The Baptism of Our Lord (B) 2018

+ In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti + Amen.

Text: Genesis 1:1
Theme: “In The Beginning”

Dear friends in Christ Jesus,

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”1 It is, of course, one of the most important sentences ever spoken and ever written. The subject, the object, and the verb comprise such fundamental realities that they encompass all existence. Christ wasn’t a spectator at creation. Jesus is the Word through which the Father brought creation into existence. The eternal, almighty God brings into existence, from no pre-existing materials, all things that exist. The truth is so essential that the Bible re-emphasises it many times. “All things were made through Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”2 “By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.”3 And, therefore, the church throughout the ages confesses, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.”4

This truth cannot be proven by any means available to us, though it can be said to be self-evident. But it cannot be disproven either. Every proposal to explain the existence of the universe apart from God is a theory based assumptions that cannot be proven. Much confusion and anxiety, contention and strife exist in the world today because we’ve lost sight of what it means that the world was designed with purpose. We’re not part of a mass of random chaos with no inherent meaning. We are not accidental by-products of mindless forces. God created Adam and Eve in His image. They were orientated towards Him. The image of God was lost in the fall into sin. Every expression of sinfulness that exists today; greed, selfishness, dishonesty, violence, sexual immorality, idolatry, abuse, cold-heartedness, all transgressions of all the commandments, are evidence of humanity’s estrangement from the Creator. We’re not exempt. We are called to repentance. The answer is certainly not for humans to forge their own way-to construct their own definitions of reality- the answer is to find the way back. Jesus Christ came to do just that. He came to find sinners. He came to rescue them.

At the beginning of a new year it’s good to be reminded what a central place the gospel has in our lives. Yesterday was Epiphany. Epiphany means revelation or “showing forth”. The season of Epiphany highlights those events in Jesus’ life which show Him to be the Son of God and Saviour of the world. These include prominent miracles and the fulfillment of prophecies identifying Him as the Messiah.


Jesus’ public ministry begins with His baptism. It was an event that called to remembrance the creation account in the minds of those who witnessed. The Father identified His Beloved Son. The Spirit descended. Promise and hope were renewed. The Child of Bethlehem now begins the journey to Calvary. John had the privilege of baptizing Jesus. But why was He baptized? He didn’t have any sins to confess. He wasn’t conceived in original sin. He wasn’t estranged from the heavenly Father. Jesus was baptized as part of His substitutionary work for us. It was part of His solidarity with sinners.

The way in which Jesus began His public ministry should not have been a surprise to anyone who knew the Old Testament Scriptures. The prophets had foretold it. He came calling people to repentance. He came announcing judgment against sin and offering atonement for sin. He came as a bearer of light in a dark world. He came redeem. He came to restore. He doesn’t preach a generic message. He doesn’t talk about possibilities or even probabilities. He doesn’t make suggestions or timidly float ideas. He doesn’t put out surveys or form focus groups. He’s not a consultant, an analyst; even a therapist or a coach. Rather He boldly, passionately, and fearlessly teaches and lives the message of God’s holy presence that has come in the flesh and blood of the man Jesus. Only He lived in perfect obedience to God’s law. Only He was capable of answering Satan’s accusations. Only He was worthy to atone for the sins of others. Only He could meet death and overcome it.

Dear friends, that means that Christ isn’t someone that anyone has the option to come to terms with. Everyone’s eternal fate lies with Him. Those who finally reject God’s saving work in Christ will suffer everlasting separation from God in torment. The Bible calls that reality hell. People will still go merrily on their way in life keeping God at arm’s length, or remaining ignorant or defiant. But the Shepherd keeps seeking the lost sheep. The Holy Spirit is armed with the forgiveness of sins that is so desperately needed. There is no sin so big that Christ’s sacrifice does not cover it. Conversely, no transgression is so small that God simply overlooks or ignores it. God never turns away the penitent soul. The death of Christ on the cross atones for every sin and it atones for the curse of being separated from God. Forgiveness involves the assurance that our relationship with the Father in heaven has been restored.

Baptism is a personal epiphany for the believer. In this divine act of being received into the fellowship of the kingdom, the sinner is now revealed also as saint. Condemnation is turned to commendation. The frozen soul is warmed to life. Baptism gives us continual access to the power of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Every time the Holy Spirit works repentance in our hearts and we receive His absolution we are living in the dynamic of our baptism. Jesus’ first publicly recorded miracle in the Book of John, was turning water into wine. That may have just been a glimpse of a far more important revelation of Himself when He offered His body and blood to His disciples in Holy Communion.

As we move into a new calendar year we can be certain that the blazing torch of God’s love leads us forward. At the baptism of Jesus heaven was opened. He opened again the way to Paradise. In the beginning God created. He created so that His life could be shared. We are privileged to benefit from His life, renewed in the sending of Jesus. Today the Father said to the Son, “You are My Son, whom I love; with You I am well pleased.”5 Because the Father looks at us through the lens of the cross, He is well pleased with us too. Amen.

+ In nomine Jesu +

First Sunday After Epiphany
The Baptism of our Lord
7 January 2018
Reverend Darrin L. Kohrt


1 Genesis 1:1 2 John 1:3
3 Hebrews 11:3 4 The Nicene Creed
5 Mark 1:11