The First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of the Lord, January 7, 2024

The Baptism of Jesus is a window into the interplay of creation, grace, and agency. The universe
is bathed in light as God moves over the waters, ecstasy enlivens the early Christian movement,
and a dove of the Spirit alights on the recently baptized Jesus’ head. Everything is in process.
Creative transformation and new life abound. The spiritual and moral arcs are moving forward.
The aim toward beauty is emerging out of the chaos of daily life and the machinations of our
political leaders. With Martin Luther, we can in times of depression and anxiety cry out “I was
baptized” whether as an infant, a believing child, youth, or adult, or simply through the ever-
present creative transformation of God. In remembering and claiming the baptismal spirit, we
experience God’s unending and unconditional love. It is not the rite, but the Spirit that matters.
Water is a joy, and fire enlightens and enlivens. Baptism invites us to new life whether through
the baptismal font or a morning shower of cleansing and refreshment.
The poetry Genesis, chapter one, proclaims the emergence of water, land, and light. The world is
created in beauty and wisdom. Beauty and creativity, not sin, are original. Sin is derivative, a
waywardness, in contrast to the original goodness of life, our lives, and the life of the planet.
Light and darkness, night and day, all reflect divine creativity and wisdom. There is no
connection of darkness with evil in this passage. Darkness has a life of its own – the place of
rest, dreams, germination, and birth. “Thank the Lord for the nighttime,” as singer Neil
Diamond says. Thank God for dappled and shadowed things, for sabbath darkness, as well as
guiding light, illuminating mysticism, and the brightness of sunshine. We live in a glorious
universe, and for those who open their senses, mysticism is a daily experience. Process theology
is the theology of the mystic, for God is present in every moment and every encounter. God is in
all things, and all things are in God.
Psalm 29 joins humankind with nature. God’s voice echoes through all creation. Deep down, all
things praise God, as Psalm 139 proclaims. Humankind rightly oriented joins in praise with all
creation. In the words of Maltbie Babcock,
This is my Father's world,
And to my listening ears
All nature sings, and round me rings
The music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
His (sic.) hand the wonders wrought.
This is my Father's world,
The birds their carols raise,
The morning light, the lily white,
Declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world,

He (sic.) shines in all that's fair;
In the rustling grass I hear Him (sic.) pass;
He (sic.) speaks to me everywhere.
In the reading from Acts, the ministry of John the Baptist is completed by the laying on of hands
and the ecstatic falling of the Spirit. John the Baptist gives us the spirit of repentance, of the
changed and transformed life, of a new lifestyle. Our lifestyle is completed by mystical ecstasy.
Contemplation completes action, mysticism transforms mission. We honor John’s ministry by
joining mysticism with social transformation, and spiritual growth with daily responsibilities.
Mark describes the counter cultural preacher John the Baptist, the proto-Jesus freak, who comes
forth from the wilderness preaching repentance and the forgiveness of sins. “You must change
your life. You must re-evaluate your values. You must live as if God’s realm is near and coming
and you want to be apart of it.” This is sagely advice to us. Advice that has not been nullified by
the coming of Jesus as Christ. We must change our lifestyle. We must act like a new creation –
like God is alive and seeks Shalom – in our personal and political lives. There is no “two
realms” theology here. There is only one realm, and our quest is to seek God’s realm on earth as
it is in heaven.
We are obliged to follow God’s way at work and in politics. We can recognize that the
complexities of politics and economics may require sacrifice and at the same time aim toward
the realm of God – toward community, hospitality, care for the vulnerable, peace, and Shalom –
in our lives as citizens and politically involved people and in the complexities of national
defense. Sadly, many who claim to follow Jesus are the most ardent purveyors of hate, division,
and incivility. May God’s aim for the “best for that impasse” convict us all, driving us to
repentance and to God’s vision of truth, beauty, and goodness.
When Jesus is baptized, the Spirit of God descends upon him. He receives clear insight into his
life’s vocation. He receives the vision and power to become God’s Messiah, God’s Christ to the
world. “And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the
Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the
Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’” Jesus is chosen, but so are we.
At baptism, by whatever means – daily shower or baptismal font or baptistry – God calls us to
new life. God says “you are my beloved.” God loves us because we are God’s children, not in
spite of who we are. Incarnation is God’s revelation to us long before the cross. Original
goodness reflects God’s grace, and baptism is the lifelong reminder what we are God’s own and
nothing can separate us from the love of God. Baptism is not a requirement but it is a lively
symbol of the grace in which we stand – now and forever.
On the Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus, let us celebrate our baptisms. Let us rejoice in
God’s wisdom, love, and creativity. Let us affirm that we are in God’s care and that nothing can
separate us from the love of God. Let us say “yes” to grace and become grace givers and justice
seekers.

Bruce Epperly is a pastor, professor, spiritual guide, and author of over seventy books, including
JESUS – MYSTIC, HEALER, AND PROPHET; THE ELEPHANT IS RUNNING: PROCESS
AND OPEN AND RELATIONAL THEOLOGY AND RELIGIOUS PLURALISM;
PROPHETIC HEALING: HOWARD THURMAN’S VISION OF CONTEMPLATIVE
ACTIVISM; MYSTIC’S IN ACTION: TWELVE SAINTS FOR TODAY; WALKING WITH
SAINT FRANCIS: FROM PRIVILEGE TO ACTIVISM; MESSY INCARNATION:
MEDITATIONS ON PROCESS CHRISTOLOGY, FROM COSMOS TO CRADLE:
MEDITATIONS ON THE INCARNATION, and THE PROPHET AMOS SPEAKS TO
AMERICA. His most recent books are PROCESS THEOLOGY AND THE REVIVAL WE
NEED, TAKING A WALK WITH WHITEHEAD: MEDITATIONS WITH PROCESS-
RELATIONAL THEOLOGY, and SIMPLICTY, SPIRITUALITY AND SERVICE: THE
TIMELESS WISDOM OF FRANCIS, CLARE, AND BONAVENTURE. He can be reached at
drbruceepperly@gmail.com.