A sermon preached at Kowloon Union Church on Second Sunday after Christmas 9 January 2022, by Rev Phyllis Wong. The scripture readings that day were Isaiah 43: 1–7; Luke 3:15–17, 21-22
Good
morning! Peace of God be with you!
It
is an unusual Sunday morning today after several full church services during
Christmas.
No
congregation members, accept for a few volunteers here to prepare for the
Service, are present in the sanctuary.
With the increasing number of
omicron cases in our city, the government has tightened social distancing measures.
We do our part to preserve public health safety and to protect people’s well-being
both for our own congregation and also for the public. It’s never an easy
decision to suspend face to face worship and other church activities as well as
limiting numbers of participants for important occasions like weddings.
There are always different aspects to consider in
making decisions and thus the tensions and pressures are huge. After all, life
is precious and people’s well-being is of prime importance to us in whatever
decision that needs to be made.
It is always the love and compassion of Christ that remains
as the foundation for our course of action in church.
According to the church calendar, we have entered into
a new season after Christmas, that is Epiphany. Today
is also a Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ baptism in his earthly life.
This morning I would like to share with
you the inspiration taken from Jesus’ baptism. I hope the message will help us to
face and encounter uncertainties and unpredictable situations that we are now living
in.
We are now in the season of Epiphany. Epiphany comes
from the Greek word ‘epiphaneia’ or ‘theophaneia’, meaning ‘appearance’ or
‘manifestation’. Epiphany reveals the divine presence of God through human
flesh in Jesus Christ.
Incarnation of God on earth is the most profound theology
and faith in Christianity.
God, an eternal being in heaven, came to the earth to
live as human flesh like us. God is powerful and immortal but He limited
himself to a human body, to live, to suffer and to die with human kinds.
Epiphany enfolds Jesus’ earthly life and how he has
set an example for human beings in general and for his disciples in particular
to live a meaningful and abundant life on earth.
The first Sunday of Epiphany starts with the baptism
of Jesus entails significant theological meaning for us to learn and reflect
upon.
Let us now go to the gospel story of today taken
from Luke. When many Jewish people were baptised
by John, they were wondering if he was the Messiah whom the Jews had longed for
to save and liberate their nation Israel from the imperial rule of the Roman
Empire. But John stated very clearly Jesus was the real Messiah not him.
To John, Jesus is more powerful and above
him as he will baptize people with the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus is the one
to clean the people and bring them to God with new and fruitful life.
If Jesus is the messiah and so much higher
above John, and if Jesus has no sins, why did he still go for baptism by John?
The participation of Jesus in baptism has
demonstrated his full identification with humanity, his solidarity with his
community, and his full engagement on earth in all kinds of human activities. God
is never absent in our human world and human history.
After Jesus was baptised by John and rose
up from water, there was a voice from heaven: “this is my beloved son” with the
presence of the dove that represents holy spirit.
Jesus’ baptism assured him his identity as
God’s beloved son. He was claimed and called by God from above. This proclamation
– “this is my beloved son” immediately after he has risen from water is a very
significant assurance for everyone who are baptised. The claim and identity as God’s
beloved children is a great gift and grace from God.
After Jesus’ baptism, he went to the wilderness
to be tempted by the devil. He started his ministries to proclaim God’s
Kingdom, to call people to repent, to heal the sick, befriended with the
outcast, to preach the good news of liberation. Jesus never stayed away from
people in need.
Jesus also built community and he was the
head of the church. Jesus lived his life fully as God’s beloved son, being claimed and called.
Following Jesus’ footstep, Christians partake in the sacrament of baptism indicates
their will and initiation into a life in
Christ. It marks the beginning of the journey of faith and discipleship that
lasts throughout one’s life. It reveals also the baptised Christians of their
change and transformation of life in Christ’s way guided by the Holy Spirit. That
is why the baptised are called born again Christians. In the Catholic
tradition, the baptised will be given a new Christian name.
The baptism of our
Lord Jesus reminded us of our own baptism and our commitment that we have
pledged.
During baptism, water is used.
Water is the means of cleansing and a powerful image of change. Water as part
of God’s creation to bring newness, is a great gift that we may learn from.
What is the characteristic of
water? It is shapeless and formless.
When
water is in the liquid state, the bonds between water
molecules are flexible. So it is shapeless. It does not have a fixed shape. The
water would become many shapes according to where it is. Shapes of the water
are constantly changing.
This structure informs us that “to be water” is to be adaptive to
different environments and circumstances.
The shapeless form of water informs us to be open and flexible especially
when we are facing an uncertain and unpredictable life and changing world.
The water molecules in liquid form allow the bonds between individual
molecules to be broken easily but also very easily reform. This allows them to
move naturally without efforts. To look at this characteristic in our human
relationship, we can gather with each other but at the same time we can stay
apart. It is part of life.
Let us learn from water to take it easy when we are facing separations
from others especially from our beloved families and friends due to emigration or
even death. I fully understand it is always painful for human separation. But
look at the water. When water is evaporated as steam and becomes clouds and
rain, water droplets will meet each other again.
In the eternal God through the Holy Spirit, we will forever be connected
with our beloved. It is just in different forms like water.
Water changes its form in different circumstances. When winter comes, water
forge bonds between one another to become ice. Their rigidity means they are
strong and stable to stand against the cold.
This inspires us to know that when we are facing bitter cold and difficulties
in life, we can connect with one another and build up strong community to support
each other.
Unity and solidarity can bring hope and bright future. For Christians
and Church, Jesus is the One Body that make this possible.
It is very interesting to observe that ice can be cut and broken apart. Ice
is strong but it is also vulnerable at the same time. A community that could be
created for mutual support to stand for the cold and hardship need to be handled
with care.
The community requires our participation and love to build the bond. What’s
more, if the ice is intentionally cut with care and creativity, the ice could
be turned into a sculpture. It will shine beautifully for all to see. Jesus on
the cross has shown us his power and vulnerability that gives us light.
Water is full of potentials. No wonder Jesus said, “I am the living
water.” He used water as a symbol and image of his salvation. Water is an
earthly material running downward to the lowly from above. It’s like Jesus coming from above to show his
humility to attend to the lowly and the poor.
Water is important to nourish all kinds of life. Living organism, human
and non-human cannot survive without water. It’s like Jesus who came to love
and anyone who believe in him will thirst no more.
In today’s baptism of the Lord, let us learn from Jesus – be water – the
living water that is so rich to nourish and transform lives to abundance.
# posted by Kowloon Union Church : Sunday, January 09, 2022
