sermon excerpts: "Life from Above" - Luke 3: 15-17, 20-22; Isaiah 43: 1-7

... “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” - a simple sentence that offers so much hope in the world. God speaks announcing that Jesus is the Son of God, the Messiah that people were waiting for. And then the words of praise, “with you I am well pleased”. Jesus was valued simply for being himself, not by what he did or said or planned to do.

Same for each of us. This grace is freely given, we don’t have to earn it or deserve it or measure up to some mark of righteousness; by being, just being, we please God.

In Isaiah, we hear to what extent God’s care and love for us go. We are worth any ransom, the treasures and nations on earth would be offered up for us if it would set us free, if it would bring us all together in unity and peace. The community is created by people gathering in faith, recognizing our commonness with one another, our need for God and the assurance that God’s love is there for us. That we have value simply by being and that earning this approval is not necessary.

We take the Spirit for granted, forgetting that it is a gift. We forget we are treasured and beloved. Instead, so much of society is seeking approval from others, their peers or their competitors, judging worthiness by clothing, income or physical appearance. And so our world has become diluted, distracted and destructive; too often the news headlines have us fearful: murders, abuctions, bombings, child abuse, natural disasters and desperate people in desperate situations.

... and so we tend to look to others to do things for us. Like the people looking to John to be the Messiah, like those of us who complain about people in positions of leadership, we might lose sight of the fact that we also have power and opportunity to make a difference that affects the lives of others. Maybe in small ways, but it is part of our call.

Remember that it was during Jesus’ prayer after his baptism that the heavens opened, the spirit soared and the voice spoke. Because what matters most in our life of faith happens after baptism. What do we do with this great gift of acceptance, care and love? We are welcomed in to a family of faith, but it is also a directive to a call to live life with integrity, honesty, love, courage and compassion.