Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus in this season of Epiphany tide- It is a most appropriate day to welcome our newest member into this family - Seren Franklin who played Jesus in the Christmas service two weeks ago!

Epiphany tide is the time when we continue to narrate the stories of Jesus' life as we celebrate the manifestation of God with us -Emmanuel.

The readings today around the baptism of Jesus reflect the creative/inaugural aspect of that manifestation as they focus on water, spirit and word. From the Genesis reading we hear:

When God began to create - the earth was a formless void - in the ancient cosmology the void was not an emptiness but a roiling chaos of waters and the wind, the breath, the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters - like a bird hovering over the nest-(nurturing) Then God said...let there be light

And in the psalm we heard sung so beautifully

– The voice of the Lord is over the waters; the God of glory thunders over the mighty waters.. the Lord sits enthroned over the flood...

In Acts and in the Gospel we hear more about the water and the Spirit and the word in baptism - But sometimes the meaning of these elements fades for us and they can lose their impact and become mere rote. I think in many ways the power of water as a symbol pregnant with meaning for baptism, is easily forgotten or glossed over even when we hear about tsunami's or floods - they seem remote, far away even the impending global crisis regarding clean water supply is difficult to appreciate fully when water seems a commonplace almost tame - commodity. Gone is the time when the priest in Toronto was asked to stop giving baptismal preparation classes because he frightened the parents -it turned out he had tried to communicate the import of what they were about to do by saying -"Do you realise that you are giving me your child and I am going to drown this baby and then bring this child back to life!!"

I gained a much deeper appreciation for the meaning baptism later in my life. I'd like to share a story that might communicate a similar intent with out the implied threat! I have always had what seemed to my parents a healthy respect /fear of large expanses of water. Great they never had to worry about my drowning - not a lot of lake/ocean swimming - more paddling but when I was old enough to drive it proved somewhat of a handicap- I did not like to go over bridges - in my mind's eye I'd see the car over the edge - hit the water trapped in the car could I get out...not to bad - but did I mention I was born on the island of Montreal!!! Comforting in that if I disappeared with the car my parents could say: "Well officer, we know she is somewhere on the island - she won't drive over bridges!" I did eventually learned how to drive across bridges but - during my mid-life crisis at forty what do I decide to take up -little red sports car - zoom across bridges? No! kayaking!! Deep yearning competed with the fear. When you learn to kayak first have to perform what is called a wet exit - get in the craft - instructor stands in waist deep water and you flip under and pullover the cover and exit the kayak - 5 in our class (all under 30!) I went first because if I had to watch everyone else first I was going back to the car - so far so good - I thought I'd simply make sure never to tip over again! But about half hour later after learning some basic paddling strokes came the surprise: had to learn different techniques if you go over in deep water - re-entry. One called T-rescue when you are in group - flip over wait - upside down - and another kayaker comes to perpendicular bumps reach up grab the prow and pull yourself up -it was a technique that required no exit, little bailing, and was fast and easier than deep water re-entry. We all tried and by the second attempt all but 'yours truly' had succeeded. Somewhat self conscious I went over again but, as other times, I reached and pulled myself up and out of water leaving the kayak behind and upside down. I was fighting the panic of the water closing around - lose sight and sound...

As the others helped to right my kayak and helped me get back in I said I should go back - not hold everyone up. But the instructor said we are in this together - assent from others - tried again - still pulled myself out of the kayak. This time, as I waited clinging to his kayak, he said - you are trying to leave behind the kayak; you must bring all of with you; it is part of you out here in the deep, on this trip, all of you is needed - it is more than simply getting your head above the water - you need to bring all of you along. I sat, gathering the courage to turn over again something settled within me. I turned the kayak over and this time, under the water I paused - took a mental deep breath - trusted in my instructor and companions, looked up and saw the light, saw the prow, braced to take the kayak with me and came upright- to many cheers and much celebration -

Baptism is like this experience in so many ways ... Baptism is a response to an initiative a call of love from God - it calls us away from the trajectory we are on and we can respond by reorienting ourselves to God - beginning a new relationship - it does not mean turning away from ourselves - it is not leaving behind part of us (the awkward parts we dislike) as I so desperately tried to do in that lesson - convinced it was the best way to go - God loves us all as we are and loves all our potential. We do not change ourselves to become someone else in order to join the body of Christ - we do reorient our relationship to God - and in so doing are freed to become more who we are already and not yet. At times this reorientation is scary like drowning - is seems dark and that we cannot breath - then there is light we reach for it and the support is there if we look and open ourselves to it and it can be exhilarating as we rise to the surface and take our first deep breath as we begin our journey.

