The Baptism of Our Lord 2022
The Baptism of Our Lord (observed)
January 12, 2022
1 Corinthians 1:26-31
Brothers and Sisters, reflect tonight on the appointed Epistle. It’s addressed to the Corinthians. They were a house divided. A house divided against itself cannot stand. To these divided Christians, the Holy Spirit says, “Consider your calling.” This is not the calling of being a husband or wife, citizen or worker. This is the calling to be a disciple of Jesus. We all received the same calling. “I believe that I cannot by my own reason of strength believe in Jesus Christ, my Lord, or come to Him, but the Holy Spirit has called me by the Gospel….” That calling is the same for us all. There is no difference. “In the same way He calls, gathers, enlightens and sanctifies the whole Christian Church on earth…” This is who we are. And the Holy Spirit has put us together. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you.” The church is often thought of as an association of like-minded people. It’s easy for us to fall into that trap. That leads to wishing that the people who aren’t like-minded would either get their act together or leave. But for disciples of Jesus, that’s not an option. “Consider your calling.” It’s from above, not below. It’s from God, not us.
“Consider your calling, brothers.” This church in Corinth, with all its divisions, Paul still addresses as “brothers.” That’s the language we are to use of each other: brother and sister.
“Consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth.” When I go elsewhere in the country, people are interested in whether or not I know someone famous, someone important, someone powerful. “Do any senators go to your church?”
But God doesn’t care about that. He laughs at worldly standards of importance. God chooses morons. That’s what the Bible says. Tonight’s reading says, “But God chose what is foolish in the world.” More literally, “But the mōra tou kosmou” - but the morons of the world God chose – the foolish, stupid ones. God chooses “even things that are not,” the text says. I render it “the nothings”; colloquially, “the nobodies.”
Did you ever see the movie, “On the Waterfront”? Marlon Brando’s famous line is, “I coulda been a contender.” But just after that he says, “I coulda been somebody, instead of a bum.”
“I could have been somebody,” where being somebody is associated with success, winning, recognition, respect. But God chooses the “nothings” in order to show us that His Church, His kingdom, runs by grace.
Jesus is the only real Somebody. The incredible scandal of His baptism is how He identifies with the nobodies, the bums, the morons, the sinners.
How can there be division—which is really competition—when there’s only one Somebody, one Lord, one Christ? Descending into the water, He is teaching us not to boast. There is no need for our worldly desires; no need to be counted wise by other people. No need for power, no need to be nobility, royalty – or in our context, celebrity.
Jesus is our wisdom, He is our righteousness, He is our holiness, He is our redemption.
So consider your calling, brothers. He has called you into the waters, where there is absolution, and the end of all contention. In Him you are sanctified. In Him you are redeemed. In Him shall we live, in Him shall we die, and His shall we be forever.