I get anxious every time I have to fill out a nametag. And no, it’s not because I can’t remember who I am. It’s because spatial awareness is not my gift. Invariably I start with a big “E” and then by the time I get to the “th” it’s tiny and squished. Of course, if I got creative, there are many things I could write on a nametag. First are the obvious names and nicknames. To some, I’m known as Liz, although generally I prefer Elizabeth. Professionally, I often still include my maiden name, as many in the church world knew me as Elizabeth Lovell, and it helps them bridge the gap if I look familiar or they know my parents. But beyond an actual name, I’m struck by how many ways I could describe who I am. I am a daughter, sister, wife, and mother. I am a friend, colleague, and teammate. I am a Pastor or Reverend. And the list goes on, taking up more and more of that precious writing space.
How about you? What all could you write on a nametag? Chances are it depends on the situation and circumstances, and how you want those who read it to perceive you. One popular tv show from the past featured a lead character attending a Weight Watchers meeting for the first time, and was asked not to put her name, but the reason she was there. She wrote “Baby Weight” and placed it on her shirt.
I wonder what Jesus would write? Jesus? J.C? Christ? Emmanuel? Messiah? King? Matthew’s gospel helps to give us a clue, with the story of Jesus’ first public appearance. This is his debutante moment if you will, as he emerges on the edges of the river Jordan to be baptized by his cousin, John.
It is a peculiar story, though. Jesus enters the scene not as a valiant king or leader we might expect from the way Matthew starts the gospel, but instead comes in the most humble way possible, alongside sinners coming to repent and receive cleansing waters from the River. Here, though, Matthew is very intentional in his telling. He takes on what one commentator notes as the tone of the “apologetics,” those who engage in the theological or philosophical practice of explaining or defending a point with careful justification and strong conviction. “His retelling of some stories and events is intended not simply to act as a historical record, but also (and maybe more pointedly) to provide a response or defense to his audience concerning certain implications that others, and maybe they, have drawn .” In the case of the birth narrative, Matthew wanted to be clear that this child born was not some ordinary baby born out of wedlock to a teenage mother, but a child conceived by the Holy Spirit – one that God had planned for in a unique and miraculous way. Similarly, in the telling of Jesus’ baptism, Matthew takes time to include a conversation between John and Jesus that answers the inevitable question believers would have – if Jesus was without sin, why did he need to be baptized? The answer fits neatly into Matthew’s ongoing perspective that Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of what had been promised. If Matthew were choosing a denomination today, he might be quite drawn to us Presbyterians. He liked things to be done decently and in order. In his gospel, Jesus’ baptism is a reflection of that, as a part of fulfilling a plan set into motion long ago. His approach to this moment is pivotal, and illustrates the kind of leader and messiah Christ will be – one who truly walks alongside the people and is a servant of all. Such humility echoes prophets like Isaiah, and foreshadows the events that are to come. But back to the riverside where we discover more about who exactly Jesus is.
After he convinces John to actually baptize him, the heavens break open. The Spirit of God descends like a dove in what I imagine to be a Hollywood inspired cinematic glory, and the voice of God speaks to all who have gathered. This is another unique feature of Matthew’s telling – in Luke and Mark this voice is heard only by Jesus, but in Matthew it is a public proclamation: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (v. 17). And there you have it, another thing to add to Jesus’ nametag. In this proclamation, God claims and affirms Jesus’ identity and commissions him to carry out his purpose on earth.
It is from this text, along with the Great Commission (see Matthew 28:18-20) that we draw our understanding of the sacrament of Baptism. Along with communion, we identify it as something Christ participated in and instructed us to do the same. The concluding words of our passage from today celebrate God’s claiming of Christ as his beloved Son. In the same way, in baptism we affirm God’s love for us, and proclaim for the one being baptized, whether a sweet and squirmy infant, a tenacious and talented teen or a weathered and wise adult, that they belong to God. Baptism gives us a new nametag to bear – “child of God.”
To understand this new label, we first should unpack a bit more about what baptism does and means. According to our Presbyterian theology, Baptism is “a sign and seal of incorporation into Christ .” In it, we are connected in a tangible way to Christ and reminded of the grace and love extended to us by God. We believe that the Holy Spirit binds us in covenant to God in this sacrament, which is a symbol of inclusion in the church universal. As we begin a new year together, it is particularly appropriate to think about these things, and the new life given to us in Christ. Baptism reminds us of that reality which has already happened, and is a way that we can respond. It enacts and seals what the Word of God proclaims: God’s redeeming grace is offered to all people . There are numerous other explanations for what happens in Baptism, all with rich symbolism that ties into the totality of the gospel narrative and speaks to the breadth and depth of this symbol. But, for today, I encourage you to hold in your mind that Baptism is a sacrament that reminds us we are “claimed” as Christ’s own forever. Now, this is a claim that has happened well before the water hits our head. It is a promise as old as God, but in Baptism we write it on a nametag for all the world to see.
