Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan,

to be baptized by him. 

John would have prevented him,

saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 

But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now;

for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.”

Then he consented. 

And when Jesus had been baptized,

just as he came up from the water,

suddenly the heavens were opened to him

and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove

and alighting on him. 

And a voice from heaven said,

“This is my Son, the Beloved,

with whom I am well pleased.”

 

The gospel of the Lord!

I find myself relating to John when I hear this passage. Jesus asked to be baptized, and John had no idea what to do. It was a rather daunting task. The one the prophets foretold as the Son of God, the Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, and Savior of the Nations had come to be baptized. If I were in John’s shoes, knowing full well who Jesus was, I would have no idea how to respond to that request.

 

Just before this, John himself proclaimed the wonders of Christ to the throngs of people that came to the Jordan, saying “one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to carry his sandals.” And now Jesus stands in front of John with this unbelievable request. But just through Jesus asking, he is saying to John: “You can do it!”

 

“You can do it.” When I shared the title with the staff, they thought it was catchy. Some thought of a certain home improvement store: “you can do it, we can help.” Or how about, “You can do it, God can help.” Someone else mentioned that it’s the line Rob Schneider delivers in many Adam Sandler movies. Regardless the reason, if that sign on 6^th Street made you pause and consider what it meant, mission accomplished.

 

But the more I thought about the sermon title, the more I couldn’t decide which inflection was right. Is it You can do it? You can do it? You can do it? Each word seems to carry strong significance. I never did decide which was the ultimately correct. So we’ll start with this…

 

YOU can do it!

Perhaps you, like myself, have wondered how it is that we are worthy of acting on behalf of God. Growing up in the Missouri Synod, the prayer of confession began with these words: “O Almighty God, I, a poor miserable sinner, confess to Thee all my sins and iniquities with which I have ever offended Thee and justly deserved thy temporal and eternal punishment.”

 

Hearing and saying those words as a child left seemingly little hope of being a worthy servant. The words reinforce the feelings of John; we too feel unfit to even carry Christ’s sandals. Certainly we are far from being like those saints named in the Bible, right?

 

But if we take a close look, Christ picked some pretty unworthy people as his disciples to carry out his ministry in his time on earth.

 

Consider Matthew, whose name is given to today’s gospel reading. He was a tax collector. No one in that day could have been more despised. Tax collectors overcharged people and skimmed the extra for themselves. Besides that, Matthew was Jewish. He defrauded his own countrymen on behalf of the Roman Empire. Was he worthy enough to be a disciple?

 

How about James and John? Jesus nicknamed these brothers the “Sons of Thunder,” for their short tempers and fiery disposition. These two were hardcore. Once, when the disciples received a rude welcome in a Samaritan village, James and John asked Jesus if they could call down fire from heaven, Sodom-and-Gomorrah style, to teach the townspeople a lesson. Not exactly turning the other cheek, were they? Were they worthy to enough to work for Christ?

 

Peter must have been better than those previous disciples, right? Well… he did almost drown because he didn’t trust the power of Jesus over the storm. He did deny Christ three times before the rooster crowed, just as he said he wouldn’t. He did cut off the ear of the high priest’s servant at Gethsemane. So we see he was far from perfect as well. But was he worthy enough to be Christ’s “right hand man?”

 

So what about us? Just like those disciples, if it is only our human selves that empower us to follow Christ and work on his behalf, we are not worthy. But God sends the Holy Spirit to us. We hear in 2 Corinthians, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”

 

You CAN do it!

Not only can we do it, we are commanded to do it. At the end of Matthew’s gospel we hear Jesus say, “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” He then commands his disciples through inheriting that power to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you.”

 

Too often we let ourselves be stopped by the thought that we can’t do it. Thoughts that we are too insignificant, too sinful, too busy, or too tired. But Moses had a whole handful of reasons why he couldn’t go out and tell Israel the news God wanted him to deliver. God had an answer for all of those protests; God even brought Andrew to speak for Moses. God doesn’t take “no” for an answer! And when life gets tough we can always remember the words of Psalm 55: Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you.

 

And so just like Moses, when we do finally stop making excuses and say yes, Christ sends us backed with all his authority and the vigor of the Holy Spirit to go out and share the good news in his name. Today we baptize, not by our own power, not through the ordinary tap water, but through the power of God’s Word and the presence of the Holy Spirit. We as God’s family welcome Brandon and Evan into the priesthood of all believers. The Holy Spirit will also work through their guardian angels, who will pray for these new brothers of ours.

