Welcome to Sunday Worship in Leesfield Parish on the First Sunday after Epiphany. Our Church Services today are at the usual times of 9.15 am at St Agnes' and 11 am at St Thomas'.
If you are unable to be with us in person, you will find resources below to worship at home. The focus of today's Gospel and reflection is the Baptism of Christ, but if you prefer to follow an Epiphany order of service, our good friends at St Barnabas Clarksfield and Holy Trinity Waterhead have kindly agreed to share theirs with us. You can find the full service transcript here - Medlock Head resources Epiphany
Our first hymn this morning is "We Three Kings of Orient Are"
Today's Gospel
Mark 1:4-11 The Baptism of Jesus
John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him, and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”
In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 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.”
Reflection
In today’s Gospel we hear the marvellous story of the Baptism of Jesus in the wilderness.
A strange place to have a baptism you might think, but to the Israelite people of that time the wilderness had a huge significance. To many it was deemed to be a Holy place where God dwelled and had looked after His people when they left Egypt and wandered for forty years in search of the promised land with Moses. A place where God had provided water from the rocks when they were thirsty and heavenly food, (Manna) when they were starving.
So what better place to call people to in order to repent and be cleansed of their sin as they looked for God’s presence.
And the people flocked from far and wide to this strange person in the wilderness; some because of John’s growing reputation, some because there were rumours that he was a prophet or even perhaps the promised Messiah and some because he was talking about the one who would be much greater and come after him, [Mark 1:8]. He was giving a message of hope to the Israelites who had been exiled and badly treated for generations. They desperately wanted God’s intervention once again so they turned up in the hundreds even thousands.
John’s activities and preaching were so powerful that those who came to repent and be baptised included people from neighbouring regions who were not Israelites.
In the midst of this we see Jesus coming to be baptised by John in the river Jordan. To everyone except John the Baptist, Jesus was no one special or out of the ordinary. He had not yet started His own teaching ministry or performed any miracles. He was to all intents and purposes, just a regular person like the rest of us. A stranger from Nazareth.
In those days, baptism was by total immersion, by which I mean, it wasn’t just a splash of water on the head, it involved being totally submerged – head to foot in the river. In some places this still happens.
When Jesus comes up out of the water everything changes. Mark describes how the heavens are ‘torn apart’. This is not like a little break in the clouds on a dreary day, it is an earth shattering manifestation. ‘It’s as though an invisible curtain, right in front of us, was suddenly pulled back, so that so that instead of the river, the sandy desert and the crowds we, are standing in the presence of a different reality altogether.’ The heavens referred to here are the heavens that God made in the beginning, when he created everything. That is, ‘a dimension beyond our comprehension’, where God and the angels dwell.
But as dramatic as this is, it’s just the overture for what is to follow, as the Holy Spirit then descends on Jesus in what resembles a dove. The Holy Spirit that hovered over the waters when God first created the earth at the very beginning of the bible, [Genesis 1:2].
As if that isn’t astounding enough, Jesus then hears the actual voice of God from heaven, telling Him not only that He is God’s son, but also praising Him and saying how pleased He is with His son.
Those who witnessed the event were in the presence of all three components of the Trinity, God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. How momentous is that?
For myself, this is one of the most powerful moments of Mark’s gospel, but what does that mean for Jesus and for us?
The baptism is the keystone in the life and ministry of Jesus. The empowerment by the Spirit to be God’s Servant, and the declaration from heaven, “You are my Son”, enable Jesus not only to speak and act for God but as God.
It is the starting point of Jesus’ mission on earth, that will be played out through the rest of His story and end at the cross where He will die for the redemption of all our sins.
For those who have already been baptised I suspect that the occasion felt somewhat less dramatic. That does not mean it is less significant!
I wonder how many of you can remember getting baptised or what day you were baptised on. For myself, I can easily remember the date because I was baptised on my birthday. Not any old birthday but my actual birthday - the day I was born. If you don’t know the date you were baptised you may want to try to find out, because like our birthdays, it’s a special day to celebrate. Even if we can’t personally remember it, it’s just as special and important as the day that Jesus was baptised.
It’s the day when our sins were washed away in Holy Christ-filled waters.
It’s the moment when through the power of the Holy Spirit and by the grace of God, we are welcomed into God’s church.
The point where we are reminded that through Jesus actions, we have passed from darkness into light and where we are invited to follow Him who said, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.” [John 8:12].
Above all, it is a time when the living God looks at us, and says, “You are my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you”.
Bishop Tom Wright suggests, ‘That you try reading that sentence slowly, with our own name at the start, and reflect quietly on God saying that to you, both at your baptism and every day since.’
How spiritually reassuring and full of love is that?
Jesus’ baptism was the starting point for His mission and our baptism is the starting point of our journey with Him.
Just as the Holy Spirit hovered over God’s creation in the beginning, he hovers over us at our baptism to make us a new creation in Jesus Christ.
For anyone who hasn’t been baptised yet, the good news is, that baptism into God’s church is available to everyone who wants to follow Jesus and believe in Him. We are all invited to be filled with God’s grace and the Holy Spirit and to follow Jesus. Paul
Our Prayers
Loving Father,
We give you thanks for your son Jesus Christ,
Who through the power of the Holy Spirit,
You empowered to fulfil his mission and win for you a people on earth.
Grant that we who have been baptised, may follow Him
and daily shape ourselves in His image.
Amen
Today's final hymn is "Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning"
