{"id":691864,"date":"2025-12-22T15:13:11","date_gmt":"2025-12-22T20:13:11","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:41:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T16:41:00","slug":"adopted-as-gods-children-epiphany-1-a-january-11-2026","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/sermons\/adopted-as-gods-children-epiphany-1-a-january-11-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Adopted as God\u2019s Children, Epiphany 1 (A) \u2013 January 11, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-341864_cc4c5b-0b .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-341864_cc4c5b-0b .kt-divider{border-top-width:2px;border-top-color:#84BD00;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-341864_cc4c5b-0b\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" frameborder=\"0\" height=\"200\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/playlist.megaphone.fm?e=DFMS9078189271&#038;light=true\" width=\"100%\"><\/iframe>\n\n\n<style>.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-341864_874104-56 .kt-block-spacer{height:60px;}.wp-block-kadence-spacer.kt-block-spacer-341864_874104-56 .kt-divider{border-top-width:2px;border-top-color:#84BD00;width:100%;border-top-style:solid;}<\/style>\n<div class=\"wp-block-kadence-spacer aligncenter kt-block-spacer-341864_874104-56\"><div class=\"kt-block-spacer kt-block-spacer-halign-center\"><hr class=\"kt-divider\"\/><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>[RCL] <a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/lectionary\/epiphany-1a\/\">Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you were to read the section of the Gospel of Mark that comes before today\u2019s gospel reading, you might be really surprised by what is happening here. John the Baptist has just told a crowd of people, \u201cI baptize you withwater for repentance, but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I, and I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.\u201d And, suddenly, it seems, the very person that John has been speaking about arrives, asking John to baptize him! It\u2019s no wonder that John is shocked and initially resists baptizing Jesus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/NEW-Sermon-Title-FB-EN-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-342146\" style=\"width:512px\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the conclusion of this reading, God\u2019s spirit descends on Jesus, and we hear the voice of God: \u201cThis is my Son, the Beloved,<sup>&nbsp;<\/sup>with whom I am well pleased.\u201d We can assume, then, that God approves of Jesus\u2019s baptism.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But all of this still leaves us with a big question: Why did Jesus, the Son of God, need to be baptized? What is going on here?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There are several references to being baptized into Christ\u2019s death in the service of Holy Baptism. Was Jesus baptized into his own death, which hadn\u2019t happened yet, when he was baptized? In a way, it seems he might have been. When Jesus was baptized, we are told, the heavens were opened to him, and the Father names Jesus as his son.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Later in this Gospel, a similar mysterious event will occur on a mountain with Jesus and his disciples Peter, John, and James. Jesus was transfigured, his clothes appeared bright as light, and his face shone like the sun. And the disciples heard a voice say, \u201cThis is my Son, the Beloved;<sup>&nbsp;<\/sup>with him I am well pleased; listen to him!\u201d However, in this earlier passage of Jesus\u2019 baptism, the heavens didn\u2019t open.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">But when Jesus dies, this Gospel tells us, \u201cAt that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.\u201d The curtain the Gospel writer spoke about was a heavy cloth barrier that separated the innermost part of the temple in Jerusalem, where God\u2019s presence was believed to dwell, from the rest of the temple (and world).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And, after seeing the earthquake that happened after Jesus died, the centurion who had participated in Jesus\u2019s crucifixion declares, \u201cTruly this man was God\u2019s Son!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In these details, we see a noticeable parallel between Jesus\u2019s baptism and his death. Both involve the barrier between heaven and earth being torn open. Both involve Jesus being named as God\u2019s son. The text wants to make clear that these events are linked. It could be said that they serve as bookends for Jesus\u2019s earthly ministry, one marking its beginning, and one marking its end. It could also be said that Jesus\u2019s baptism sets in motion the events that will lead to his death, Resurrection, and Ascension. (In fact, there will be another earthquake in the following chapter, when an angel arrives to roll back the stone cover of Jesus\u2019s tomb after Jesus\u2019s Resurrection.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So, to return to our earlier question, perhaps Jesus needed to be baptized as a sign\u2014showing that his earthly ministry, which would culminate in the events of Good Friday and Easter, had begun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe we can also look to the text of today\u2019s reading for some clues about why Jesus needed to be baptized. If you were to read this passage in the original Greek in which it was written, you would notice something very interesting about the grammar its writer used. Throughout this gospel, the writer often uses the present tense to describe something that happened in the past. This is one such passage. So, the text doesn\u2019t actually say, \u201cThen Jesus came from Galilee.\u201d It says, \u201cThen Jesus&nbsp;<em>comes<\/em>&nbsp;from Galilee.\u201d It doesn\u2019t say, \u201cThen John consented\u201d; it says, \u201cThen John&nbsp;<em>consents<\/em>.\u201d Scholars have discussed why these passages might have been written this way. Many people think that it is so we, the readers, feel that the action is happening right in front of us, and that we are a part of it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even when we read the English translation of this passage, we get a sense of urgency and action. Jesus tells John that it is proper to baptize him, and to \u201clet it be so&nbsp;<em>now<\/em>.