First Sunday after the Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord
January 12, 2025
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

The audio of this sermon is available here. The video of the worship service is available on the Trinity YouTube channel.

This week, shivering in the cold and the rain, we watched Los Angeles burn. L.A. – my family home. Those places we watched on tv, those were the places of my childhood. Those flaming mountains, those were the mountains where my dad and my uncle would take me hiking. The street names, the little towns – all places I knew and love deeply. My aunts, uncles, cousins, all still living out there, evacuated their homes, and watched the news like the rest of us. And here, in the cold and rain, I’ve been calling, texting them, giving all the support and love and blessings I can, from so far away.

Usually, the shoe is on the other foot. Usually, it’s the California Abbotts watching me and my family on the news; calling, texting me during the winds and the rains and the floods of hurricanes. 

Fire and water. Both destructive in their own terrible ways. Fire burns, scorches the things you know; turns them into unrecognizable ash. And the smell, that smell of fire that works its way into your hair, your clothes. Water destroys in its own way. Places you know and love are swept away, or they are slowly eaten away by the damp, the wet, the mold. And the smell, that musty smell of rot, well, you know it.

Fire and water. John the Baptist says to all those gathered around him, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16). 

And so here we are today. Gathered to celebrate our Lord’s baptism, to remember our baptism, to celebrate a new baptism. Baptized with fire and water. And that is the first thing I need to say. Baptism is destructive. By the flaming power of the Holy Spirit, Baptism burns out and washes away those things we hold most dear. Though we treasure them, though we love them. Baptism burns away our pride, our ego, our sense of security, our greed, our idolatry, our hardness of heart – what we pray for in baptism is that the Holy Spirit renders all that to ash. To burn the chaff in our hearts with unquenchable fire (Luke 2:17). That the worst parts of our lives would become a smoldering ruin. And that those parts of our lives would be washed away. In a torrent of love and grace, we hope that the waters of baptism would flood out all the garbage, all the wreckage that’s been left behind. After meeting the Lord Jesus in baptism, what remains of our hearts, our souls, our lives is, nothing. Our old lives are cleared away.

Now, I know this not the standard baptism sermon. Especially as we look here at little Luka, who is to be baptized. We want to celebrate. We want to talk about wonderful it is to see kids get baptized; we want to have sheet cake after church in the parish hall. And it is wonderful. And there is sheet cake. But the reason we’re celebrating, is precisely this. That in Christ, through baptism, by the power of the Holy Spirit – we are a clean slate. 

For we also know that fire and water are good. Fire cooks our food, it heats our homes. And yes, at times, fire clears out all the old growth to make room for something new. We need water to wash, to clean, to live. And yes, the water gives life and growth for all the green things of earth. Just think about your home. The two most important rooms – the kitchen and the bathroom – are designed to contain fire and water. Yes, they can destroy a house. A burst pipe or an untended stove are disastrous. But a warm meal and a hot shower are two of the simplest blessings in this life. 

So with baptism. We pray that in baptism, the Holy Spirit would light a new fire. That in baptism, little Luka’s heart would catch fire with love of God and love of neighbor. That each of us would burn with passion for the good news of Jesus Christ, that we would burn with love for justice and dignity. God’s crowning glory is a heart aflame for the Lord. And surely, a cold heart is one of the great triumphs of the powers of darkness. 

So today the call for us is to take the temperature in our souls. The flame is there, though it might be weak. I pray that in this new year the Holy Spirit would fan that flame within you, that it would spark, and kindle, and that you would come alive again, that you would be set ablaze for the living God. That you would set your heart on serving your neighbors, that you would be intent about your prayers, that you would forgive those who have wronged you, that your cold heart of anger, and resentment would melt. And that you would be washed. I pray that the grace of God would rain upon you. You good Episcopalians, I know that most of you were baptized with just a splash of water in a font hardly larger than a punch bowl. That’s all fine. But I pray that you see that water as a mighty rain, giving life and growth, rejuvenating all the dead things in your life.

Fire and water. And I pray that we see this, not as one moment in our lives, but as every moment.

Finally, one of the most unsettling parts of watching such a disaster play out, is that we all know, that it could happen to us. Nowhere is safe from fire and water. And even the wealthiest, the movie stars and L.A. celebrities face the destructive fires; if it could happen to them, it could happen to us. This is a call for empathy. 

Because truly, no one is safe. For there are also fires and floods in the daily grind of life. Disappointments, and agonies, that burn us down and wash us away. We know that even for Luka, this is bound to happen. 

So we, as the Church, it’s our job to build each other back up. To restore each other. To be there for each other when our lives are wrecked; and then to be there to restore each other, also with fire and water. You and I, we’re supposed to stoke the fires within each other, so that when life gets us down, we have each other for support, to keep our cold hearts alive for the living God. And when things are too hot, when our lives are smoldering with anger and bitterness, you and I are supposed to offer each other cooling waters through grace. Fire and water. John the Baptist says to all those gathered around him, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).