{"id":648637,"date":"2023-12-07T18:18:36","date_gmt":"2023-12-07T23:18:36","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:41:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:41:47","slug":"transformed-in-baptism-epiphany-1-january-7-2024","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/transformed-in-baptism-epiphany-1-january-7-2024\/","title":{"rendered":"Transformed in Baptism, Epiphany 1 (B) \u2013 2024"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=DFMS2432490569&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-green-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-green-background-color has-background is-style-wide\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/epiphany-1b\/\">[RCL] Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/E1-2024-Cover-FB-1024x536.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-298645\" style=\"width:512px;height:undefinedpx\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Paul said to the disciples in Ephesus: \u2018Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?\u2019 They replied, \u2018No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.\u2019<\/em><em> Then he said, \u2018Into what then were you baptized?\u2019 They answered, \u2018Into John&#8217;s baptism\u2019\u201d (Acts 19:2-3).<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Into John\u2019s baptism. Both the passage from Acts 19 and Mark\u2019s gospel agree that John baptized with a baptism of repentance. What does this mean? Who was John the Baptist? Why was he baptizing at the Jordan River, and why was Jesus there?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the first-century historian Josephus, John was a popular prophet and holy man who was a contemporary of Jesus. It is likely that John was a member of the Essene renewal movement, a community that lived an ascetic life in the desert at Qumran, in opposition to what they saw as corruption of the leaders in Jerusalem and the Temple. Life in the desert community protested the worldliness of Jewish worship in Jerusalem and the oppressive, colonial rule of the Romans. The Essene rule of life placed emphasis on purity, ritual bathing, and obedience to God\u2019s commandments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John did not invent baptism. Archaeological remains of ancient <em>mikvahs<\/em>, pools for washing away impurities, such as handling blood or contact with skin ailments, have been found at Qumran and near the site of the Temple in Jerusalem. Ritual cleansing before approaching God was a part of Jewish life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, too, was repentance a familiar theme in Jewish life, part of a pattern in the story of Israel. Time after time, the biblical narrative shows the people of Israel falling away from God, especially by corrupt worship practices. An angry and just God allows oppression by a foreign power until the people repent, often at the urging of a prophet. Then God sends a deliverer \u2013 a prophet, warrior, or king \u2013 and peace is restored. Repentance is the necessary pivot point between corruption and oppression, and deliverance and peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John, like Jesus, was a charismatic Jewish man who led a renewal movement within Judaism. People were deeply stirred by the words, deeds, and example of the holy man. Mark tells us that people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to be baptized by him in the River Jordan. It is possible that Jesus was a follower of John and his message of repentance; he traveled all the way from Galilee to the Judean desert to be baptized by him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mark places John within the Jewish religious tradition, portraying him as a new Elijah, clothed in camel\u2019s hair and eating locusts and wild honey. John gives the common practice of ritual bathing new symbolic meaning. No longer just a ritual to cleanse impurity, it now serves as public testimony of repentance and preparation for the long-awaited coming of the kingdom of God.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John is clear \u2013 he is not the deliverer sent by God; he is the messenger, not worthy to untie the sandals of the one who is to come. And this Jesus, who has come to be baptized in the Jordan, is powerful: Not <em>a<\/em> deliverer but <em>the<\/em> deliverer. The author of our salvation. \u201cI have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit,\u00bb John proclaims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the beginning of the passage, Mark presents an earthly Jesus, a young man joining a renewal movement led by his charismatic cousin, John. 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. \u00abYou are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.\u00bb<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The passage from Acts presents, clearly and succinctly, the progression from repentance to deliverer, from John the messenger to Jesus the savior, from baptism by water to baptism by the Holy Spirit:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Paul said, \u00abJohn baptized with the baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come after him, that is, in Jesus.