Beloved

Matthew 3:13-17

Sunday January 8th, 2023

Rev. Rhonda Blevins, pastor

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented.  And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him.  And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

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When we read the scripture text for the day, I invited you to listen through a sacred reading practice developed by Saint Ignatius of Loyola called “Holy Imagination”—using your imagination to place yourself at the scene. Maybe you imagined yourself as one of the named characters in the narrative or an unnamed bystander—perhaps you imagined yourself as an animal named in the scene or some inanimate object. The practice invites you to use your five senses while hearing the text—imagining what you might see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. This sacred reading practice can make the scriptures come alive in new and fresh ways. You can read the text multiple times, taking on a new persona, watching the scene unfold from a new vantage point. I invite you to try this sacred reading practice, “Holy Imagination,” at home—see if it enhances your scripture reading in some new and fresh way.

But today, I wonder, as you imagined yourself there at the Jordan River where Jesus received his baptism from John, when the part was read about the heavens opening to Jesus—what did that look like to you? As I engaged the sacred reading practice of “Holy Imagination” earlier in the week to prepare for today’s message, I envisioned a cloudy day, and when the “heavens opened,” it was as if the clouds broke apart and a radiant, golden glow poured forth, the brilliant white dove majestically gliding toward earth from out of the golden glow. Holy imagination!

This vision of the heavens opening intrigues me, so I want us to hang out there for a bit. It also reminds me of a joke:

A man arrives at the gates of heaven. St. Peter asks, “Religion?”

The man says, “Methodist.”

St. Peter looks down his list and says, “Go to Room 24, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8.”

Another man arrives at the gates of heaven. “Religion?”

“Lutheran.”

“Go to Room 18, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8.”

A third man arrives at the gates. “Religion?”

“Presbyterian.”

“Go to Room 11, but be very quiet as you pass Room 8.”

The man says, “I can understand there being different rooms for different denominations, but why must I be quiet when I pass Room 8?”

St. Peter tells him, “Well, the Baptists are in Room 8, and they think they’re the only ones here.”

Oh my!

Back when I was a Baptist (specifically, when I was a much younger Baptist), I read this text from Matthew differently than I read it now. I used to think that, in Matthew 3, the heavens opened for Jesus and for Jesus only. I didn’t see the broader implication—the larger metaphor—that this opening of heaven wasn’t just for Jesus and Jesus only, but for all people, through all time, forever and ever. (Amen!) Methodists, Lutherans, Presbyterians, and yes, even Baptists! Who else might we add to that list? Catholics? Sure! Agnostics? Sure! Atheists? Sure! Buddhists? Yup! Muslims? Yup? Scientologists? Yes sirree!

You see, the separation between heaven and earth is eliminated in this vision of the heavens opening. Not just for Jesus, but for all people, through all time, forever and ever. Thanks be to God!

Now, this is radical teaching. For some reason, it’s still as radical today as it was when the Gospel of Matthew was penned in the First Century. Even though this truth in pointed to in so many occasions throughout scriptures:

·         Way back in Genesis 28, we read the story of Jacob’s ladder—Jacob’s dream of a ladder from earth to heaven, signifying that heaven may not be as closed off as we imagine.

·         The first verse of the book of Ezekiel, Ezekiel says that “the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.”

·         In the New Testament, Matthew tells us that when Jesus breathed his last: “the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:51) The presence of God was no longer confined to the “holy of holies.”

·         The book of Revelation has the clearest picture of an open heaven—you find the imagery throughout. Perhaps the most vivid depiction of this in Revelation is in chapter 21:2: “I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.” It goes on to say: “the home of God is among mortals.”

Why talk about this now? This second Sunday of January? Well, we just closed out Advent and Christmas. The decorations have been taken down. You’ve taken your Christmas decorations down at home too, right? RIGHT? We spent several weeks preparing for and then celebrating the birth of Jesus, the Christ. Emmanuel: “God with us.” It’s all about incarnation, God come to earth. And now that the holly and the ivy are in the compost pile, the stockings and ornaments are stuffed in the attic, we must not forget what it was all about. It’s about incarnation.

