An Epiphany for Each of Us

Gospel

THE HOLY GOSPEL OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

ACCORDING TO LUKE

As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

LUKE 3:15-17, 21-22

Sermon by The Rev. Dr. Maryann Amor

As much as the season of Epiphany is about the revelation of Jesus’ identity, I think it also offers revelations about our identity in relation to God.

Last week, we saw the star guide the Wise Men to Jesus, revealing him as King and God…this was their epiphany. Today, another divine revelation, or epiphany, takes place…this time at Jesus' baptism.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus is baptized by John in the river Jordan. As he comes up out of the water, we are given an awesome, super sign…much like the star that guided the wise men. A dove descends upon Jesus, and a voice from heaven declares: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

The Gospel of Luke is clear about the purpose of these signs…they show us that Jesus is God’s Son, beloved and set apart. He is no ordinary man. This fits within the theme of Epiphany because it reveals who Jesus is.

But today’s Gospel doesn’t just reveal who Jesus is; it also reveals a profound truth about who we are in God…an epiphany for each of us personally.

The first two terms, that Jesus is God’s Son and beloved by God, might also be applied to us. No matter what we do, who we are, or what we believe, we are all God’s children, and we are all loved by God. I have said this before in sermons, but I will keep saying it because it is so incredibly difficult to accept… there is nothing you can do that will ever cause God to abandon you… you are God’s child, God loves you. This is part of today’s epiphany for you.

But then God continues, saying to Jesus, “with you I am well pleased.” While it is easy to see how being God’s Son and beloved applies to us, what about this phrase?

It is noteworthy that at his baptism, Jesus hasn’t yet performed miracles, taught, or healed...he has done nothing obvious that might be pleasing to God. But what he has done is seek baptism from John.

God is pleased with Jesus because Jesus, despite his divine origin, is not baptized by a high priest or specialised religious leader, but by John…a man on the fringes of society, a man who sees himself as being unworthy of Jesus. Jesus, therefore, humbles himself, allowing an outcast, a man on the lowest rung of society to baptise him. When applied to us, this means that God is pleased when we, beloved children of God, also humble ourselves, embracing an approach to life shaped by the kind of humility modeled by Jesus today.

Living in this way, modeling Jesus’ humility is not easy. Our world is individualistic, the focus often being placed on personal success, comfort, and happiness. We are bombarded with messages about getting more, achieving more, and prioritizing ourselves. If life doesn’t go our way, we might feel entitled to complain or despair over how unfair life is.

In contrast, Jesus’ world was collective. For Jesus, family and community were more important than the individual. A child wouldn’t leave their parents for personal gain, but the well-being of the whole came first. One valued the needs of the community, of the family, over what an individual wanted.

Modeling Jesus’ humility means prioritizing love and reconciliation over pride and self-interest. Whether in families, churches, or friendships, it’s about staying, forgiving, and working through challenges for the sake of the whole.

How often are families torn apart because someone feels wronged, hurt, or unappreciated? A harsh word is spoken, a misunderstanding occurs, or an argument surfaces, and the response is to walk away, hold a grudge, or even cut ties. Humbling ourselves means that we remember that family is not about getting our way or always being right. It’s about staying, listening, forgiving, working through difficulties for the sake of the whole.

The same is true for the church. How often do people leave a church because their personal needs or preferences aren’t met? They feel wronged, upset, or dissatisfied, so they disappear. But the church is a family. Humbling ourselves in church means that when something goes wrong, we stay for the sake of the whole, putting others above individual grievances.

Reflect on other relationships in your life…those you treasure and those that are now broken. Can you see where humility, or the lack of it, played a role in things going wrong?

God calls us to embrace humility, setting aside our desires and self-interest for the greater good. When we do this, we reflect what pleased God in our Gospel. Jesus, the beloved Son of God, did not seek to exalt himself but humbled himself by allowing John to baptize him. So we, as God’s beloved children, are called to lower ourselves in service to others, embodying Christ’s example of humility and love.

Today, when God says to Jesus, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased," we need to hear in this more than just an epiphany about Jesus’ identity. Instead, in this phrase, we also find an epiphany, a revelation, about our own identity in God.

God declares to each of us, You are my children, you are beloved.

As we leave worship today, let us not only know but claim this truth. Let us embody the humility that we see in Jesus, who humbled himself to be baptized by John. We are all members of God’s family. And as God’s children, we are called to reflect the light of Christ in the way we humbly live, love, and serve others, putting them before ourselves. May we go forth, as beloved children of God, living in a way that makes God say, "With you, I am well pleased."

Amen.