized three times, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In choosing a king, the high priest would anoint the kings head with oil, pouring oil over his head to mark God’s choosing of him as ruler of God’s people. In Baptism, we find that God has chosen us as children of God, and anointed us with water.

            Our second gift was Frankincense, for a priest. And in Baptism, we are washed clean. One of the duties of the Priest was to cleanse both themselves and the people when they became unclean. They would wash or tell the people to wash themselves clean, so they could again become a part of the community, no longer outsiders because of their unclean status. In Baptism, God washes us clean once and for all. Sin no longer makes us unclean and banishes us from the community. Whenever we ask for it, we are forgiven and freed from sin, we do not need to be washed clean again.

            Our third gift was Myrrh, for one who is to die. In Baptism, we die. Luther says in the Small Catechism on Baptism: “It signifies that the old person in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” Each day, through our baptism, we die, and each day, through our baptism, we rise to new life.

            That is what we celebrate this day. That in our baptism, we are connected to Christ’s baptism. As Christ dies, we die, and as Christ rises, we rise. Romans 6:3,4 , which Luther also quotes in the Small Catechism, “3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

            But, walking in newness of life means something for us. It means we are going to be sent out into the world, washed clean, and ready to continue God’s work. We won’t read the text until the first Sunday of Lent, but our gospel reading of Jesus’ baptism in Mark continues directly with Jesus being sent out into the wilderness. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” And into the world.

            For us, it’s “I baptize you in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever.” And into the world.

            But, unlike Christ who goes alone, we go together, Christ with us. After our hymn of the day we will be going through the Affirmation of Baptism for the Assembly and corporate confession of sins. Together we will declare that we will support each other as we are sent into the world, and together we cry out for forgiveness and cleansing from the dirt we encounter.

            Children of God, we have been anointed by the Holy Spirit in our Baptism, we have been washed clean of our sins, and we have died and been raised to new life in Christ our Lord. May the blessings of baptism be felt in your life this week, and all your days.