 

We as Christians need to work together as a people who can serve as the hands and feet of Christ. We need not limit ourselves as by focusing on the things we cannot accomplish. But together as brothers and sisters we know that all things work together for good for those that love God.

 

You can DO it!

Throughout the gospels there are examples of Jesus telling us to go and do! His words to John are just the beginning of a ministry filled with encouragement and prodding his followers to do more than just follow. He was most definitely equipping his disciples to become doers—in fact the word “go” appears 158 times in the four gospels alone!

 

avnasta.j poreu,ou\ (anastas poreu-oh) which means “Get up and go!” is spoken by Christ to the disciples many, many times. Jesus continually commands his disciples to take action, to do something dozens of times just in the book of Matthew alone! Nowhere does he say “just sit in the pew once a week, then go home and do nothing to enhance your faith or that of others.” We are called as disciples to do, to go out and take a few risks, let others know that we are the Lord’s. Go, make, and serve are among the most-used verbs in the New Testament.

 

And most of us feel best and the most fulfilled when we are doing! We at Zumbro have many opportunities to “get up and go!” We have opportunities for service as a Red Cross Shelter location, the Interfaith Hospitality Network, and the Channel One food bank. We have opportunities for fellowship through dinner groups, athletic teams, Parents’ night out, youth retreats and other events.

 

There are opportunities for learning through mentoring confirmands, teaching Sunday school, and participating in Bible Study. We participate in worship through singing or playing music, reading scripture, ushering, and serving communion. The list is always growing and can always be augmented through the sharing of your particular gifts. Ask God through prayer for guidance to discern what new role you might play in the life of the church.

 

You can do IT!

At first thought “it” seems like a most unimportant and simple word. But the “it” for John in our text is baptism; baptism not only for repentance, but also baptism into the promises of God. We are baptized into the family of God so that baptism, the first “it” in our faith lives, leads to an unending variety of other “it” actions. Teaching, sharing, spreading the word of God—being the hands and feet of Christ to a world that so needs to hear the message of salvation.

 

After we have been baptized, the word “it” can be defined in so many ways, some simple, some difficult. “It” can be inviting a neighbor or friend to worship. “It” can be offering a listening ear for someone far too long ignored by society. “It” can be checking up on someone you haven’t seen here at church for a while. What is “it?” That is a question for all of us. We need to look at the talents that God has given us and then decide how best we can contribute to building the kingdom.

 

For those listening at home or sitting here in the pew knowing your limitations due to health or other circumstances, you may be wondering what the “it” is for you. For all of us who feel they have little to offer I have good news. You have the power of prayer.

 

In fact, you will see in your bulletin today an insert from the Vision for Mission team encouraging you to join in prayer to advance the mission of our church to the world around us.

 

 

Praying for those who work around the world to spread the gospel to all people is one of the most valuable things anyone can do. Praying for those who are hungry, cold, or lonely is the only way we personally can reach many in our world; but the results of those prayers can be so great. Prayer is an “It” that is so powerful that no matter where you are, “you can do it!” and provide healing and hope.

 And so this morning as the family of God we have the honor and privilege to witness the baptism, the first “it,” of faith for Brandon/Evan. In the Baptismal rite we all promise to support Brandon/Evan and pray for him in his new life in Christ! And as we answer “we do” make sure and hear the Holy Spirit with us saying in our hearts, “You can do it!”

 

Today to help you remember your baptism I invite you after the dismissal this morning to come to the font, dip one finger in the water, and make the sign of the cross on your forehead saying, “I am God’s beloved child, in me God is well pleased.” Or perhaps you can say, “Through God’s promise, I can do it!” You can ask you mom or dad to help, and I’ll stay here to help you as well. Of course you don’t need water to remember your baptism, but today this can be a special reminder and a way to celebrate with your new church family member.

 

We ask the baptismal party now to come to the font. While they are coming forward, take a moment to remember your own baptism and pray for all the baptized, that we all hear God’s call to action. Hear the promises and prayers for Brandon/Evan as those once said for you. Listen as God says, “This is my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased.”

 

Through the power of the Holy Spirit given to us in baptism, “You can do it!”

 

Amen.