By Rev. Canon David B. Tabo-oy
“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage” Matthew 2:2.
v9Not long afterward Jesus came from Nazareth in the province of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. v10As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, he saw heaven opening and the Spirit coming down on him like a dove. v11And a voice came from heaven, “You are my own dear Son. I am pleased with you.” (Mark 1:9-11).
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Last Saturday the church celebrated the feast of Epiphany. It is more popularly known by the greetings, ‘Happy Three Kings Day’. It officially closed the Christmas season and starts a new one, the church season of Epiphany. Epiphany (from Koine Greek , epiphaneia “appearance”, “manifestation”) is a Christian feast day that celebrates the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ (Wikipedia). This is a season of four to nine weeks, from the Feast of the Epiphany (Jan. 6) through the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. The length of the season varies according to the date of Easter. The gospel stories of this season describe various events that manifest the divinity of Jesus, including the coming of the Magi, the Baptism of Our Lord, the wedding at Cana, the calling of the disciples, and other miracles and teachings of Jesus.
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The Gospel according to Matthew, noble pilgrims followed a guiding star to Israel to pay homage to the newborn Christ child, bringing with them gold, frankincense, and myrrh. They are known as the Wise Men of the East, also called Magi or Three Kings of the Orient. While the whole of Bethlehem and the Jews slept that night, the Messiah was born in their midst. And the wise men from outside their world saw the star of the Messiah, and they believe for they came and worship him. The insiders, have their own expectation on how a messiah should be born, hence, they did not recognize Jesus. Many times, this thing happen – that people fail to recognize Jesus Christ because of their bias or set expectation on how Jesus should make himself known in their lives.
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The wise men followed a star, and they found a stable. Think of the disappointment these men must have experienced who through the night had traveled many miles by camel to discover that the star had come to rest over a stable. They had followed a star and found a stable. Surely, they were expecting a palace. Or perhaps a stately mansion. Think how they must have felt. Their vast disappointment as they looked down from some nearby Judean hill and came to the realization that their destination was a stable.
Following stars and finding stables is a common occurrence in human experience. Who among us has not at some time in our life fixed our gaze on some high and lofty star only to find it leads to a stable. Hundreds of examples could be given. A young man graduates from high school full of great dreams and expectations about the future only to wake up one day and discover himself enmeshed in the very drudgery that he had promised himself he would avoid. A man comes to retirement age. He thinks of all the good things he’s going to be able to do. After a few weeks, however, he begins to discover that retirement is not exactly what he thought it would be. The day starts growing longer. The hours become more oppressive. All of us at some time in our life follow a star only to discover a stable. The problem is how to turn that stable into a moment of salvation. It is at such moments that we need to recognize who is in the stable.
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Jesus as the Son of God is manifested in his baptism by John at the Jordan river according to the gospel accounts. Jesus, fully human Jesus, is baptized in water by John. In that moment, his divinity is confirmed by the appearance of the Holy Spirit and the voice of God. “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” When this voice of God the Father spoke from heaven, everyone knew that Jesus was not just another man being baptized. They knew Jesus was the perfect (in whom I am well pleased) Son of God, identifying with sinful man. By this, everyone knew that Jesus was different. Jesus was baptized to be identified with sinful man, but He was also baptized to be identified to sinful man. Jesus had been named, and in his family’s tradition, he was presented and circumcised at an early age. The time for Jesus to accept his role as Messiah, to become fully human and begin to model the glorious impossibilities, came when the heavens were torn apart tearing the social fabric that separated the rich and poor, the rigidness of law that separated rather than bringing together, and brought into focus the true Kingdom of God through God’s beloved. God revealed his true incarnation in Jesus on that day of the baptism.
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The baptism of our Lord Jesus reminds us of our own baptism and its significance. Our baptism is a rite of passage in our faith journey. There is a declaration of what went before to include loss and grief, growth and letting go, gratitude, and the need for healing, courage and imagination; and proclamations of hope and willingness to discern a new call to create a rite. In our baptism we believe that the Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit, and has bestowed upon us the forgiveness of sins will keep us in eternal life by his grace in Christ Jesus our Lord. And that is what happens to us when we are baptized. The Spirit moves through the symbols of water, fire, and the community calling us by name to fulfill the Kingdom of God. We are called into the vocation of Christian life, but we must be willing to accept the name signifying our vocation and new life. When an infant is baptized, the child’s parents and sponsors offer the name and accept the vocation until the time when the baptized child is able to accept the call. We are never really fully ready for the significant transitions of life, but thanks be to God, the power of the Holy Spirit comes in God’s time, not ours.
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Christ’s baptism epiphanized his being the Son of God and it is not just an isolated event in his own life. It was the beginning of a new era in God’s relationship with mankind, and has implications for us all, as it affects each of us at the deepest and most personal level. At baptism the spirit of God takes possession of us in a very special way, to direct and guide us in the footsteps of Christ. Baptism unites us with Jesus in the most intimate manner, bringing us into the family of God with the right to call God our Father. Our baptism is not merely an event in the past, it is an ever-present reality, a constant sharing in the divine life of the Risen Christ. It is a daily invitation to come closer to God and to be helpers in his work of saving the world. We are called to be servants of God in our own sphere of living and to make the world a better place.
In baptism we promised to ‘seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves; to strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being; and to persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever we fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord.’ (Baptismal Covenant, BCP).
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, who at the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan proclaimed him your beloved Son and anointed him with the Holy Spirit: Grant that all who are baptized into His Name may keep the covenant they have made, and boldly confess him as Lord and Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, in glory everlasting. Amen.**