But baptism does not just involve water - there is water and the spirit and the word of God: in Genesis, The Spirit moves over the water and then God speaks and that word is action is creation. In the reading from Acts, Paul discovers these men have been prepared with water - they respond to God's invitation but where to, what direction? Paul tells them about Jesus,[Gives them the Word] and "on hearing this they were baptized in the name of Jesus and Spirit came upon" or made an appearance - was made manifest - Epiphany again.

In the gospel we have a very Trinitarian image as Jesus rises from the water - the heaven are torn open - the presence of God on earth is realized, the Spirit of God descends into Jesus "like a dove" and the voice of God is heard "this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased - creation all over again echoing Genesis.

Now some people think of the Spirit in baptism as magically imposed - there were, in fact, arguments at exactly what point in the sacrament the spirit was inserted - water, oil or laying on of hands! - But the spirit is not some alien implanted into our being as per some horror or science fiction movie - the spirit is at work long before the sacrament of baptism - it is the spirit within each of us that enables our response to the grace, the love, of God. It is not as if before his baptism Jesus had nothing of God? God is an integral part of the make up each one of us at any and every age - but we do need to be opened to our full selves - to grow and to become fully who we are born to be. We can live and survive without reaching deep within our selves, and without being open to the Spirit within or we can freely chose to respond to that within us that seeks, that yearn, for God. So is the sacrament then merely an outward sign? And this sounds for an adult who freely responds but why are baptising Seren, an infant? Baptism is not simply a public sign outward that one has responded to God's call - it is affective - Yes in this sacrament we celebrate the newest member in our particular family - but think of Jesus' baptism - it took place just before he was about to begin his ministry. The baptism served as public recognition yes, but also inaugurated a new beginning a reorientation of his relationship with God and an equipping for the journey ahead. And the Spirit descended into him where she was already present. Jesus moving out to his ministry marked in a very public definitive way - and is equipped and strengthened for the journey by the Spirit - so we today equip Seren with a new community, a family that just got a lot bigger - supporting and encouraging nurturing hovering like the Spirit of God - all our spirits - equipping her for the journey - Jesus was equipped and strengthened- as each of us whether young or older at the time of baptism new relationship with God, to self, and to others. This new relationship to God presupposes an already existing relationship - like the creation of the world in Genesis: turbulent waters/ not empty void - the spirit is part of our created being - baptism is not simply an event but a beginning - a beginning of a new life - a direction journey in which Seren will grow and be supported by her family and all of us - we will all grow together teaching and learning from each other, growing in the knowledge and love of God , through Jesus, in the Spirit. We will explore together our understandings of the mystery of God - the mystery of ourselves - and the mystery of those around us. As we grow together, some will leave and return some will go on to different stopping places in the journey - all part of family life - each of us unique, each beloved as we are, for who we are, in our very being. We continually experience the gift of God's love and what that love calls us to be -ever more fully, more deeply to who we are -and guiding us in what we are to do. Each Sunday we will gather to affirm our commitment to this journey and be transformed in the repeatable part of the initiation ceremony - the Eucharist. We all grow to be more fully who we were created to be -as Irenaeus of Lyons said: the glory of God is a human being fully alive.

How does God feel about all this? - Well, after each day of creation Genesis tells us God said "it was good, it was very good" (bit understated - I would say he jumped for joy! Or as the psalms poetically put it - the mountains skip like a calf) and after the baptism of Jesus - this manifestation of a new relationship of God to humanity - Marks' gospel echoes this creation theme (and its understatement!) and says God was "well pleased" I'd venture to say he was pleased as punch!

So we too should celebrate with joy this day - remembering Jesus' baptism, our own baptisms and rejoicing with Julia and her family as Seren is baptised into our community - knowing that as on the first day of creation, and on the day of Jesus' baptism - we are all beloved of God and that God is well Pleased with All of us -to say the least.

Amen.