Fire and the Waters of Baptism

First Sunday after the Epiphany – Baptism of Our Lord 

(Year C)

Isaiah 43.1-7; Luke 3.15-17, 21-22

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 19:35)

 

Thus says the Lord,
he who created you, O Jacob,

he who formed you, O Israel:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

When you pass 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.

 

These words from our Old Testament reading from the Prophet Isaiah, first spoken in the mid sixth century BC, transcend time: extending from long before they were spoken, back to the time of the Exodus, forward to the Babylonian Exile, to the time of Jesus, to where we find ourselves today. They similarly transcend space, extending from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, to the Promised Land, to Babylon, to the Jordan River, to Southern California. They encompass a multitude of peoples from the Hebrews seeking liberation from slavery, to Jews both in exile in Babylon and those remaining in Israel, to those coming to the wilderness to be baptized in the Jordan River, to the people of a variety of faith traditions who call Los Angeles home. Speaking words of comfort and assurance, of hope and promise, to Jews and Christians alike, and even to those who believe in other deities or no deity at all.

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Guide Us to Thy Perfect Light

Epiphany

Matthew 2.1-12

St. Gregory’s, Long Beach

Live Streamed on Parish Facebook page (beginning at 25:00)

 

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. “Epiphany” meaning “showing forth,” “revealing,” “manifestation.” This feast day is dedicated to celebrating the revealing or manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles—to non-Jews, to all of us. While we commonly think of Epiphany as the arrival of the Magi following Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem, it is technically a commemoration of three different ways in which Jesus is revealed to the Gentiles: the coming of the Magi, Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan River, and Jesus performing his first miracle of changing water into wine at the wedding at Cana. In our liturgical readings, we don’t always hear all three of these “epiphanies.” But this is one of those years when, over the next few weeks, we do hear all three of these stories.

 

While those other “epiphanies” are important to the overall revelation of Christ to the Gentiles, we do routinely emphasize the coming of the Magi this time of year, either at the tail end of the Christmas season or in a separate celebration of Epiphany, such as we are doing today. Likely because its theme connects so closely with the birth of Jesus we have just celebrated at Christmas. To the point that the Wise Men are commonly incorporated into the birth narrative, at least in Christmas Eve pageants and images on Christmas cards and the like. But the arrival of the Magi is not a Christmas story. It is its own thing, with its own special meaning.

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