\u201d And then,&nbsp;<em>just as&nbsp;<\/em>Jesus gets out of the water,&nbsp;<em>suddenly&nbsp;<\/em>the heavens open, and God\u2019s spirit descends. The writer is telling us that something very special is happening with time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What the writer of the story does not tell us is what happened during Jesus\u2019s baptism. The text does not describe what John and Jesus said or did. John consents, and then, we are told simply that Jesus has been baptized. We are left to imagine for ourselves whatever liturgy John used. Given the importance of Jesus\u2019s baptism in the passage, this might seem like a confusing omission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe it\u2019s not surprising, though, considering how much else the gospels don\u2019t tell us about Jesus. The writer of the gospel of Matthew tells us the story of Jesus\u2019s birth, the Magi coming to adore him, Jesus\u2019s family\u2019s flight to Egypt to escape the slaughter of infants in Bethlehem by King Herod, and the return of Jesus\u2019s family to their home in Nazareth. But we aren\u2019t told much else about Jesus\u2019s life before his baptism, even though he was well into his adulthood at that time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It seems, then, that the author of this text wanted us to be able to imagine ourselves as part of Jesus\u2019s story. We can imagine ourselves standing outside of time, participating in the action. When we read this Gospel and the narrative of Jesus\u2019s baptism, we can think about the things we have experienced in life and fill in the gaps with things that are familiar to us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And this makes sense, because Jesus\u2019s baptism is part of his human life. At this point in the year, both in our culture and liturgy, we have left Christmas behind. The decorations in stores came down weeks ago, and, at church, we are in the season after Epiphany. Jesus isn\u2019t a baby anymore. But, the power of Jesus\u2019s human birth, the world-shattering effect of his Incarnation, remains still with us. Jesus took on our humanity in his birth and continued to share in what it meant to be human throughout his lif\u2014and even in his death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The question of why Jesus needed to be baptized also raises the question, why do&nbsp;<em>we<\/em>&nbsp;get baptized? In our Book of Common Prayer, Holy Baptism is defined as \u201cthe sacrament by which God adopts us as his children, and makes us members of Christ\u2019s Body, the Church, and inheritors of the kingdom of God.\u201d It also tells us that the inward and spiritual grace we receive in Baptism is \u201cunion with Christ in his death and resurrection, birth into God\u2019s family the Church, forgiveness of sins, and new life in the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Just as Jesus\u2019s baptism signified the beginning of his participation in a new mission in the world, so too does ours. When we are baptized, we are told that we now share in Christ\u2019s priesthood\u2014even if we are a helpless infant. At our baptism, we are told to \u201cconfess the faith of Christ crucified\u201d and \u201cproclaim his resurrection,\u201d even before we are able to speak!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If we are anxious about the daunting prospect of sharing in Christ\u2019s priesthood, this Gospel can remind us that baptism is a sacrament of joyful connection. In the Incarnation, Jesus shares in our humanity. And in Baptism, we share in Christ\u2019s Body. We are connected not only to God, but to one another, as members of the household of God.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And not only are we&nbsp;<em>connected<\/em>&nbsp;through Baptism, even more, we are&nbsp;<em>adopted<\/em>&nbsp;as God\u2019s children. And we know \u2014because this Gospel tells us\u2014that God is a loving Father who takes pride in his Son. How lucky we are that we get to share in that love!&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>The Rev\u2019d Erin Morey&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><em>has served as Assistant Rector at St. Paul&#8217;s Episcopal Church in Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania, since July 2022. She is currently enrolled in a D.Min. program at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. In addition to sharing in the pastoral and sacramental leadership of St. Paul&#8217;s, she supports the ministry of the Pastoral Care, Social Justice and Anti-Racism, and Outreach Commissions. Erin graduated from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 2002. She previously served as an Assistant Public Defender in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, and an Advocate at Women\u2019s Center &amp; Shelter of Greater Pittsburgh. In addition to her full-time work in ordained ministry, Erin serves as a volunteer attorney with Neighborhood Legal Services.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-1501040a-1e2b-42f7-92ce-774065f581f0\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Epiphany-1A-sermon.docx\">Word &#8211; Epiphany 1A sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Epiphany-1A-sermon.docx\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-1501040a-1e2b-42f7-92ce-774065f581f0\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-file\"><a id=\"wp-block-file--media-d64bf19b-cfd4-4628-9ae1-bb00f4b0b743\" href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Epiphany-1A-sermon.pdf\">PDF &#8211; Epiphany 1A sermon<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.episcopalchurch.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Epiphany-1A-sermon.pdf\" class=\"wp-block-file__button wp-element-button\" download aria-describedby=\"wp-block-file--media-d64bf19b-cfd4-4628-9ae1-bb00f4b0b743\">Download<\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[RCL] Isaiah 42:1-9; Psalm 29; Acts 10:34-43; Matthew 3:13-17 If you were to read the section of the Gospel of Mark that comes before today\u2019s gospel reading, you might be really surprised by what is happening here. John the Baptist has just told a crowd of people, \u201cI baptize you withwater for repentance, but the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"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":[32,43,52,3],"tags":[161],"class_list":["post-691864","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","category-epiphany","category-sermons","category-sermons-that-work","category-worship-and-prayer-menu","tag-epiphany-1a"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":32,"label":"Epiphany"},{"value":43,"label":"Sermons"},{"value":52,"label":"Sermons That Work"},{"value":3,"label":"worship_and_prayer_menu"}],"post_tag":[{"value":161,"label":"Epiphany 1A"}]},"featured_image_src_large":false,"author_info":[],"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/691864","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/sermon"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/691864\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":948025,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/sermon\/691864\/revisions\/948025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=691864"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=691864"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=691864"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}