Baptism of our Lord
Isaiah 43:1-9
If you are ever unfortunate enough to be ill and in the hospital and I come to visit you I guarantee that Is. 43, our lesson for today, will be the scripture I chose to share with you. I have batted around a number of possibilities of scriptures for those moments of uncertainty in crisis--Ps. 90 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most high abides under the shadow of the almighty, Ps 121 I lift up my eyes to the hills from where is my help to come. My help comes from the Lord. I Corinthians 4: But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted but not crushed, perplexed but not despairing, persecuted but not forsaken, struck down but not destroyed. , Ps. 27 The Lord is my light and salvation whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life. and of course the 23 rd Psalm, the Lord is my Shepherd. These texts speak to me of God's grace and love and should your stay in the hospital be longer you will undoubtedly hear those passages too--but finally I settled into Is 43. It is without doubt my favorite scripture passage. Now I realize that it is not Christological, being from the Old Testament but frankly when I hear these words I am walking with Jesus regardless.
While I know academically that these words were originally addressed to the Jewish exiles in Babylon by the prophet to give them hope that with the advance of the armies of King Cyrus of Persia. and the overthrow of Babylonian government would allow the exiles to be released to return home. While I know that historical information, these words speak to me on a different level. As is often true of scripture, the words, the message, the word of God transcends its context to speak to me.
To me the words of Is. 43 are not historical but an intensely personal address from our Lord. Indeed our text begins, "But now". Our Lord speaks in this moment. Our relationship is not about something that happened thousands of years ago or for some future heavenly time bye and bye but for right now, this moment.
And who is this speaking? This is the Lord who created you, he who formed you.
The God of creation is the one we often see as in our Psalm today, a God of glory and strength, whose voice thunders and breaks the cedars of Lebanon and bursts in lightening flashes and shakes the wilderness and makes the trees writhe and strips the forests bare. This is a powerful, effective, active, fearsome, awesome God. This is a God who can make a difference.
Who is this Lord? This lord is the God who formed you. The God we meet as the prophet Jeremiah speaks to the people of Israel, "Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel." The potter who Jeremiah watches at the wheel and says, "But the pot he was shaping from the clay was marred in his hands; so the potter formed it into a different pot, shaping it as seemed best to him."
"Do not fear." How often have we heard those words in scripture? Angels are always bringing that message not to people for whom everything will be all right or who can now bask in security and comfort but to people whose comfort level is about to be assaulted. These words open for those to whom they are addressed a new chapter for they are about to embark on amazing adventures. "Fear not" Abraham and Hagar, Rachel, David, Joshua Daniel, Elijah, Solomon, Cities of Judah Daniel, People of Israel, Zechariah, Mary Joseph, Simon, Thomas All the disciples Paul Fear not--for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.
How much more baptismal can we get? The heavens open and the Spirit enters "you are my Son the Beloved; with you I am well pleased." Just so, Isaiah assures, I have called you by name, you are mine."
In times of great doubt, when struggling through the dark nights of the soul, Martin Luther would sometimes touch his forehead and say to himself, "Martin, be calm, you are baptized." In times of our doubt, inner turmoil, hopelessness and confusion, we too, would do well to touch our foreheads, where the sign and the seal of baptism was made, and remember that we are baptised.
"I have called you by name, you are mine."
College administrators call them helicopter parents. That's the expression that has been given to those parents who can't let their children stand on their own to deal with the challenges and problems of real life. They are the parents who call to complain that their child's college roommate is not "nice". They are the parents who send their children to the financial aid office for an administrative task and their children have no idea how their education is being paid for. They are the parents who feel the need to contact college professors. Helicopter parents are those who want to do it all for their children. Psychologists say we are in the process of raising a generation of the most protected, dependent individuals in history because we as parents don't want to see our youngsters troubled or struggling or sad---ever. The trouble is that isn't real life and as much as we try we can't wrap our children in cotton and keep real life away, we can't.
That's one of the reasons this Isaiah text speaks so powerfully to me. Note what our lord says to us. " When you walk through the waters I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned and the flame shall not consume you." Note here that our Lord is never saying there will not be turbulent water or frightening flames. The text does not say "If you walk through the water"....No it says "When--when you walk through the water I will be with you." There may be some one individual in this world who escapes without heart ache or disappointment or fear--there may be--but I don't believe it. A person who never grieves has never loved; a person who has never failed has probably never succeeded. So our Lord says to us. " When, when you face the trials of life--I will be with you."
The preacher Susan Andrews hears these words and understands them deeply as she writes her story. : As a small child my asthma attacks would usually hit in the middle of the night, and my gasping for breath would quickly escalate into panic. Quick trips to the emergency room followed, and then the long hours in the oxygen tent until my lungs could be stabilized. But always with me was my father--carrying me, holding me, staying with me. I felt loved--in my smallness, in my sickness, in my weakness, in my imperfectness. I felt loved not because I was safe. I felt safe because I was loved--"precious"--and nothing has happened since to shake my conviction. It was these early experiences of trust that helped us figure out the meaning of faith, which is after all, nothing more or less than trust, trusting God, no matter what. (Lec. Hom. 01)
I felt loved, not because I was safe. I felt safe because I was loved.
When I sit in hospital rooms or funeral homes or as I listen to the crisis of peoples lives there is little I can bring to bear to assure them that they are safe. Real life is tough, it hurts--no one knew that better than our Lord Jesus Christ. People betray you, desert you. Sometimes the more you risk, the more you go out on limb for others, the more you open yourself to pain and heartache--no one know that better than our Lord Jesus Christ.
We have no guarantees for our safety or our comfort or of peace of mind in this life. Indeed following Jesus may open us up to greater peril, discomfort and confusion. We do not feel loved because we are safe--we feel safe because we are loved.. Ultimately, we have only the assurance that we are loved; fiercely, consistently, completely and that when we walk through the waters we will not be alone.
Amen