FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
CRAFT: A picture frame consisting of shells, sand and other forms of water stuff.
SNACK: Macaroni shells and tuna.
LESSON PLAN: Baptism is the first sacrament we experience as a Christian. It is what in fact makes us a Christian. We Lutherans often stand alone in Protestant Christianity because we teach baptism as a sacrament, not as a decision. The baptism of Jesus lends itself to a lot of explaining in the connections and power Jesus gave to the Water through the Word, and His allowing Himself to be baptized.
MEMORY WORK: Galatians 3:26 You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.
FIRST SUNDAY AFTER THE EPIPHANY
We will learn that we are broken because of sin.
We will understand that our identity as children of God is linked to Jesus' identity as God's Son and the Messiah.
We will thank God that we belong to God through our baptism which was established in Jesus.
Preliminary considerations: The overall theme for today is the faithfulness of Jesus especially in the work of His baptism. The Introit is a declaration of the faithfulness of the Messiah, the exclamation of the anointing (which was His baptism). The Collect is all about the connection between Jesus' baptism and our baptism. The Old Testament Lesson is a direct prophecy of the faithfulness of the Savior, His willingness to do the things necessary for our salvation. The Gradual exclaims the faithfulness of Christ. The Epistle opens baptism and God's Grace to everyone, through baptism. The Gospel Lesson tells us about Jesus' baptism by John in the Jordan river.
THE OLD TESTAMENT LESSON: Isaiah 42:1-7
According to our text, Jehovah God is claiming the Servant as His own. He upholds, supports, strengthens the Servant in whom He delights. The Servant is identified as the Anointed One, the Messiah. The Servant would be involved in the task of causing justice to go forth. The Servant will do this in a clam and deliberate fashion. He would not be a showman or attention grabber. The Servant would successfully complete His assignment. The Servant would become a covenant for the people. Jesus fulfilled the prophetic portrait of the Servant in His baptism, perfect life, ministry, suffering, death, Resurrection and ascension.
THE EPISTLE LESSON: Acts 10:34-38
Technically, the book of Acts is not an Epistle Lesson, but we digress. The text is Peter's vision and subsequent visit to the house of the Roman centurion Cornelius. Peter was about to lean that God is not a respecter of person. God expects Peter to treat them as equals. Cornelius and his household know the baptism that John preached, Peter is expected and finally does, teach them the truth about the baptism into the life and death of Jesus Christ. In fact Peter does baptize them. It is a truly eye opening experience for Peter to come to the conclusion that baptism is for everyone, of all nationalities. And that through baptism we are made one nation of peoples in Jesus Christ.
THE GOSPEL LESSON: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
There is nothing sadder than the baptism of Jesus. It is heart renderingly cruel to know that Jesus submitted Himself to the humiliation of appearing as if He was in need of repentance and to cure His sin needed to be baptized by John. John tells us the danger of refusing baptism and then Jesus is lumped in with "all the people" in the water of His baptism. The voice from heaven shows us that it was in fact Jesus taking on the water that gives it it's power. Jesus by touching the water, Jesus by having the water poured across Him established gave the power to the water. The display of the Trinity in His baptism showed that God is One will and essence, while working within the God head as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
STUDY SHEET
In 1974 I was involved in a play. It was a goofy little arty thing where a politician is hiding out in a church. He is trying to fool everyone into thinking he is pure and holy, worthy of being elected. The author wrote a scene where the Crucifix comes alive. Jesus comes off the cross and spits in the communion cup. The politician drinks from the cup and dies.
The director didn't like the scene and wanted something very different to happen that would then cause the crooked politician to die. I suggested that the Crucifix could simply consecrate the cup. I then explained that in our Lutheran understanding, anyone who communed without recognizing the blood of Christ drank to their damnation. The director liked the idea. He added the fact that Jesus would actually hold the cup -- thereby purifying it. When the wine came into contact with the unholy politician he died.
That scene received the most comments from the audience. The same (kind of) idea is used by Lucas in the Indian Jones and the Holy Grail movie.
The water of baptism received its power from the fact that in His flesh, Jesus was baptized. It is truly bigger than the simple fact that He touched the water, but the idea is the same. He gave the water its power by accepting onto His perfect flesh the means by which we would become one with Him in salvation.
We don't know why God chose to use sprinkled water. I suspect it is because sprinkling water is so simple. So, "you aren't doing anything!" God is doing all the work.
Dishes don't become clean on their own volition. The water is applied and they are scrubbed clean by someone. The power of the water is evident in its solvent characteristics.
We don't participate in our baptism, God does all the work and the water and Word wash us clean.
1. How does God eventually identify Jesus as the Servant of Isaiah?
2. What kinds of things would the Servant do that would identify Him as the Son of God?
3. What did Peter come to understand about God?
4. When did God anoint Jesus "with the Holy Spirit and power?"?
5. When were you anointed with the Holy Spirit?
6. Do you know the exact day?
7. In what manner are we identified as a son of God through Christ Jesus?
8. What comfort is there to know that God shows no favoritism?
9. What happened in your baptism and who are you because of it?