I suspect that, having made it through the first week of January, you would say that you have successfully survived the holidays. Right?

The celebration of our Savior’s birth – both on Christmas Eve and Christmas day; then the celebration on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day; and finally the celebration of Epiphany (the day the magi found Jesus and gave recognition to his Godship) – on Friday, January 6^th – twelve days after Christmas…

You all got that last holiday off, didn’t you? Okay – maybe that’s only a true holiday in my house … of course that is because it is also DeLynn’s birthday!

That aside, this morning I want to suggest that there is one more holiday we should be observing - THIS very Sunday, the one the liturgical calendar designates to remember the Baptism of our Lord.

If the witness of scripture is to be taken seriously, this day should be even MORE important than those others. 

Why you ask?  Well, let me tell you. First, a little background:

Matthew, Mark, and Luke, the first three books of the New Testament, are often called the Synoptic Gospels.  The word Synoptic comes from two Greek words -- syn, S-Y-N, which means “with” -- and optic, which means “eye.” 

Matthew, Mark, and Luke tell the same story -- the story of Jesus’ life.  The word Synoptic suggests that they see Jesus’ life through the same lens -- that they tell his story in the same way.

But although similar, Matthew, Mark and Luke are not the same -- not at all.  The way that each of them begins Jesus’ story gives us an idea just how different they really are. 

Matthew tells Jesus’ birth story by focusing on Joseph.  He gives Joseph’s genealogy.  He tells about Joseph’s dreams.  Matthew mentions Mary, but Joseph is the star of his show. 

Matthew is the only one to tell us about the Wise Men’s visit to Jesus.  He also tells us about Joseph taking his little family to Egypt to escape murderous Herod.

Luke, on the other hand, tells Jesus’ birth story by focusing on Mary.  He mentions Joseph only twice -- both times in minor ways.  Luke is the only one to tell us about angels appearing to the shepherds.

And John – well John starts way, way back with “the word” … before even creation.

But Mark skips all of that.  In Mark there is no stable -- no manger -- no shepherds -- no Wise Men. 

Mark starts his Gospel by saying, “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” -- and then moves right into the story of Jesus’ baptism.

As you can see, only Matthew and Luke record anything about Jesus’ birth, but interestingly, all FOUR Gospels, plus Acts and Romans, report on his baptism.

In fact, in the early history of the Christian church, churches celebrated this day even more than the day remembering Jesus’ birth. In the last few centuries we have drifted far away from that practice.

And that’s kind of sad, because, in the process, we have relegated to minor importance an event that, when properly understood, can give us a sense of enthusiasm, encouragement and absolute JOY.

Think about the scene for a moment. We are down by the riverside...the Jordan. There is a throng of people from all walks of life who have made this mini-pilgrimage into the countryside.

They had come to see an itinerant preacher dressed in a coarse camel’s hair tunic with a leather belt around his waist -- the uniform of a prophet since the days of Elijah.

It was longing and anticipation that brought this mass of people out - there was a sense that something was missing in their walk with God, so they were ready to listen to a new voice.

And this, my friends, was a powerful voice: “You pack of snakes! Who warned you to run from the anger of God that is coming on you? Clean up your act! And do not presume to rely on the fact that you are Israelites - God’s CHOSEN people - to save you. GET right and DO right.”

The crowds asked what to do. And he responded, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; and whoever has food must do likewise.”

Tax collectors were told, “Collect no more than the amount prescribed for you.”

Soldiers were instructed, “Do not extort money from anyone by threats or false accusation, and be satisfied with your wages.”

It was a message that affirmed what they already knew: if they were to be right with God, they had to be right with, not only God, but God’s children as well.

Then as a sign of their commitment to repentance and a new way of living, they made their way down into the river, allowing John to “bury” their old ways under the water in baptism, then raising them again to a better life.

Neat ceremony. Wonderful symbolism. And in the hands of a dynamic personality...so forceful and impressive that some were led to think that John was the promised Messiah.

He debunked that notion out of hand: “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals (the job of a slave in those days). I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Then one day it happened...Jesus. The request for baptism. John’s initial reluctance then acquiescence. Finally, the dramatic climax.

As our lesson has it, “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens TORN APART and the Spirit descending like a dove on him.”

And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

What an image! It is as if God the Father is confined to heaven at this fantastic moment and in euphoric frustration rips and tears the very fabric of the universe to lay claim upon his Son.

It is a cosmic YES, arms raised high and feet dancing. It is love spilling out, the cup overflowing.

Not celebrating the conclusion of a work-well-done, but before ANYTHING was done.

Jesus’ ministry was just beginning and in the process he received affirmation. Any psychologist worth his or her salt will tell you that people need positive strokes and affirmation to be motivated, not guilt trips and condemnation.

