Baptism of our Lord

Mark 1:4-11

The lights won’t come on if the power is off. That’s a fact, but sometimes our actions seem to ignore that fact.  We humans are creatures of habit.  We do a lot of things without thinking about it.

For instance, have you ever walked into a dark room and flipped the light switch even though you knew that the power was off?  We know that the lights won’t come on without electricity.  But we seem to try to turn them on anyway.

This reality applies to more than just electricity.  It also applies to our spiritual lives.  We cannot shine spiritually if it the power is off.  We can’t find meaning to abundant life if we are not plugged in to the main source of power.  That is reality that most of us would agree with.  Yet many Christians try to shine the light of Christ Jesus while the main breaker is in the OFF position.

The lights won’t come on if the power is off. This universal truth can be seen in creation itself.  In Genesis it says that the universe was a formless void before God began creating.  It says that “darkness covered the face of the deep.”  And before God could start making something of this vast darkness it says the wind or spirit of God swept over the face of the deep.  Then God said, “Let there be light!”

Before God could turn on the lights, the universe had to be plugged in to a power source.  And that power source is the Holy Spirit of God.  Without the Spirit of God the universe would still be a dark place.  You or I could flip the switch all day and it would still be dark.

Since this is a universal principle, that the lights won’t come on without the power being on, it also applies to each of us.  After all we are part of this creation.  If the universe cannot run without a power source, then neither can we.

We can see this principle at work in Jesus’ own life.  Mark writes, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth to Galilee and was baptized by John.”  For most of his first 30 years Jesus lived in Nazareth.  We know very little about his life there. He was probably a carpenter: a pretty peaceful and ordinary life.  But Jesus left that life and began a new life.  He left the comfort and security of Nazareth to begin traveling to teach and to heal.  Instead of his bed in Nazareth Jesus slept on the ground.  He gave up the security of a carpenters shop for the risks of the open road.  He left a peaceful existence for a life destined to end on the cross.

In those same days John the Baptizer was baptizing people in the Jordan River.  People rushed to John because they had turned from God and desperately needed and wanted to turn back.  They wanted to turn from their old lives of selfishness and hate and turn to a new life of loving God and their neighbor.  So they repented and John baptized them to demonstrate God’s forgiveness.  And Jesus, who was among them, came to be baptized as well.

But Jesus didn’t need to repent!  Jesus, unlike all other humans, had never turned from God.  He was sinless.  He had nothing to repent of.  But like them, Jesus was leaving his old life behind.  And like them, Jesus was being obedient to God.  He was surrendering to God’s will for his life.  So, despite John’s objections, Jesus was baptized.

Right after Jesus was baptized something important happened: the heavens were torn open.

It is important to note that the heavens were torn open, because the Spirit that descended on Jesus was the Spirit of God.  The power of the Holy Spirit sent from God the Father was descending on and filling the Son.  And God said, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

This event is important because it shows us that Jesus’ power was from above; from God.  Without the power of God, Jesus could not have done the things that he did.  He could not have healed the sick or cast out demons.  He could not have multiplied the loaves or calmed the sea.  He could not have forgiven his disciples for deserting him.  He could not have willingly died for the very men who nailed him to the cross.  He could not have been the Lamb of God sacrificed for the sins for the world.  Remember Jesus was born the Son of God.  He was God Almighty in the flesh.  He didn’t need an infusion of power to work miracles.  He was that power in the flesh.  But for our benefit God demonstrated that truth.

The lights won’t come on if the power is off. Jesus was able to live as he did because he was full of the spiritual power of God.  He was able to shine a light in the darkness because the power was on.  And the only real source of spiritual power in this universe is the Holy Spirit of God.  Jesus was and is that spiritual power.

Too many Christians try to live a Christian life without being filled with that power.  They try to shine the light when the power is off.  They think that they can find meaning in life without prayer and without reading the Bible.  They try to live for Christ without looking to Christ.  They are like one standing in the dark flipping a light switch while the main breaker is reading “Off.”

We cannot live a truly Christian life on our own.  The only way to try to live a Christian life is to empty ourselves and be filled with spiritual power from above.  Do we want the strength to face the troubles of life?  Do we want to be able to forgive and put the past behind us?  Do we want to see miracles happen in our lives?  Then we are to surrender to Christ Jesus.  Put the past behind us.  Turn from sin and turn to God.  Let the power from heaven fill us.

The lights won’t come on if the power is off. This is a universal principle.  The challenge is – it is contrary to what our society believes.  Our society believes in independence and self reliance.  “Get a hold of yourself” – “Pull yourself up by your boot straps and be your own person.”  That is what the world tells us.

But that is not how it works.  We can go out and buy a portable electric generator so that if the power goes down we can still turn on the lights in our houses.

But there is no such thing as a portable spiritual generator.  We cannot generate our own spiritual power we have to get it from God.

Yet people try to be their own source of spiritual energy – their own God.  They try to live on their own.  They think because they once turned to God in the past they don’t need God any more.  And they drop out of church and forget to pray.  They basically unplug themselves and then when things get dark they wonder why the lights won’t come on.

The lights won’t come on if the power is off. God is the only power source for abundant life.  We are to turn from our self reliance and turn to God in faith and devotion.  Surrender to his will just as Jesus surrendered and was obedient unto death on a cross.  Let Almighty God fill us with the spirit and work through us.

Then stand back and watch the lights come on in our lives.

Thanks be to God.

Amen.