Isaiah 42:1-9

Matthew 3:13-17

 Second Sunday after Epiphany (Baptism of Jesus) January 16, 2005

Each of us likes to be called by our name. When someone knows our name we feel noticed and respected. That is one reason why we have provided nametags here at church. In spite of living in a small town, we don’t all know one another’s name. Some of us are new to town or this church. And some of us simply don’t remember names so well.

A name is important. My name tells you something about me. My first names, James and David, identify me individually. These are not particularly meaningful names. I am not named after a grandfather, unless you count James as the English equivalent of the Dutch Jacob. My parents simply wanted me to have a name that people could pronounce and spell.

My last name, Mohr, lets you know that my ancestors came from a German-speaking country. If it were Moore you might think I was Irish. But alas, it’s mostly German sauerkraut, Dutch herring, and Swiss cheese pulsing its way through my arteries. But.... the name Mohr does have a meaning. It means "black man." Like in the moors of northern Africa. I like to fantasize that one of my ancestors was a black prince who came to serve on the court of Prince Philip of Hesse. My wife points out that more likely my ancestors were coal miners. However, if you look at pictures of my great grandfather in Germany you will note that he has a rather dark complexion. Who knows?

Some of us have nicknames. In our church we know Pink Van Gorden, Hap Eddy, and Doc Jenkins, and Snick Quicker. Could you tell me the names their parents gave them? Sometimes our nicknames say something about who we are. Right now Pink Van Gorden is indeed "in the pink" recovering nicely from his surgery. Hap Eddy is always ready with a weird joke. Doc Jenkins kept a lot of cattle healthy. And Snick Quicker was quite a little Schnickelfritz when he was a youngster.

Today we are celebrating the Baptism of Jesus and the Baptism of Karsen Murphy Czarnecki. In Christian tradition we have often called Baptism Christening because at the time of baptism a child is formally given his or her Christian name. Have you ever been introduced to someone and they asked your "Christian name"? That simply means your first name.

In some traditions when a person was baptized he or she was given the name of a saint. When Christians brought our religion to places like Africa they sometimes renamed people when they were baptized. Sometimes this was religious, and sometimes merely cultural ---- to "westernize" a person.

When I baptize Karsen in a little while, I will ask her parents to speak her name. They will give her "Christian Name." I will repeat it and baptize her in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And then I will give her another name: "Child of God." Each one of us at baptism receives that name. At our baptism we are assured that we are loved and cherished by God, just as much as we are loved and cherished by our earthly parents. Today we will affirm that Karsen is loved as much by God as she is loved by Kellie and Neil.

There is nothing particularly magical about this moment. Actually Karsen will not be any more loved after her baptism than she was before her baptism. We are simply recognizing the wondrous, generous, bountiful love of God which has come to us in Jesus Christ. In the United Church of Christ we like to speak of God’s "extravagant welcome." Today we affirm this welcome for Karsen. The water poured over Karsen’s head will tell all of us about God’s gracious love which pours over each of us like an "everflowing stream." That is why we do not want to spare the water in baptism any more than God spares love in our lives.

On this Sunday when we celebrate the Sacrament of Baptism we also celebrate, officially, the Baptism of Jesus. Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River. At first John did not want to do it. He felt that the roles should be reversed. Jesus should baptize him! But John relented, took Jesus down to the river, and baptized him in the flowing waters. As Jesus came up from the water, Matthew tells us that a voice from heaven speaks:

"This is my Son,

the Beloved,

with whom I am well pleased."

Jesus already had a name, Jesus. But here Jesus receives a new name. In a way three new names, reflecting the words spoken long ago about the Suffering Servant in the prophet Isaiah:

"Here is my servant, whom I uphold,

My chosen, in whom my soul delights."

God has claimed Jesus and given Jesus a high calling:

The Son who serves.

The loved one who loves.

Matthew quotes those same words from Isaiah again in Chapter 12:

"Here is my servant, whom I

have chosen,

my beloved, with whom

my soul is well pleased."

What are we to make of this? What is in these names given to Jesus at his baptism? What do we hear?

1. My Son

With these words we learn once again who Jesus is. Jesus is the "Son of God." Jesus is close to God. Jesus is as close to God as Karsen is to her parents. Any one of you who is a parent, think of how you feel about your child. Think of what you want for that child. Think of your dreams for that child. God had all of these for Jesus. Jesus was to inherit the family business, so to speak. He would take on the family farm. He would carry on for God in this world.

What kind of son would he be? He would be a serving son.

2. Servant

When the first readers of Matthew’s scripture read this baptism account they recognized a reference to Isaiah. They heard our Old Testament reading in this New Testament text. When they heard "son" they also heard "servant." This son named in the waters of Jordan would not be a spoiled rotten son. This son would not be a pampered prince. This son would not be served by dozens of servants. Rather this son would serve ------- just as Jesus served when on the last night of his life he washed the feet of his own disciples.

3. Beloved.

There was one more name which we hear called out from the heavens. This son who came to serve was sure that he was loved. Nothing could shake that love. He went out and took chances. In a way he extended the family business and opened it up to hated foreigners and despised agents of conquering foreign power. He was so secure in his love that he could love without limit.

On his baptism day Jesus received each of these names:

My beloved child.

My important child.

My called child.

What about you? How does it feel to know that you are loved? That you are trusted? That you are called to important work? Do you feel empowered? Or do you feel burdened? Do you feel confident? Or do you feel overwhelmed? I suspect that Jesus felt all of these. But in the end he was able to pursue his ministry precisely because he had been given important names on his day of baptism --- and then he went out to fulfill those names ----- of son, of beloved, of servant.

Yesterday would have been the 76th birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. On his birth date in 1929, this was not his name. Later on his father gave him a new name. The name of the great 16th century religious reformer Martin Luther. I wonder how much this naming affected Martin Luther King, Jr.? Did he become a reformer of our American society, a champion of justice and peace because he had a special name? It would be interesting to know.

As for ourselves, we know that each of us has been given a special name chosen for us by our parents. Each one is different. But each of us, at our baptism, has also been given a special name chosen for us by God. With Jesus each of us has been called a "Beloved Child." Each of us has been called to a servanthood. Each of us knows that we are important and valued, as much by God as by our parents.

What’s in a name? Plenty. May each of us be able to live up to our names as children of God, loved ones in whom God is delighted.

Amen.