sermon notes January 13 Is. 4:1-7, Acts 8:14-17

I find it difficult to examine the baptism of Jesus year after year, but I can speak about how we are connected to Christ in our baptism. it is appropriate to speak about the beginning of our christian life as we mark the beginning of another new year, I hope. we speak of turning a new leaf for the new year. We may do some cleaning out, as I try to dispose of some books I have not consulted for a long while.

Our reading from Acts introduces us to the pushing of boundaries of Christian baptism. We find some of the issues in baptism being worked out as well. To what degree would baptism and the gifts of the Spirit connected, especially apparently charismatic ones? Baptism was no mere ritual, but a coming of age moment, a transition. Stores have January white sales, if I recall correctly.Baptismal robes are white to demonstrate a new found purity, or better yet, the chance to bleach our moral covering over and over again.Paul will make this more explicit than anyone when he sees baptism as a ritual death to the old and a celebration of the new birth of resurrection. for the baptized the past can be dead and buried, to give plenty of room for the new self to embrace fully this good life.We are not far along in January where we recall that Jesus was circumcised at 8 days old. following Col. 2, our tradition emphasizes the spiritual reality of baptism marking us as surely as circumcision for all Christians, women and men, young and old, across the board. So often we harbor grudges. Today I would like to notice how we also harbor painful memories of shame and guilt. We hold on to them quite tightly and damage our sense of self in the process. An old country song asked if God can forgive me then why can;t you. If God can turn the page on the past, why can’t we?

Is 43 is a favorite passage for many people. I like the intimate care here of god for a people and its members. Not only does god create, but like a master craftsman formed us. think of an artist in the studio. It promises the presence of God when we face troubles of many sorts. I just noticed that the creation aspect of us being formed and made is repeated. for Christians it is repeated in baptism, we are reformed, remade to once again start to claim for ourselves being made in the image and likeness of God and for us to start ot get through our thick hides that the same goes for others. Look at how Emmanuel, God with us, pervades this passage, wherever we go, we can find God right there alongside of us.there with us through the new waters of birth,God is with us in all of the threatening floods and all of the welcome draughts of refreshment.Do not fear, we hear again, just as the angels said at Bethlehem. God says I have called you by name. this is the Holy One we worship, the inexpressible one, but one who stoops to have a personal relationship with us.

Too often, we beat ourselves up over failures and failings, real or imagined. After a while we are subjected to so much judgment, so much criticism, that we internalize it and the person in the mirror does not match up with what we glimpse inside. God created us, formed us, labored over us. At least in worship this morning, allow yourself, to imagine, in the eyes of God, that god has pronounced us here, a masterpiece.