Sermon Mark 1:4-11 “The Spirit Descends”
Presbyterian Church of Easton
January 17, 2021
I was born in New Jersey. My Dad worked for RCA in Camden and we lived in a neighborhood called Collingswood. We attended the Haddonfield Presbyterian Church. Our Pastor was the Reverend Doctor Bryant Kirkland. Dr. Kirkland baptized me.
My Dad told me, many times, that Dr. Kirkland was the best preacher he ever heard. So when his name went up on the sign in front of the National Presbyterian Church in Washington DC I knew that I had to hear him. I was in the congregation the next Sunday.
I agree with my Dad, Dr. Kirkland was the best preacher I ever heard. I came back every Sunday to hear him and eventually became a member of the National Presbyterian Church. Dr. Kirkland died on Easter Sunday 2000. And I will always remember him as the one who baptized me, and years later began my spiritual development. This morning we will talk about baptism. But first, let’s pray.
Lord Jesus, we thank you for all that you are doing in this church. We thank and praise you for the ministry of this church for so many years. Bless us Lord as we return from the Covid shutdown that we will not only do what we used to do but will also do new and exciting things that will help us to grow and serve this community. We praise you, in the highest. Amen.
Mark 1:4-11 4 John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 And people from the whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins. 6 Now John was clothed with camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 He proclaimed, "The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. 8 I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit."
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you, I am well pleased."
Shortly after arriving in California to attend seminary, I decided to spend one afternoon in Hollywood. While growing up in the east I often dreamed about being in Hollywood with all the movie stars and celebrities. It seemed like a magical place. So I got in my car in Pasadena and drove south on the 110 looking for the 101. I got on the 101 and after driving for a few minutes realized that none of the exits said anything about Hollywood. I kept driving assuming that Hollywood would soon appear and saw that I was driving south. It occurred to me that maybe I was going the wrong way. So I had to turn around, but I didn’t know-how. I took the next exit, found myself on another freeway, and was completely confused and lost. I ended up in a place called Long Beach which I now know is very far away from Hollywood.
From time to time we find ourselves going in the wrong direction. Despite all of our preparation and planning, we find ourselves in places we never intended to visit. We work hard to find just the right partner, get married with the hope of a lifelong relationship, and then find ourselves divorced and lonely again. Or maybe we are in school with the promise of a bright future, but after months of partying our grades are slipping and we can’t shake the bad habits we have acquired. Or maybe we are in a beautiful new home with the job of our dreams, but our company downsizes and the bank forces us out of the house. We think we are on the way to the Promised Land and somehow we end up in the wilderness.
This is what was happening in our gospel lesson from Mark. People were going the wrong way. After God’s people had followed Moses for forty years in the wilderness Joshua led the people through the waters of the Jordan into the Promised Land. But in the time of John the Baptist people were leaving the Promised Land and entering the wilderness. They were going the wrong way. So they were returning to the Jordan river, for baptisms, hoping to turn around and again find the Promised Land.
Whenever we are going the wrong way, doing those things God does not want us to do, or not doing those things God insists on, we need to stop, change direction and go the other way. The people of God in the first century who were headed to the wilderness needed to stop, change direction, and go back. This process of stopping, changing direction, and going the other way is called “repentance”. God is calling on us to stop our sinful behavior, change direction and return to him.
Repentance always starts with confession. When we confess we truthfully admit to ourselves and to God that we have fallen short of God’s expectations. Falling short is why we find ourselves on the way to the wilderness. Confession is what allows us to stop and change direction. It signifies our awareness that a problem exists and permits us to make the necessary changes. We realize that we are not living the lives God created us to live. This realization is necessary if we are to make real changes in our lives. So I invite you to confess your sins to God and ask for help in stopping, changing the direction of your life, and returning to the Promised Land.
Whenever God hears our confession God responds with three gifts: forgiveness, direction, and empowerment. Let’s look at each of these.
First, God provides us with the gift of forgiveness. God hears our confession and pardons us releasing us from deserved punishment, guilt, and shame. All of our offenses are purged from our history. All of our debts are paid in full. Whatever we are running from is removed and this allows us to return to where we were created to be, in the Promised Land.
Forgiveness is a wonderful gift. But there is another. The second gift that God provides is direction. In ancient times God provided the people a leader, Joshua who led the people through the waters of the Jordan River into the Promised Land. For us, a new Joshua, or in Hebrew Yeshua, or in English, Jesus, has come to meet us where we are, in the wilderness, and lead us through the waters of baptism to the Promised Land. By following Jesus we know where we should go so we can repent: stop, change direction, and go to where we are supposed to be. We follow Jesus by following his example of living a sinless life and obeying his teaching to love God and to love our neighbors. When we do these things Jesus becomes the Lord of our lives. We decide to follow Jesus wherever he might lead us. And Jesus leads us through the waters of baptism to new life.
Forgiveness and direction are blessings. But there is a third gift. The third gift that God provides us is empowerment. Without this gift, our hope of repentance to new life would evaporate. Without empowerment how could we ever end addictions or reconcile relationships? Left alone we will continue to stumble in the wilderness of sin. But with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, we are enabled to follow Jesus through the waters of baptism to a new life of obedience to God in the Promised Land.
So this is what baptism is all about. It starts with a confession that we have fallen short of the expectations of God. This allows us to receive from God the gift of forgiveness which allows us to turn away from sin and head to new life. In baptism, we realize that we need to follow Jesus to that new life and that following Jesus requires a public declaration that Jesus is our Lord and savior. Once we make this declaration we then pass through the baptismal waters where we die to our old sinful lives and are resurrected to new life in Jesus Christ. And when we emerge from the baptismal waters we are empowered by the Holy Spirit who descends upon us to help us to live the lives of obedience that we were created to live.
Confession not only benefits an individual. It can be of great benefit to churches as well. Let me suggest, as your pastor, that this church may be going in the wrong direction. The average age of congregation members is 72 years old. And membership is down to 130 people. We are going in the wrong direction. I urge the church to confess that you are going the wrong way. If we do so God will forgive us. Jesus will lead the way in making new disciples. And the Holy Spirit will empower us to do what is necessary to grow the church.
So if you find yourself going the wrong way I urge you to stop, turn around and go the other way. Do this by confessing your sins to God who will forgive you and allow you to return to the Promised Land. Jesus will lead the way. And the Holy Spirit will empower you to make the changes that need to be made in your behavior.
If you have not been baptized I urge you to do it. If you have been baptized then I urge you to remember your baptisms and the other baptisms you have seen, confess your sins, follow Jesus, and accept the empowerment to new life from the Holy Spirit. Let’s pray.
Dear Jesus, we have confessed our sins this day and are ready to repent. Lead us in the way of God and empower us with your Holy Spirit to lead the lives we were created to live. We pray all of this in your faithful name. Amen.
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