·         The incarnation demands that we recognize God’s presence in Jesus, the Christ.

·         The incarnation demands that we recognize the Christ in all people.

Back to Jesus’ baptism.

Jesus saw the heavens opening, he saw a dove, he heard a voice saying, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

·         The vision pointed to the reality: heaven is not separate from earth.

·         The reality produced the blessing in three parts: he was claimed, he was loved, he was accepted.

Let me unpack this for you.

He was claimed. Jesus heard the voice of God say, “This is my son.” Think of everything it means to be a son or daughter. To be a son or daughter means that we bear the likeness of the parent. It means having the parent’s DNA. And when it comes to God claiming someone as a son or daughter, it means there is something of God inside, or like Meister Eckhart said, a “spark of divinity” within. Jesus heard God say, “This is my son.” And in so hearing, Jesus knew . . . he was claimed.

He was loved. Jesus heard the voice of God call him “beloved.” What does it mean to be “beloved?” The root word is from the Greek agape—a perfect, divine love. Earthly love can be fickle, people say they “fall in love” and “fall out of love.” Divine love, on the other hand, doesn’t begin or end. Divine love, agape love, is eternal. Jesus heard God call him “beloved.” And in so hearing, Jesus knew . . . he was loved.

He was accepted. Jesus heard the voice of God say of him, “I am well pleased.” What does it mean to be pleased with someone? It means to accept and affirm not only what that person does but who that person is. Like a parent telling a teenager, “I’m so proud of you not just for what you’ve accomplished but for who you are.” Deep, radical acceptance. Jesus heard God say of him, “I am well pleased.” And in so hearing, Jesus knew . . . he was accepted.

Let’s review.

·         Jesus saw the heavens opened, a vision that pointed to the reality that heaven is not separate from earth, that God’s dwelling place is among mortals.

·         The vision pointed to the reality; the reality produced the blessing. A three-part blessing that Jesus was claimed, loved, accepted.

The vision pointed to the reality; the reality produced the blessing.

Here’s the kicker: when we, like Jesus, can begin to see the heavens opening, we too, become aware of the reality that we, too, are claimed, loved, accepted.

·         Child of God, the spark of divinity is within you. You are a son, you are a daughter, you are a child of the Most High God!

·         Child of God, you are beloved. You are loved with an eternal, unfailing, perfect love. God adores you!

·         Child of God, you are accepted. You don’t have to earn God’s acceptance. You don’t have to work for it, strive for it, be something you’re not or do something extraordinary. No, God takes pride in you, not just for what you’ve done, but for who you are—even the parts of yourself you hide from the world. God accepts you!

Jesus’ baptism opened the reality of God’s presence to him and the reality of the blessing in three parts: he was claimed, he was loved, he was accepted.

Our baptism opens the same reality to us if we we can become aware. The problem is, too few of us are aware, and even most who are aware find it difficult to stay in that awareness. That’s why in many Christian traditions, we are prompted to “Remember your baptism.”

Remember your baptism.

I’ve said that to people on more than one occasion and someone has replied, “But I don’t remember my baptism—I was baptized as an infant.” To which I’ll say, “I’m not asking you to remember your baptism with your head—remember with your heart.” Remember God’s presence with you. Remember that you are claimed, loved, and accepted. That seal of baptism is permanent—like a sharpie on a white board—it never fades, never washes off, never diminishes in any way.

So, Child of God, remember your baptism. God is with you. You are claimed, loved, and accepted.

During the closing hymn, I would like to invite anyone who wishes to have the physical reminder of water, a drop of water placed in the sign of the cross on your hand or forehead, to come forward. So come if you choose. Or stay. Either way, Child of God, “Remember your baptism.”