A couple of years ago, when I had the chance to visit the Holy Land with my brother seminarians, we saw many things that we expected- and they looked about like what we expected. A vast majority of the trip, though, was spent visiting new places- and seeing things we hadn’t seen before.
There was one moment, though, that I recall very vividly, because it was a moment of shock and surprise, when we visited the Jordan River, in what is presumed to be the spot John the Baptist used to baptize- and also the place that Jesus was baptized at as well. When we went there, many of us had these very idealistic expectations of what this was going to look like. Crystal clear water, slowly wafting down between two grassy banks… what the reality looked like was far different: dry, barren banks, and a murky, muddy mess of water, that wasn’t really that big of a river either. Many of us looked at it, and we had this idealized expectation of what it was going to look like, and yet, there it was- the reality. As I looked at it, I couldn’t help but think- the creek at home is even cleaner than this! Though that might’ve been the case- this was it. It may not have looked like the spot we imagined, but it was impressive, nonetheless!
My brothers and sisters, today marks the formal end of the celebration of the season of Christmas, as we have celebrated for a few weeks now. In short order, these decorations will be coming down, even though they served their purpose very well. All the trees, flowers, nativity, and the lights will be stored away- because this moment arrives. Yet, even as we start to take all of these things down, we should really take a moment- have our lives been changed by this celebration? Did we really capture what it means that Jesus has come, and is already here? Do we even know what that means for us, and what it, perhaps, may invite us to do?
The first reading that we hear this morning is again from the book of Isaiah, and it probably feels a bit like we’ve taken a 180° right back into Advent again. Isaiah speaking about comfort. The fact that God’s people need comfort- Jerusalem’s service is at an end. Essentially, what is being said here is that Jerusalem’s time of punishment is now over- it’s finally finished! Then, as Isaiah delves deeper into this, he begins to prophecy about a voice that is coming- we are told about this generic voice, crying out: “Prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!” So, we have heard this from a time not too long ago- during the Advent Season, and yet, we are coming back to it again- this very same theme of preparation. The encouragement is very clear- that there should be this preparation. This preparation isn’t enough, because it doesn’t seem to just be on a personal level- but there is necessity of telling this news outside of one’s own self. It isn’t just about a person receiving the news that this unnamed voice is proclaiming- but it is the fact that it is being proclaimed so as to be proclaimed and shared!
The second reading comes from the book of Titus. This really moves us away from the sense of waiting for the Lord, and actually moves us back into realizing the moment that this manifestation occurred- the fact that Christ was born and has appeared. Titus starts out reminding us that “the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all, training us to renounce impiety and worldly passions…. To live lives that are self-controlled, upright, and godly. What this entire section goes to show us is that there is an impact to what has happened. Yet, notice the very end- Jesus came to save us, not out of motive from our own righteousness, but according to his mercy- through rebirth and renewal. With this we get the idea that Christ comes and gives us a Sacrament- not because we deserve it so much as much as we need the sacrament. Baptism becomes important, but Christ gives it to us in the first place, of his own goodness!
Then, finally, we arrive at the Gospel. This story- the Baptism in the Jordan, takes place in all four Gospels, and each might have some difference here or there. Yet, the elements of it stay the same. Jesus comes to John, the one who has been telling of his coming to be baptized. For so long, John the Baptist is telling that he is not the Christ- He is not the one who is to come- but there is another. So, He has this spirit of humility- even when the people are all approaching him and asking if he could be the one that was the Messiah- He doesn’t seek the honor of this for himself, but he waits, and warns them to keep watch for another- and He will be much, much greater.
Then, eventually, we arrive at the recognition of the moment Jesus came to be baptized by John. When this happens, the Gospel tells us that He is praying, and then, the heavens are opened, and the Holy Spirit descends- “You are my Son the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” In this baptism, since it was a baptism of repentance- we should understand- Jesus had no need of this baptism. But, it does show us something important. You’ll recall- when I began the homily, I noted how muddy and murky the waters of the Jordan were- and probably even more so during His time. It isn’t that He is being cleansed by the water- but He is the one cleansing the water! He is preparing to do something altogether more powerful by taking baptism and giving it even more power- the power to open the gates of heaven and to introduce someone into the company of the Church.
Yet, let’s return to that initial question- we’ve ventured out with the Baptism of the Lord, but it should be asked- we’ve just gone through another Christmas season- some of us it could be one of dozens, some of us it could be one of a handful we’ve experienced in our lifetime. With all of these experiences, have we found ourselves changed? The fact is that, when we listen to the letter to Titus, we are listening to encouragement. Many, if not most of us, have experienced the waters of baptism. They pour forth from the fact that Christ has become man and walked amongst us- as well as even dying for us- which will come in due time. Yet, that baptism doesn’t come just to wipe away any sort of accountability- but it all the more gives us an even greater sense of responsibility! It means that we have committed to living life differently.
We continue to grow in that understanding by seeing Jesus enter those waters, as He begins His ministry- He is showing us the way that he is changing life- and even changing what those sacraments do and what they were for- He is elevating them to something even higher.
However, I don’t think that is the primary focus for what needs to happen now. Notice, my brothers and sisters, the place of John the Baptist. He, in the Gospel, gives himself over to the service of the Gospel wholeheartedly. He follows God’s will in His life, not because it is going to get him any sort of honor (even though it does to some degree). He isn’t selfish or filled with blind ambition. Rather, he is sending himself forward as the forerunner- announcing the good news of what is coming- and then, as Christ comes to be baptized, His prophecy is fulfilled.
My brothers and sisters- why I ask how Christmas changed you this year is that we should all be seeking an answer. Even if we aren’t quite sure- even the small things can be great. Sure, we may be upset that we had another “Covid Christmas” or that things didn’t go quite as planned- but even a pandemic cannot steal away the fact that Jesus enters our reality. We need to experience that- because, we are called to prepare the way. We are called to be a people that humbly recognize that the Lord is in our midst- but not just that we know He is- but that we sought Him out and experienced Him! We, even in this Christmas season, as it comes to a close- we know Christ- and we know the powerful ways that He seeks to free all of us from the yoke of sin and death. That is our challenge- my brothers and sisters. We see Jesus entering into the water of the Jordan- as murky and dark as it is. He enters into our own brokenness, but it lies up to us to proclaim that good news to our brothers and sisters- and even to one another. Sure, like John the Baptist, we are not the one, but by the grace of God, we can proclaim the one who is the Son, the one who came, and was born so as to give us life, and to give us that sense of hope and freedom that we all long for.
