Epiphany, which we celebrated Friday and which continues today, is one of the earliest and most profound annual celebrations in the Church. There are three Gospel stories which are always presented in Epiphany that show forth the Christ as the Messiah to the whole world. One, of course, is the coming of the Wise Men. Perhaps today we should call it the coming of the Wise Persons. Here at St. Mary’s we have the Three Kings in the creche, we have the Three Kings banner with the three crowns, and the banner of the star of Bethlehem. Another story heard during Epiphany is the Wedding Feast at Cana of Galilee. Here we have the banner showing the water turning into wine, and a stained glass window showing a rather severe looking Jesus doing his miracle at the Wedding Feast. The third story is the Baptism of Jesus and his anointing by the Holy Spirit, which is told in Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Each one has a little different take on the story. And the story of the Holy Spirit anointing Jesus is represented by a banner hanging above us, as well as the baptismal font at the front of the church.
I want to talk about water and the baptism of Jesus. There are two facts about water that are important to our understanding. One is that the water we have is all the water we have. The water in the McKenzie River is the same water that the dinosaurs played in, killed in, and did their business in. However, the statement that all the water we have is not 100% true. After I had delivered this sermon at Christ Church in Blacksburg Virginia, the home of Virginia Tech, one of the science professors pulled me aside and said that when lightning strikes granite, we get a few drops of brand new, fresh water. And someone who is doing pioneering work in atlernative fuels for cars pulled me aside and said that if you have a hydrogen powered car, it dribbles water out the back. Then someone else said when a comet comes near the earth, it drops ice cubes into the atmosphere. So it is not actually 100% true that the water we have is all the water we have, but it works in a sermon.
The second fact is that water circulates. It evaporates into the air, forms clouds which circulate around the world, the water comes down in the form of rain, snow, ice, sleet, and lands in lakes, rivers and streams. The water flows to the ocean and that water circulates, also. So the water we have is all the water we have, and the water circulates. Throughout this world, we all drink from one well.
We had a baptism today in an earlier service, and in that font of water were molecules that were in the Red Sea the day the Children of Israel left slavery and went into the desert. There were molecules in the puddles that brushed against garments, perhaps against Moses. There are molecules in the font that were in the Jordan River the day Joshua led the Children of Israel out of the desert into the Promised Land. There are molecules in that water that were flowing in the Jordan River the day that Jesus was baptized, and would have brushed against Jesus. There are molecules in the baptismal water that were in the Jordan River the day Jesus was nailed to the cross, and the day the women went to the tomb and the tomb was empty.
This means that when we are baptized, we are spiritually, but also physically, joined to the Children of Israel fleeing from slavery and heading to freedom. We are physically and spiritually joined to Jesus at his baptism. And we are physically and spiritually present at the crucifixion and the resurrection. Isn’t that incredible?
Why does God do this? For one reason only: Because God is love God loves us you, each and every one, more than you can ask or begin to imagine.
AMEN.
