Isaiah 42: 1-9; Matthew 3: 13-17
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
Baptism of the Lord
January 8, 2017
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:
I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.
See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them. - Isaiah 42: 1-9
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ - Matthew 3: 13-17
It was another new beginning. The gospel stories really capture the adage that life passes in the blink of an eye. All of a sudden, that sweet little Jesus boy is all grown up and ready to embark upon the next leg of God’s adventure in faith.
As Jesus stood in the Jordan River with John the Baptist, the waters of baptism flowed over God’s Beloved Servant. The waters of new life and God’s Holy Spirit anointed Jesus for the beginnings of his ministry. It is here that Jesus Christ is claimed to bring about the holy work in which the prophet Isaiah spoke of. In this moment, Jesus knew (with his heart and mind) his purposes to bring about God’s new things with Isaiah’s vision of mercy and justice.
Christ was called in God’s righteousness to restore the brokenness of humanity and creation. The work of “Jesus’ ministry takes great care with the bruised reed.”[1] He lives in solidarity with the weary ones in order to shine his light in the darkness. For those whose hearts are but a dimly burning wick, Jesus serves with great compassion to rekindle and strengthen the flame of faith. Jesus walks through the streets seeking to break the chains that bind individuals and communities so that they may experience the freedom found in God’s merciful love.
Standing in the Jordan River, Jesus is affirmed that as God’s Beloved Servant he would not fail in his mission because the One who calls and sustains him is the Creator and Sustainer of the world.
There is something so incredibly powerful that is revealed to us through God’s Word today. That truth is this: in order for us to know our greater purpose in life we must first come to know that we are God’s beloved. It was certainly true for Jesus.
The miracle of Jesus’ birth underscores the divine affirmation that we are made in God’s image. We too are considered God’s beloved for God loves us unconditionally. As a result, we are called to live in a particular response to our identity as a child of God. “Jesus’ whole life was a passionate response to God’s call for this new way of living.”[2] Therefore we are to live for the purpose of caring and cultivating and even advocating for that image of God in one another. This was incredibly important for Isaiah and for the sake of the gospel.
It is through our baptisms that we share this common calling in Jesus Christ to serve God and one another. This calling claims us as individuals, but it also claims us as a community of faith.
As we begin this New Year and remember how Jesus’ ministry began, we too have received the gift of a new beginning. We trust God will once again be doing a new thing within us, among us, and through us. But how do we tap into that? How do we come to find our purposes in life that intersects God’s will?
The first day of this New Year I was completely captivated by the Scripture my devotional book began with. This verse will not leave me. It is finding a way into my heart and mind every day, like a life verse for this year. I share it with you because Scripture informs Scripture. The verse is from Jeremiah 29:11:
For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.
We all have questions about the future of our lives - what this year holds for our own well-being, for our families, for our community, and beyond. Fear, uncertainty, and change surround us. And that makes looking into the future scary.
The beauty of God’s words in Jeremiah (and also in Isaiah and Matthew) is that they surround us in an intimate relationship that gives each of us value. Remember God’s love conquers our fears. God promises to uphold us because God has chosen us. God delights in you and in me because we are loved just as we are.
God’s steadfast love moves us to trust God’s plans of a future with hope that will bring light into the darkness; healing where there is pain; comfort where there is grief and loss; peace where there is turmoil; reassurance where there is anxiety; calm where there is chaos.
As we pray for God’s plans for our well-being to come about, then we find renewed strength from God mending our hearts a little more – stitch by stitch and day by day. But we must remember that God’s plans for a future with hope are not for our sole benefit.
The hope is that God’s radical and steadfast love would touch our lives in such a way that we are moved to love and serve others. God’s hope is that you and I are shaped as instruments of grace to help others find their new beginnings.
As a young adult David had to find his own way in life. He had no father figure and his mother struggled with addiction. In his youth David had a great love for sports. When David realized that he was drawn to helping other youth who experienced broken homes he took a leap of faith. David got involved in a sports ministry with youth.
Jamie was the youth director where David plugged in. Jamie took David under his mentoring wing. Soon David began to help coach the youth basketball team. His eyes lit up when he was with those kids. And in turn the youth really looked up to David. On the court they all learned how to work together.
But something amazing happened when they were off the court. The youth began sharing their stories with David and Jamie; stories of the difficulties they had at home. It was sacred space for David as he began to feel like he was a part of something greater in his budding faith. And before every youth gathering ended, Jamie and David would read a devotional with the youth and pray for them. They also helped the youth to focus on their education and opportunities to have a better future.
Years later David met with Jamie. David now has a solid job and is married with two children. David shared a card he had received from a youth he had coached. David was surprised at how the youth thanked David for helping him.
David said, “Jamie, I should be thanking those youth. They helped me to see that I could do something positive with my life; I became a better person. It’s where my faith began to grow. Those youth gave me such purpose in my life. And your mentoring, Jamie, well, it has made me a better father too.”
Consider God’s purposes in your life. What is that new thing that God desires to bring about through your particular gifts that intersect the world’s needs? As our life situations change, God opens new opportunities to put our faith into meaningful action.
These are some helpful questions to be in prayer about:
1. Listen to your life. What past experiences have given you a sense of purpose and meaning?
2. Think about the talents or gifts God is honing within you which help others: a few are gifts of wisdom, discernment, mercy, empathy, sharing faith, missional service, and caring for others to foster healing.
3. What would you like to learn to discover yourself more fully?
3. As you look at the community and world around you, what situations is God’s Spirit breaking your heart over? What is God opening your eyes to see that breaks God’s heart?
4. What segment of the population are you drawn to help?
5. What do you hope to experience through God’s purposes in your life? [3]
As we think about God’s purposes in our lives and in the life of this church community, let us remember the truth that God has called us a beloved child of God; it matters. Each of us is valued and embraced by the intimacy of God; we see this truth in Emmanuel for God is with us. God delights in us. God calls us to jump into a new adventure of faith with Jesus. And whenever we feel inadequate God is our ever-present help and champions us on.
It is for that very reason that we must do nothing less than care, cultivate, and advocate for the image of God in one another. Let’s go and find our new thing that God desires to do in us so that others may experience a new beginning.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1] Feasting on the Word: Year A Volume IV (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010), p. 222 Pastoral Perspective by Stephanie Paulsell.
[2] Feasting on the Word, p. 222.
[3] Adapted from Julia Mateer,Christianity Today, "Finding Your God-Given Calling," February 7, 2013. http://www.christianitytoday.com/gifted-for-leadership/2013/february/discover-your-god-given-calling.html
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