Sermon Sunday 11 January – Baptism of Christ – Acts 10:34-43, Matthew 3:13-end

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

In one way, Christmas is a little bit like an earthquake. It’s this massive shock. God has become man. Now everything is different. But we can’t quite grasp what happened. There is far too much going on. It takes us ages to work out how everything has changed – in fact, most of us need our whole lives to begin to come to terms with the fact that God came to this earth – and what that means for our own lives.

It's why we have this season of Epiphany. Throughout this season we are beginning to see more and more what Christmas means, as God on earth, Jesus grows up.

And one of the things we begin to see is that Christmas was not just Good News in that stable, not just Good news for Israel, not just Good News for us, but it’s Good News for everyone.

It makes our first reading from the Book of Acts very exciting. We suddenly find ourselves in room where the apostle Peter is preaching. Feel free to have a look at Acts 10, our reading starts from verse 44.

• Christmas for everyone
• Jesus’ Ministry beginning from his baptism
• The Holy Spirit also for us

‘Then Peter began to speak to them’

Wait a second. Let’s step back for a moment. Who is Peter talking to? Who is the ‘them’ in the first verse of our reading?

Let’s go back a bit. 

At the beginning of the Book of Acts, the feast of Pentecost, we see the Holy Spirit being poured out to the apostles and many coming to faith. But the focus of the mission was very much among Jews. Earlier we already saw Gentiles joining in, indeed last week we had the Three Kings arrive at the crib even when Jesus was a baby. There are a lot of other examples, but always incidental, always a couple coming along, never on a bigger scale.

But the Holy Spirit is moving. And we are here at the point that things are about to be blown wide open.

There is a long chapter beginning to introduce what’s happening here. The Spirit is working. Peter receives an extraordinary vision. And he’s then invited by a man called Cornelius, a centurion, who also received an extraordinary vision. It’s all told in great detail. Luke deliberately slows the whole story down, as a sort of written drumroll, raising the tension and the pressure, before everything is about to change.

‘them’ in the first verse of our reading is Cornelius – and his whole gathering: all non-Jews, Gentiles. It’s Peter’s last sermon in the Book of Acts, but for the very first time Peter is addressing a completely non-Jewish audience.

And Peter begins this sermon with recognising this massive moment that changes everything. Everyone who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to God.

Sounds sensible to us? Probably. In that time, it was a mind-blowing innovation to have a religion for people regardless of their nation, culture or background. All religions were based on city and nation, and on what your ancestors did.  

And one of the things that led to persecution of the Christians in the Roman Empire was that they were considered bad citizens. Christianity was anti-Roman and threatened the structure of society and family. Because Christians didn’t join the cult to the emperor, and to the various gods of the city. They believed in a universal God who had power over all. They believed that this God had come to act in the world through Jesus Christ – who made all people who believed in Him – not just the emperor and senate, not just the rich and wealthy, not just Romans, not just men, but all people – children of God – part of a new family.

Christmas is Good News not just in that stable, it is Good News for the whole world – and here we see worked out how that changes everything.

And let’s spend a few moments with the content of Peter’s sermon. What is this Good News for the whole world?

It is of course Jesus. Peter summarises the life and ministry of Jesus, and there’s one thing I want to pick out. Because Peter draws attention especially to the fact that Jesus ministry started from his baptism and being anointed with the Holy Spirit.

It’s the feast we celebrate today, the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist, described in our Gospel reading. Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of his public ministry, and at his baptism we see God the Father speaking from Heaven, affirming Jesus to be His Son, and, the Holy Spirit descending on him like a dove and empowering Jesus for his ministry, for bringing the Kingdom of God here on earth.

And Peter goes on to tell how Jesus with the power of the Holy Spirit changed the world, doing good and healing everyone, freeing them from the oppression of the devil.

And that this Spirit-empowered God-man was crucified and rose again and appeared to many.

The big picture that Peter sketches is that of Jesus, empowered by the Holy Spirit, being in this cosmic battle with evil and the powers of evil and healing people, and offering them forgiveness of sins.

And this all starts from the Baptism of Christ, when Jesus emerges on the public scene.

Our reading from Acts has unfortunately been cut short. Because it’s fascinating what happens even while Peter is still preaching. His sermon is interrupted.

The next verse reads: ‘While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the Word’ (Acts 10:44). Everyone receives the gift of the Holy Spirit – all praising God and even speaking in tongues. They are baptised, and become part of the Church, that becomes a new community of Jesus Christ that transcends every other boundary and identity we might have.

And so are we in our baptism.

In our own baptism, like in Jesus’, we have Father, Son and Holy Spirit present. We are baptised in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. In our baptism, the Father speaking from heaven to us – calling us his beloved children, the Son with whom we become one in the waters of baptism – and whose identity we receive, becoming children of God, the Holy Spirit who comes upon us and gives us God’s power. The power of Jesus, so that we may live as children of God.

Do we today maybe just need to be reminded of the power of our own baptism? God called us his child, we have become one with Jesus, and we receive the power of the Holy Spirit. Please pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit in your own life, in the life of our church, and to change this village.

Did you notice that Peter says that God anointed Jesus with the Holy Spirit and with power at his baptism?

We have that. In confirmation, people stand up publicly and commit themselves to that Christian faith of their baptism, and we then also have the Bishop comes, who lays his or her hands on them, anointing them with oil and prays for the gift of the Holy Spirit on them. Like the Holy Spirit came down on Jesus, so the Bishop prays for the Holy Spirit to come down on the candidate for confirmation.

I have been having a few enquiries about confirmation recently, and we’re hoping to be able to plan one maybe even in the next couple of months. If you have never been confirmed, and you’d like to find out more, make a public commitment to the Christian faith, and receive the Holy Spirit into your life and fill you or to fill you more, please do feel free to talk to me after the service or drop me a line.

There’s big moments like that, and there’s our opportunity today, to open ourselves afresh to God, to receive Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, especially as we listen to his word, pray together and when we receive bread and wine, Christ’s Body and Blood in Holy Communion.

And then, after that, to be God’s people. To go out in the world empowered by the Holy Spirit, and allow it to change everything you do and say, this week, this month, this year.

To be praying with our words and with our lives: Holy Spirit, come.

Amen.