First Sunday after the Epiphany/The Baptism of our Lord, January 10, 2010

Text : Romans 6:1-11

Title : Reconciled

We move from the life of our Savior, at His birth, to the life of our Savior, at the age of thirty. The movement is as quick and jarring as the kids felt last Monday, returning to school after Christmas vacation.

At the age of thirty, Jesus left home. All His life, He had been a regular guy. He worked as a carpenter, was obedient to His mother, went to church, and followed the Golden Rule. He had preached no sermons, called no disciples, performed no miracles. He was, as much as God-in-the-flesh can be, a regular guy. But, at the age of thirty—the age that a man could become a rabbi, a teacher—He left home, for good . . . for you.

John was baptizing in the Jordan. Jesus came to him. John protested. Jesus insisted. The heavens opened. The Spirit descended. The Father proclaimed His love for His Son. And, people always ask, "Why did Jesus get baptized? He didn’t need to be baptized." No, Jesus didn’t need to be baptized. Jesus was baptized because He wanted to be baptized.

In His baptism, Jesus was uniting Himself to all humans—to us—to you. Jesus will stop at nothing to redeem lost and condemned sinners. Jesus did all things to join Himself to all humans—to us—to you. Jesus does all things to join all humans—us—you—to Himself.

Jesus was born into human flesh for the sole purpose of turning around everything that separates sinners from God the Father. See, that’s what Adam’s sin did: it separated Adam, and all of Adam’s children—all humans—us—you—from God, our Creator.

We always talk about God providing us with the forgiveness of sins, eternal life, and salvation from death, devil, and damnation, but there is a more foundational way to speak of what it was that our Lord Jesus began on the day of His baptism.

The word is reconciliation. To reconcile means to restore harmony, to put two parties back at peace with each other, to reunite.

How do we know that separation was the main problem for all humans—for us—for you? When Adam sinned, what did he do? He hid from God.

After God found Adam, and clothed Adam, and told Adam how things would now be, God removed Adam from Eden. No longer would God walk with Adam in the cool of the day. Adam was separated from his once perfect unity with God. Adam’s wife would now desire Adam’s spot as the head of the family; and, why not, as Adam had failed so miserably at the job. Even the ground would be Adam’s enemy, as weeds and thorns would separate Adam from pure joy in tending the earth.

Separation. That’s what sin does, it separates. God’s Word testifies to this, as the Holy Spirit led men to write that all humans—us—you—were enemies of God, under God’s wrath, children of the devil, and prone to only doing that which serves our selfish desires.

Separation. That’s what sin does, it separates. While you can’t actually see how sin separates you from God, you know all about it, how sin separates you from each other. You stay away from those who sin against you. You hide from those against whom you sin.

You don’t let your kid play on a basketball team because of who is coaching it. You won’t go to a party because a certain person has also been invited. Members of this congregation will not come to church because of some of you, who are members.

Sin separates. Satan divides and conquers. Instead of patching things up, you would rather leave them torn down. Forgiveness is demanding business. Swallowing one’s pride has a sour taste. Being the bigger person is so hard because you are afraid that others will think you are small for giving up your fight, because, after all, you’re right and he’s wrong, and why do you have to be the one to give in, first?

So, you remain separated. You don’t give in. You don’t make up. You don’t reunite.

Instead, you quit. You quit the team. You move onto other friends. You get a divorce. You stop going to church. You work to squelch that voice in your head—the one that keeps kicking you with guilt and shame and remorse and longing to get things back the way they used to be—because you can’t stand the guilt and shame and remorse and longing.

But, you’re still separated. And, if you’re separated with your fellow man, how can you be in union with God? If you can’t forgive, the way that God, in Christ, forgives you, how can you live under God’s forgiveness? If you refuse to love, the way that God, in Christ, loves you, how can you live under God’s love? If you won’t live in peace with each other, how can you live in peace with God?

Why did Jesus want to be baptized? He wanted to be baptized because He—being your Creator, being your God, being love—could not stand to have this separation.

So, He was baptized. He was baptized with water for His baptism of fire. He would go into the wilderness and face Satan, one on one, to win the battle of loyalty to God. He would minister for over three years, to reveal Himself as God in the flesh and declare the kingdom of God. He would lay down His life in a sham trial, a torturous punishment, and a damnable crucifixion—a total separation from both man and His heavenly Father—to bring about reconciliation—for all humans—for us—for you. This is why you are baptized.

Jesus was baptized into your sin. You are baptized into His salvation. Listen to God the Holy Spirit, from today’s lesson in Romans: "Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?"

Listen: "We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life."

Listen: "For if we have been united with [Christ] in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."

Reconciliation, leading to resurrection. No more separation. This is what baptism is all about: both Jesus’ baptism and your baptism. This is what the Lord’s Supper is all about: Jesus communing with His people; His people communing with each other. This is what the proclamation of absolution is all about: God reconciling you to Himself, in Christ.

With whom do you need to reconcile? From whom are you separated? What members do we have, who need you to be the bigger person, to reach out to them, to be reunited with the body of Christ? With what family, what former friends, are you estranged? Is there any guilt, any shame, any remorse, any longing in you, because you have something in your power, that you have left undone, that keeps you separated from anyone? Is there anyone, whom you can’t stand the thought of sitting next to in church, kneeling next to at Christ’s altar, being with in heaven?

Be reconciled to each other, for you possess the consummate reconciliation which Jesus paid for with His holy, precious blood, and His innocent suffering and death.

Jesus was baptized—God’s beloved Son, with whom He was well pleased—so that you could be baptized, to be God’s beloved sons and daughters, with whom He is well pleased.

Jesus has reconciled you to your Creator. There is nothing outside of you that can separate you from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus, your Lord—your baptized Savior. Amen.