The Old Testament reading for today comes from a portion of Isaiah that scholars call Second Isaiah. It was written near the end of the Hebrews\u2019 Babylonian exile and is replete with themes of doxological praise of God\u2019s sovereignty, hope and assurance, comfort and promise. Verse 2 speaks of God\u2019s power over waters and is reminiscent of the Red Sea waters the Hebrews were obligated to pass through to leave behind their enslavement in Egypt. These waters will not overwhelm them any more than the waters of the Red Sea did \u2013 nor will any fire consume them!<\/p>\n\n
Through this text, God is speaking directly to the reader, assuring us that he is with us, reminding us that he created us and redeemed us. God will gather us from all corners of the earth \u2013 from all places of physical, spiritual, or emotional exile \u2013 because we are precious to him. \u201cFear not! Fear not!\u201d God continues to tell us \u2013 we were created for his glory!<\/p>\n\n
Yes, this is a powerful and salvific Creator God \u2013 but even more, this is an intimate God who calls us by name and claims us as his own. This is a God who manifests himself through deep relationship with his people.<\/p>\n\n
Again, on this Sunday when the Church celebrates the Baptism of our Lord, there are more images of water in our scripture readings. The psalmist is comparing God with a powerful thunderstorm, a common image for a theophany. \u201cTheophanies\u201d are manifestations of God, one of the means by which God enters directly into human lives and events. Most theophanies get people\u2019s attention, whether God speaks out of a burning bush, a thunderstorm, a chance encounter, a sunset or headline news. Regardless of the form in which they come, theophanies first force us to stop, look and listen \u2013 and they generally require us to respond.<\/p>\n\n
At first reading, it appears this scripture is our only one today without a reference to water. But read a little more closely. The Samaritans had been baptized \u2013 but the manifestation of the Holy Spirit so tightly linked to the receipt of baptism in the early church was not present. Peter and John had to come and lay hands on the already-baptized Samaritans. Is Acts telling us that we sometimes require a second washing, a second touch?<\/p>\n\n
Baptism is a one-time event when a person is united with Christ and his church. Through submergence in the baptismal waters, we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection. The power of sin is broken, and we receive a new identity in Christ. No second, third or fourth baptism is required!<\/p>\n\n
But because of our proclivity to sin, to live self-absorbed rather than \u201cGod-absorbed\u201d lives, a \u201csecond\u201d baptism of sorts may be needed. This \u201csecond touch\u201d can be understood as the conversion of our hearts, a process that begins with our baptism and does not end until our death when we are drawn into the very heart of God.<\/p>\n\n
John the Baptist is quick to clarify his identity. The people had misidentified him as the Messiah, the longed-for king and Son of God who would transform their lives and their world. No, says John, I only have water \u2013 a mere symbol for cleansing \u2013 while the Messiah who is to come will be manifest by Spirit and fire.<\/p>\n\n
The scene in verses 21-22 at the Jordan River is the first manifestation of the three-in-one persons of the Godhead: God the Father\u2019s voice spoke from heaven, God the Son was baptized, and God the Spirit descended upon Jesus in the form of a dove. It is here that God the Father not only proclaims Jesus\u2019 identity to the world but also God the Holy Spirit is sent to empower Jesus for ministry.<\/p>\n\n
Isaiah 43:1-7 The Old Testament reading for today comes from a portion of Isaiah that scholars call Second Isaiah. It was written near the end of the Hebrews\u2019 Babylonian exile and is replete with themes of doxological praise of God\u2019s sovereignty, hope and assurance, comfort and promise. Verse 2 speaks of God\u2019s power over waters…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":201221,"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":[23,32,52,3],"tags":[249],"class_list":["post-766670","bible_study","type-bible_study","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bible-studies","category-epiphany","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-1c"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":23,"label":"Bible Studies"},{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":249,"label":"Epiphany 1C"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766670","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bible_study"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766670\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":951846,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bible_study\/766670\/revisions\/951846"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=766670"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=766670"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=766670"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}