\u00bb<\/em><em> On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Acts 19:4-5)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This passage anticipates the early Christian practice of baptism by water and Holy Spirit, of repentance and forgiveness, a practice that continues to be the entry point to our community in the church, and a confession of our faith in the divine nature of Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In comparing the gospels, it is often said that there is no birth narrative in Mark. Unlike the gospels of Matthew and Luke, Mark does not include a nativity scene. One might argue that this moment by the Jordan River, when Jesus is called to ministry, his divinity affirmed by the Holy Spirit and God the Father, <em>is<\/em> Mark\u2019s birth narrative. For Mark, Jesus\u2019 baptism by the Holy Spirit, this proof of his divine nature, is the moment of birth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A thread that runs through all of today\u2019s readings is the transforming nature of the voice of God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Genesis, the heavens and earth are created by the voice of God. God speaks, \u00abLet there be light\u00bb; and there was light. Psalm 29 is a litany of praise to God\u2019s voice: The voice of the LORD is over the waters;&nbsp;The voice of the LORD is powerful; The voice of the LORD flashes forth flames of fire. In Mark\u2019s gospel, God\u2019s voice proclaims: \u00abYou are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.\u00bb And with this affirmation, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, Jesus, the divine Son of God, is revealed. Jesus emerges from the waters of baptism renewed, ready to fulfill his purpose and transform the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The voice of God effects transformation, sometimes with drama, sometimes out of chaos, sometimes in response to a repentant people. All nature participates in this metamorphosis, as God\u2019s voice causes the oaks to whirl and strips the forest bare. The heavens are torn apart as the Holy Spirit descends to confirm Jesus\u2019 divinity. God\u2019s voice and God\u2019s Holy Spirit are active, visible, powerful, radical, disruptive forces for renewal and change. Paul\u2019s disciples, when the Holy Spirit came on them at their baptism, spoke in tongues and prophesied, a chaotic and physical manifestation of their transformation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">May we too be transformed. In Baptism. In repentance, prophecy, and confession of faith. Infused with the Holy Spirit in our hearts and God\u2019s voice in our ears, may we be renewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let us pray: O God, your Holy Spirit was present at the creation and with Jesus at his baptism: Open our hearts to that same Spirit, and strengthen and guide us to love and serve you and our neighbors; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. <em>(Daily Prayer for All Seasons, Church Publishing)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-5fcf8f9b-d836-49b9-bab0-92c757f18a98\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1B-English.docx\">Word \u2013 Epiphany 1 (B) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1B-English.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-5fcf8f9b-d836-49b9-bab0-92c757f18a98\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-83d71200-6f1a-4b88-8840-92b124341e44\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1B-English.pdf\">PDF \u2013 Epiphany 1 (B) Sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/12\/Sermon-Epiphany-1B-English.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-83d71200-6f1a-4b88-8840-92b124341e44\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Paul said to the disciples in Ephesus: \u2018Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?\u2019 They replied, \u2018No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.\u2019 Then he said, \u2018Into what then were you baptized?\u2019 They answered, \u2018Into John&#8217;s baptism\u2019\u201d (Acts&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201212,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_tec_requires_first_save":true,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_EventAllDay":false,"_EventTimezone":"","_EventStartDate":"","_EventEndDate":"","_EventStartDateUTC":"","_EventEndDateUTC":"","_EventShowMap":false,"_EventShowMapLink":false,"_EventURL":"","_EventCost":"","_EventCostDescription":"","_EventCurrencySymbol":"","_EventCurrencyCode":"","_EventCurrencyPosition":"","_EventDateTimeSeparator":"","_EventTimeRangeSeparator":"","_EventOrganizerID":[],"_EventVenueID":[],"_OrganizerEmail":"","_OrganizerPhone":"","_OrganizerWebsite":"","_VenueAddress":"","_VenueCity":"","_VenueCountry":"","_VenueProvince":"","_VenueState":"","_VenueZip":"","_VenuePhone":"","_VenueURL":"","_VenueStateProvince":"","_VenueLat":"","_VenueLng":"","_VenueShowMap":false,"_VenueShowMapLink":false,"_tribe_blocks_recurrence_rules":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_description":"","_tribe_blocks_recurrence_exclusions":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[32,43,52,3],"tags":[248],"class_list":["post-648637","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-epiphany","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-1b"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":248,"label":"Epiphany 1B"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/648637","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/648637\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951274,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/648637\/revisions\/951274"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=648637"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=648637"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=648637"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}