The Baptism of our Lord, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
The Baptism of our Lord, Yr A (2026) The Rev. Karen C. Barfield
Isaiah 42:1-9 St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church
Acts 10:34-43
Matthew 3:13-17
In the name of the one, holy, and loving God:
in whom we live, and move, and have our being. Amen.
John the Baptist spent his adult life preparing the way for Jesus.
He spent his own ministry pointing beyond himself to Jesus.
He tells the crowds:
“I baptize you with water for repentance,
but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me;
I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” (Mt 3:11)
In our story today, Jesus shows up as John is preaching at the Jordan River,
and he falls in line to be baptized.
John refuses to baptize Jesus,
essentially saying:
I am not worthy.
Ah, John…
but you are worthy.
You are worthy.
And John consents.
Let’s put ourselves in John’s shoes for a minute.
John knows all about his cousin, Jesus.
He’s heard family stories around the dinner table.
John is a faithful Jew.
He has studied the prophets.
He knows about and longs for the coming of the Messiah.
He knows an angel visited his own father and mother
and that he was a miracle baby.
He knows that an angel visited Mary and Joseph
and that Jesus was a miracle baby.
He has heard stories of Jesus growing up,
and he knows that Jesus is the God-man that the Scriptures have foretold.
John preaches a baptism of repentance…
“clean up your lives,”
“get ready…the kindom is near!”
So…
when he looks up at the next face in line for baptism and sees Jesus…
he knows that he is not worthy to baptize him.
But, John…
you are worthy!
I imagine these words are as difficult for us to hear as they were for John.
I imagine these words are even more difficult for us to believe…
at least some of the time,
if not most of the time.
“You are worthy.”
Our society,
our world,
seems to be caught up in some “worthiness” game!
Or…a “shame” game.
There is a difference between guilt and shame.
We feel guilty when we do something that is harmful.
This is what John was preaching for repentance…
Turn away from the things you do that harm others, creation, or yourself.
Shame is different.
When we feel shame,
we do not feel worthy as a human being.
When John effectively told Jesus that he was not worthy to baptize him,
Jesus gave him a new message:
You are worthy because you are God’s child.
You see, our God is a God of abundance…
a God of generosity.
Our God is a God of new life…
a God of creation.
Our God is a God of radical welcome…
a God of wholly (holy) belonging.
Our God is a God who offers dignity and honor to all…
a God who names and claims our infinite worth
as we are claimed as God’s beloved.
This is who our God is,
and this is what we celebrate today as we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord
and our own baptisms as well.
In today’s reading from the prophet Isaiah we hear of our God who creates and gives life.
Our God who created the heavens and the earth,
who gives breath and spirit to those who walk on the earth…
our God who holds our hand and walks with us.
In our reading from Acts we hear of our God who offers radical welcome and abundant life.
Our God who shows no partiality,
our God who accepts everyone who fears God
and follows in God’s ways of justice and mercy.
Our God, who, through the life and death of Jesus
offers us forgiveness and healing and peace,
and invites us to walk in the way of love.
What Good News this is indeed!
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.”
In our own baptisms we are named and claimed as God’s beloved
and anointed with the power of the Spirit of God.
And then we are sent out.
We are sent out just as John was sent out to prepare the way for Jesus.
We are sent out just as Jesus was sent out…
to spread the abundant love and radical welcome of God,
claiming all who would follow as members of God’s family.
We are not an exclusive club who issues a worthiness test.
We are called to spread the Good News of God’s radical, all-embracing Love and mercy.
Isaiah,
John the Baptist,
Jesus,
Peter,
us…this is our calling:
to bear the Light of the glory of God in this world.
God calls us to be a light to the world…
to bring sight to the blind
and freedom to those who are bound.
This is what we promise in our baptismal covenant…
· To proclaim by word and example the Good News of God in Christ
· To seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbor as ourself
· To strive for justice and peace among all people
and respect the dignity of every human being
Jesus shows us the way
and bids us to follow.
How might we do that?
How might we do that in real and tangible ways?
As individuals…
and as a community of faith.
In what ways can we bear the Love of God in this community?
Our God is a God of abundance…
a God of generosity.
Our God is a God of new life…
a God of creation.
Our God is a God of radical welcome…
a God of wholly (holy) belonging.
Our God is a God who offers dignity and honor to all…
a God who names and claims our infinite worth
as we are claimed as God’s beloved.
This is the Light that we are called to reflect in this world,
and in our baptisms, we are given the power to do so.
Like Isaiah and Mary and Joseph
and John and Jesus and Peter,
will we, too, give our consent?
Amen.
