Sermon for First Sunday After the Epiphany

by Lay preacher, Charlie Houghton

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of all our hearts, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer. Amen 

​Today’s gospel is very short, but much is packed into these few words. 

In this time — the season of Epiphany, we can revel in the miracles of Jesus; in the goodness and wonder. The Epiphany gospels tell about many of the miracles performed by Jesus. We hear of the Wedding at Cana and the calling of the disciples, the Beatitudes, among various other miracles and teachings. 

The last Sunday in the Epiphany season is always the gospel of the Transfiguration. 

We can dwell in this goodness that is Jesus,who is always leading with love. He teaches us that to walk in his way, to follow his example, we too must walk in love. This season goes on until the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday. It can vary in length depending upon the date of Easter. “We are called to respond to Christ in faith through the showings of his divinity recorded in the gospels of the Epiphany season.”1 

What is happening in this short gospel that makes it worthy of having its own Sunday? 

Actually, quite a lot happens in this short reading. Two important matters are addressed. Jesus tells the crowd who John is, how legitimate and true John’s teaching must be, because Jesus insists that John baptize him. And Jesus lets John understand just who Jesus is. Although there is some disagreement among theologians, I tend to side with those who suggest that John also hears the voice acclaiming Jesus to be God’s son.2 

The story seems pretty simple. Jesus comes to John to be baptized. In fact, Jesus walked 60 miles from Galilee to the Jordan where he was to be baptized by John. John is reluctant to do so, suggesting that he be baptized by Jesus instead. Jesus tells him that indeed he should baptize Jesus to “fulfill all righteousness.” John finally consents to baptize Jesus. This act allows Jesus to be identified with all of us. When Jesus had been baptized, and was coming up from the water, the heavens opened and “a voice from Heaven said,‘This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” 

People have been coming to John for baptism for some time now. John has explained that he baptizes with water, but the one who comes after him will baptize with the spirit. And now that one is here. This is a time of transition. We are moving from the ministry of John to the ministry of Jesus. 

Why did Jesus insist on baptism? Though human, Jesus is without sin so he clearly does not need the cleansing of baptism. So why insist that John baptize him? Despite being sinless, Jesus chose to be baptized by John to cement his place among the people. Jesus was beginning his ministry, and it was not yet time for Jesus to be seen widely as the son of God. 

Shifting to Acts we once again hear reference to the baptism of Jesus by John. As Peter begins to speak, he says “I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.”

The message spread quickly throughout Judea: “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts 10) Peter goes on to note that “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.” (Acts 10) 

In this particular reading Peter is evolving. He initially believed that gentiles must convert to Judaism before they could be considered true followers of Christ. God, however, does not discriminate between Jews and Gentiles, leaving Peter a bit confused and concerned. This reading is Peter speaking to the household of Cornelius, a Roman Centurion. Peter, as a devout Jew, had always believed that he had a sort of religious duty to avoid Gentiles, or at the very least, get them to convert to Judaism. Peter has become aware that God does not show partiality,“but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10) This is truly a revolutionary idea. No longer are Gentiles considered outsiders. Anyone who loves God and follows the teachings of Jesus Christ is part of this amazing new community of believers. This is a diverse community; a community of believers held together by their love of God and neighbor. In fact, Jesus taught that there are two great commandments. The first is to love God with all our hearts and minds and souls, and the second is to love our neighbors as ourselves. 

A community held together by love of God and love of neighbor. What an extraordinary idea! And Jesus made clear through the parable of the Good Samaritan that our neighbors are not just the family next door; we are the great human family and all the people we come into contact with are our neighbors, and ultimately members of the family of believers. 

D. L. Moody, famous 19th century evangelist born in Northfield, MA, stated that “the Bible was not given to increase our knowledge but to change our lives.” I believe that as well. We shouldn’t be reading the Bible simply to acquire information. Our Bible is more about transformation than information.3 

A good priest friend of mine once said that I should read the Bible as if I were reading a love letter from God to me — just me and no one else. This gave me a new way of looking at scripture, not as something I would never be able to figure out, but as something personal and understandable as it is written for me and to me. In this way I found less anxiety and more confidence in reading scripture, and ultimately discovered that God had quite a lot to say to me wherever I was in my faith journey at the time. Many of us find our own way of relating to scripture, but as D.L. Moody said, we should probably not read scripture as a fact finding mission. 

For me, the love letter method works well. Perhaps, given the chance to try it out, you will discover the best way for you to read scripture. Sharing with others can be a great way to begin a new appreciation of scripture. 

Each Monday evening beginning at 7:00, I lead a bible study on Zoom with my husband, Steve. Our approach is to use three question prompts to help us focus on the reading. I send out the reading, the questions and the link to join the group. We emphasize that there are no wrong answers and we encourage everyone to share what they hear in the reading. If you might like to join us, please feel free to talk to Steve or me during Coffee and Conversation, or get in touch with Aaron in the office and they will let you know how to reach me. 

In the meantime, try sitting with a reading - perhaps one from today’s leaflet - and explore the ways that God is speaking to you. 
Amen 

--

1 The Episcopal Dictionary of the Church, Church Publishing 
2 Shelby Abbott, The Gospel Coalition, 2/21/2022
3 D.L. Moody, Inspirational Quotes by D.L. Moody, bibleportal.com 

---