Psalm 29; Matthew 3: 13-17
by Rev. Carson Overstreet
Van Wyck Presbyterian Church
January 12, 2020
Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;
worship the Lord in holy splendor.
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,
and strips the forest bare;
and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’
The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.
May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace! - Psalm 29
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
I keep the picture on my desk so that I will remember. The year was 2006. Doug and I are standing with our daughters at the front of the church sanctuary with our pastor, Dr. Tom Kort. All five of us had big smiles.
Doug and I were new members of the Presbyterian Church – two years in. It was Baptism day for our oldest daughter Devon, who was just five years old. She had been asking questions about baptism and said, “I want Jesus in my heart.” We were so excited for this new beginning in her young life.
We met with the pastor and presiding elder before the worship service to go over the details of the Sacrament. Devon looked at me and asked ever so shyly, “Will Dr. Kort hold me in his arms and carry me down the aisle like he does with the babies?” It was a precious question. She had been paying attention to the baptisms of babies. That image of the pastor holding the baby during the Sacrament and then walking the child down the church aisle for all to behold had captivated her.
Our pastor smiled and said, “Well Devon, you are a little bit bigger than the babies that I baptize. But I will hold your hand and I will walk beside you down the aisle to introduce you as the newest baptized member of God’s family.”
Dr. Kort’s voice was rather reassuring that he would guide this beloved child of God with purpose and direction.
The Gospel according to Matthew lifts up the day of Jesus’ baptism so that we will remember. John the Baptist was chosen by God to prepare the way of the coming of the Lord. John was baptizing with the water of repentance for the reason that Jesus Christ might be revealed to Israel (John 1:30).
But on this fateful day as John’s cousin Jesus approached, John was shaking in his camel hair vest. John was not worthy enough to carry Jesus’ sandals. Who was he to baptize the lamb of God, the One who takes away the sin of the world? (Matthew 3:11; John 1:29). John felt he and Jesus should switch places because Jesus is the One who baptizes with Holy Spirit and fire (Matthew 3:11).
And yet is was Jesus’ voice that assured John of God’s purposes and direction. John was to baptize Jesus to fulfill all righteousness in accord with God’s will (Matthew 3:15).
You see God delighted in his only Son, his chosen servant to bring God’s plan of salvation. In baptism God put his Spirit upon Jesus to establish justice in all the earth (Isaiah 42:4). Through the person and work of Jesus Christ, God gave the people of God a new covenant to restore us to right relationships, to open the eyes of the blind by God’s amazing grace, to set the prisoners free for those who sit in darkness, to bring forth new things proclaiming God’s glory (Isaiah 42: 6-9).
As Jesus rose up from the waters of Baptism, he was anointed for ministry with God’s purpose and direction. The Maker of heaven and earth proclaimed his excitement for this new beginning with the words, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). What a precious moment that creates a new identity for every follower of Jesus Christ.
Baptism connects us as a chosen family; not only in the local church but more so in the church universal. By water and Holy Spirit, we are claimed in God’s love that will never let us go. We die to sin and rise up as a new creation in Jesus Christ. We are adopted into God’s great family of faith. We are called to continue Christ’s ministry of love, reconciliation, justice, and peace. And yet our common calling is not solely about belonging and believing. It is about being transformed by the grace of God. It is about being the hands and feet of Christ to join God in transforming the world.
Today we will reaffirm our baptisms as a congregation to remember it is the Lord’s voice that gives our lives purpose and direction.
You may remember when I was called to be your next pastor in August of 2015. The Sunday I was to be installed I invited this church to remember our baptisms to mark a new beginning in ministry. As you know it is not just the minister who does ministry, but it is all of us working together.
Today we are recommitting ourselves to give ourselves fully to follow Jesus. This act of faith is to mark our preparation for a year of discerning the Lord’s purposes and direction for our church.
The Spirit is inviting each of us to give ourselves fully to prayer, to discern God’s mission, and to plan godly goals. We will be praying for God to open our eyes and notice what God is doing in our community. We will be praying for God to reveal what God’s mission is in the surrounding community and what our church’s unique role is within it. We will also be prayerfully planning godly goals to reach towards – that includes discerning together how God is calling us to use our beautiful acreage for God’s purposes.
We will begin this process of discernment in February as a whole church. First, we will gather for an enrichment weekend on a Saturday and Sunday in February. Secondly, we will engage in a 10 week- all church study and discussion in small groups as Lent begins at the end of February. Third, we will harvest the ideas shared in the small groups to map out God’s purposes, direction and mission. The session and I will continue to communicate the process and dates as we finalize them. We will be working with my colleague in ministry, The Rev. Dr. David Brown. His voice will reassure us of God’s purposes and direction in this year of discernment and visioning.
It will take all of us to discern the voice of God, the ministry of Jesus Christ, and the nudges of the Spirit for our chosen family. This is an exciting time of ministry and yet I know that a year of intentional discernment may make us a bit nervous too. And that is ok.
I would be remiss if I did not say that this church is no stranger to the visioning process. Van Wyck Presbyterian has long been a forward thinking church who has done the work of vision and discernment. It is a strength of this congregation.
May we listen for God’s reassuring voice hovering over the baptismal waters. The Lord goes ahead of us to give blessings and strength to his people.
In the name of God our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. Amen.
Worship service of transformation 🕯🙏🏻
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