Texts: 

Isaiah 49:1-7

Psalm 40:1-10

I Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-41 

ALMIGHTY GOD, whose Son our Savior Jesus Christ is the light of the world:  Grant that your people, illuminated by your Word and Sacraments, may shine with the radiance of Christ's glory, that he may be known, worshiped, and obeyed to the ends of the earth;  through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever.  Amen. 

Texts: 

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Recently I watched on YouTube

a two-year old Japanese boy singing with his parents

the song "God will take care of you."

He was so cute,

and he sang so well,

with pitch right on.

He had no fear of the crowd.

I was so fascinated,

and so was his audience who gave him loud cheers.

What also impressed me was the faith as

revealed in the singing of his parents.

Christians in all over the world proclaim the same message,

"God will take care of you."

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Sometimes we do forget that message.

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In the sixth century before Christ

the Jewish people were in exile in Babylon.

The atrocity was written in the Book of Kings, in the Old Testatment.

At his defeat, the Jewish king had to witness the killing of his sons,

and his eyes were then removed by the enemies,

and most of the Jewish man were taken to Babylon.

The passage from Isaiah that we read this morning was spoken by the prophet

who dared to speak the word of hope

to those in pain.

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"Thus says the LORD, 'Here is my servant...

I have put my Spirit upon him;

he will bring forth justice to the nations.'"

In other words,

"You exiles longing for the homeland;

You who are weary saying, 'Give me a break';

You who are anxious about tomorrow:

Listen, God will take care of you."

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How could Isaiah say the above lines?

The same question is asked of the psalmist who

says in Psalm 89 that we read this morning.

How could they utter those words of hope amidst adversity?

The psalmist spoke of God's power

upon even the mighty waters.

He says that the voice of the Lord is full of majesty,

breaking the huge trees,  

flashing forth flames of fire,

shaking the wilderness,  

and stripping the forest bare.

And yet this very God loves his people.

He uses his words to calm the stormy sea.

"He gives strength to his people, and blesses them with peace."

These are Isaiah's words to those who think or say

that God has forgotten them:

"Listen, God has not forgotten you.

It's just you who chooses to focus on your problems

and lets yourself fall into despair."

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In the Christian tradition we name this Sunday

"The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ."

a theophany.

It is not the appearance of a god who is stern or unforgiving.

It is the appearance of God the Creator,  

the Father who calls humanity beloved.

It is the manifestation of the God who cares.

Somehow John the Baptist knew that the Savior is near.

He must have been somewhere very close to him.

He looks forward to meeting the Son of God.

The faith of John the Baptist was childlike.

He waited, and he trusted in the LORD.

He had only one thing in his mind,

which is the LORD himself.

This is exactly what the writer of Matthew is about.

In another place of the same gospel we find these words:

"Seek ye first the Kingdom of God,

 and his righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you."

The theme keeps ringing in the hearts of believers:

Seek Him first, and He will take care of you."

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There are two things that are essential  

in the life of the Christian,

which we sum up in today's collect.

First, we are to keep the covenant we made in baptism.

Second, we are to boldly confess Jesus as Lord and Savior.

In the collect, we say we are baptized into Jesus' Name,

not merely baptized in His Name.

As baptized Christian we are one with Christ.

Like Jesus, we are beloved children of God.

Like Jesus, we receive the Holy Spirit.

God calls us not to let the things of this world  

to distract us from our belovedness.

The Lord has come.

John witnessed his appearance.

Many Christians all over the world witness his presence,

in many different ways.

The Lord came in meekness and humbleness,  

hiding his majesty,

yet he brought to us peace and healing.

Can we claim our belovedness each time anxiety hits us?

no matter how challenging life can be.

In the Name of God:  

the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Amen.

Chúa Nhật, 12 tháng 1, năm 2014

Chúa Nhật Thứ Nhất Sau Ngày Hiển Linh

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