Baptism reminds us of the best versions of ourselves, our core identity that was woven into our beings by a compassionate creator. Theologian and former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams says the Church has come to view baptism as “a kind of restoration of what it is to be truly human. To be baptized is to recover the humanity that God first intended .” Baptism is a mark of a new creation. Reminding ourselves of this assures us that God wants, above all else, to be in a loving relationship with us, God’s beloved children.
This is the root of our identity as Christians – that we belong to God. This is true from the very beginning. It is not something we have earned because we are particularly cute or talented. It is because God created us to be in relationship, going so far as to send Jesus to make sure we knew just how much God loved us. In order to truly be faithful disciples, we have to allow this name, this label, to be the one that transcends all of the others. Above all else, we have to remember that we are children of God.
Of course, that is quickly tested. We juggle many different names and roles. Some of them fit in well with the idea of being a child of God, others? Not so much. And sometimes, instead of letting God proclaim who we are, beloved, we allow the world around us to define us. Patricia J. Calahan writes:
. . . as we grow, we sometimes forget the heavenly voice, and we begin to listen to other voices that confuse us. Perhaps we hear voices when we are children through report cards that tell us that we are not smart enough. As teenagers, we hear voices through the cruelty of other teens who tell us that we are not cool enough. As adults, we hear voices that tell us we are not successful enough or that we do not have enough money. . . Somehow, as God’s voice gets drowned out, we listen to these other voices, and we are tempted to forget who we are. We are tempted to forget that God and a congregation of Christians have claimed us as beloved children of God .
So we need some reminders of this pivotal claim on our very lives. We need to hear God’s voice, claiming us not just in those moments of our baptism, but throughout our lives. Perhaps we can hear it in the voice of the prophet Isaiah. Our passage from today, written in a section of the book known as “Second Isaiah,” dated sometime during the Babylonian exile, offers similar words of claim and hope for the people of God. It is the first of four poetic passages about a “Suffering Servant,” whom biblical scholars debate about to this day. Some argue, with good grounding, that the servant mentioned here is the Messiah, the one we know as Jesus Christ, and it certainly fits. Others, however, argue that perhaps it is a more general call to servant leadership that could apply in a variety of circumstances over time, even extending to us as disciples today. I think either interpretation is solid, to be honest, and in many ways leads to a similar place for how we might hear it today. The latter argument allows us to hear God’s words quite personally, but so does the notion that it is about Jesus, if put in the context of Baptism. In Baptism, we are “marked as Christ’s own forever.” As Christians, we are called to become like Christ, in word and in deed. We know we can’t do it alone, so it makes sense that God would reach out to us, through Christ, to help us be the kind of servants that are described. This is particularly true when we consider the latter half of our passage, which turns the attention on a personal and direct address from God. I invite you to hear verses 6-9 again, imagining them as God’s words to you, with the heavens ripping open, even here and now, claiming us again in the waters of baptism:
6I am the LORD, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the LORD, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth, I tell you of them.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, this is God’s promise and God’s proclamation. Through Christ, we belong to God. It is a promise sealed in the waters of Baptism, and God will continue to repeat it to us as many times as it takes for us to believe it. As we finish our reflection time this morning, I invite you to come forward and touch the water of the font, then make the sign of the cross with it on your forehead as a reminder of God’s incredible love and grace for you. If you have been baptized, whether as a baby or a child or an adult, may it be for you a renewal of that moment and an affirmation of God’s claim to you. If you have not been baptized, you are still welcome to come forward and touch the water as a symbol of God’s grace. And I would be happy to speak with you more after the service today, or in the future, about how you can receive the sacrament of baptism and we can proclaim what God has already done and welcome you into the family of faith. As our opening hymn proclaimed, “let creation praise it’s giver; there is water in the font.” Come, and be reminded of God’s claim on you, and on all of us, as a beloved child of God.
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Troy A. Miller, “Exegetical Perspective: Matthew 3:13-17” Feasting on the Word, Year A, Volume 1, David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, Editors. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).
Book of Order 2015-2017, The Constitution of the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A., Part II, W-2.3000
See Book of Order W-2.3006.
Rowan Williams, Being Christian: Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer, (Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2014).
Patricia J. Calahan, “Pastoral Perspective: Matthew 3:13-17,” Feasting on the Gospels: Matthew, Volume 1, Chapters 1-13, Cynthia A. Jarvis and E. Elizabeth Johnson, editors. (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2013).
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