In other words if you want someone to change, your children perhaps, they need affirmation and rewards for their efforts.

And that is exactly what God was doing.  God was telling Jesus (and us) that he loved Jesus (and us).  And he (and we) didn’t have to do a thing. Isn’t that cool?  And why does God do that?  For no other reason than God chooses to do it. 

But this is only HALF the message of Jesus’ baptism and our own – that we are loved. Most folks understand that, and that is why they get all warm and fuzzy when it comes to presenting their little ones for the sacrament.

We need to realize that there is also ANOTHER HALF, and it is this: WE HAVE WORK TO DO.

Remember, Jesus’ baptism happened at the START of his ministry. This was his commissioning service. Now, almost 20 centuries later, when someone is baptized in the church (infants or adults), it is no different.

There is surely the affirmation of God’s incredible and unconditional love AND...and this is a big AND...a commissioning to service in the name of Jesus Christ.

That is why we take so seriously the promises that new disciples make or their parents make on their behalf - to live the Christian faith, to teach that faith to the children.

We even go for extra help: we ask the congregation, “Do you, as members of the church of Jesus Christ, promise to guide and nurture, by word and deed, with love and prayer, encouraging these new disciples to know and follow Christ and to be faithful members of his church?”

New disciples have work to do, and they will need all the help they can get.

Both of the elements are important: the affirmation of affection and the proclamation of purpose. Lacking one or the other, we are incomplete.

Among the millions of Jews imprisoned by the Nazis in the death camps of the 30’s & 40’s was Victor Frankl. In spite of the horrors and the odds, he survived.

Around him, next to him, each day of his ordeal dozens, hundreds, thousands of fellow Jews and others died, many of them, of course, in the ovens -- but many others were killed by giving up hope, losing heart, overwhelmed by horror and fear and hopelessness.

Frankl survived, he said, because two forces sustained him: one was the certainty of his wife’s love. The other was an inner drive to rewrite the manuscript of a book he had completed after years of labor -- but that the Nazis had destroyed.

Frankl’s imprisonment was lightened by daily imaginary conversations with his wife and by scrawling notes for his book on all the bits and scraps of paper he could scrounge up.

Now Frankl has written eloquently of these two insights to cope with life: first, the discovery and certainty of being loved, and, second, having a clear and controlling purpose in life. Both are the messages we receive in baptism.

The Baptism of the Lord was a BIG deal, and much bigger than we have given it credit for in its implications for you and me. Perhaps if we celebrated this day as a HOLIDAY...a HOLY Day...we might reclaim the importance of the sacrament.

After all, what we do in those sacred moments at the font has the potential for unleashing incredible power. The message is you are loved and you have a purpose; that combination makes you very special.

But that’s not all. Mark tells us in this morning’s Gospel reading that at Jesus’ baptism, Jesus “saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending on him like a dove” (v. 10). 

But, and get this, if we turn to the original Greek – we read: “He saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending INTO him like a dove.”  Did you catch the difference???

The spirit was the Holy Spirit -- the Spirit of God.  Jesus had God living in him, not just on him.  He did his work day by day by the power of God.  He healed the sick and raised the dead by the power of God.  It was the Spirit of God dwelling in him that made his incredible life possible.

And we have the same spirit inside of us letting us know we are loved and giving us strength to carry out our purpose.

 Sometimes we might not look like people who have God dwelling within us, but the miracle has already begun. 

I imagine you are all familiar with the Rev. Jesse Jackson. No matter what folks think of Jesse’s politics, most everyone will agree that he is an incredible speaker and can genuinely communicate.

Jesse speaks in many different settings, and one of those he enjoys the most is school auditoriums - he loves addressing students, particularly those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds, to give them a sense of their own worth and a vision of a better future.

Some years ago, he began concluding his speeches by having the youngsters respond to his urgings with a litany of self-affirmation. He would say something or ask some question and the kids would respond, “I AM SOMEBODY!”

Over and over again, the youngsters would be asked about themselves and the response would be, “I AM SOMEBODY.”

By the time Jesse would be done, those students would be positively bellowing, “I AM SOMEBODY,” and they would leave with a sense of worth that, for many, would be brand new.

The message of your baptism and my baptism is that, in God’s grand scheme of things, I AM SOMEBODY...YOU ARE SOMEBODY. The world asks, “Who are you?” and you can proudly proclaim, I AM SOMEBODY!

Let me hear it now: I AM SOMEBODY… now like you believe it: I AM SOMEBODY.

The truth we each need to affirm is that in spite of all our fears and failures, in spite of any worry and wonder, once and for all, in the eyes of the God of all the universe, WE ARE SOMEBODY! Don’t ever forget it!   Amen!