Luke 3:15-17, 21-22; Acts 8:14-17

It's just a little too chilly to Wade in the Water this morning. Singing the song, however, is a reminder for us - as we hear from scripture of Jesus' baptism: we remember our own baptism. You may have noticed that the song is a spiritual; slaves used this song not only in worship but also as a signal as they made escapes from their captivity. I say it is too chilly to think about wading in the water but it's never too chilly for baptisms. There is a story of a man of the Plain Peoples of Lancaster County that says it's never too chilly for either. The man for decades had been resistant to the thought or practice of repentance. But one Christmas, as was the custom for the body of German Baptist Brethren, this man came to be baptized. Mind you, no one ever caught cold of this practice of baptism but people certainly felt the cold. The minister literally broke the ice. Walking out to the middle of the stream with a long pole, he broke open a hole for baptism. He then used the pole to measure the depth, then invited the man into the frigid water, after which he dunked the man three times in the name of the Triune God. As the man came up sputtering and gasping, and as he was embraced by the pastor, he shouted, "At last. It's over." To which the pastor responded, "No, brother. It's just the beginning."

We sing Wade in the Water to remind us of baptism. And though we in our denomination have pretty much tamed the water to a sprinkle or perhaps a cup poured over the head and we have tamed the baptismal rite to a right of passage, it is anything but that. If we are true to what baptism holds for us, God's a'gonna trouble the water. God's a'gonna change our lives.

But let's go to the text from Luke. No sooner is Jesus born and the magi recognize the babe for who he is: the Savior/Messiah when quite suddenly we now hear how Jesus is a young man. Luke says the people are excited, expectant and questioning about John; they confuse John for the Messiah. But Luke makes it clear that John is the forerunner, the prelude: John's role is completed now. Jesus is here; Jesus is the main act. It is Jesus who shines carrying the message of hope. So clear is Luke about this that unlike the other gospel writers, Luke dismissed John both before and as Jesus is baptized. Unlike Mark or Matthew, here in Luke, John is not even named as the one baptizing Jesus; the act of the baptism itself is not described - only what happens after the baptism is described.

Again Luke is distinct in what description he does provide. The Holy Spirit descends upon Jesus - that is common to the gospels but Luke adds this piece: "in bodily form like dove." The Holy Spirit is both quite apparent and describable: in bodily form. At the same time it is not exactly like a dove; there is mystery to the Spirit. And a voice - God's voice - speaks saying to Jesus not the audience: "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Madeleine L'Engle writes of Mary: After the Baptism. Yes, of course. (She said) On many days I doubted. My faith grew out of doubt…AND I was waiting, remembering in my heart the very things that caused my doubt: the angel's first appearing to me and then to Joseph; shepherds, kings, the flight to Egypt. Remembering was fearing; doubt helped. I had to face it all as true the day John baptized him. Then he knew!

Jesus knew who he was: God named it out loud to him. Jesus is in relation with God. But with this naming, we also know. Jesus is Savior/Messiah. Jesus is Son/Offspring of God. Jesus is loved by God.

In the act of birth, Jesus' mother, Mary, was captured by Love. In this baptismal act, Jesus is captured by Love. But not only is Jesus captured by Love, disciples, apostles, the world is also. From the reading in Acts, we hear how the folks of Samaria - long, fierce enemies of the Hebrews - accepted the word of God and received the Holy Spirit. For God so loved the world, that God gave his only Son…..

I began by saying that for the baptized man of Lancaster County; it wasn't over but rather baptism marked a beginning. Baptism marked the beginning of Jesus' ministry, his life lived in the love of God. So many events we celebrate in the church whether it's baptism, a confirmation, a wedding, becoming a member of the church, celebrating an anniversary, we mark each one of these as a fait d'accompli - something over, ended - when in actuality each of these events instead marks a beginning in time. Recently I read that for an anniversary gift one received from her husband part of a linked chain - three links to be exact. It was reminder of their ongoing relationship, something still being formed and worked at - the two outer links represented each of them as individuals while the middle one represented themselves in marriage. Oh, she did receive a bracelet as well!

Jesus is captured by Love. His ministry what we know of it is marked by acts of Love expressed in ways that the people of Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Nazareth, the areas around the Sea of Galilee, folks in the city and the countryside, the widows, children, women, the sick, the ones who had no voice or influence or money, the hungry, single and married, those seeking divorce, the accused and abused had never experienced. Jesus loved them. Jesus even loved those who were in power, the moneyed, the tax collectors, the soldiers; he loved them as they had never been loved before! He spoke the truth in love, and accepted those who came to believe.

What might it be like if we were captured by such a love? How might we be reborn into love? How might our personal relationships be shaped? To illustrate, let me share some stories. Some of the following comes from Firstlight and Sue Monk Kidd.

You know that first love a child expresses for a pet? It might be a gerbil, or a hamster. But for this child it's a goldfish. It's given a special name that the child carefully prints on the outside of the bowl in six year old print. She adds a picture of a heart and arrow running through the heart. Time seems suspended as she watches the goldfish flash in the caught rays of sunlight. A friendship of sorts is made and sealed. And then one day she asks, "Do fish sleep?" Before answering, she knows. But this is more than the death of a goldfish; it was her friend. As an adult, we know it; love has a risky side, its painful side. There is no guarantee that the ones we love will live forever or that they will even return our love. We know that from the deaths of friends and family members; we know that when we love and every experience of love has the potential of failure, not being reciprocated, being shot through with an arrow; even God had wounds from loving. But we learn love is more joyful than the hurt is painful. It is always worth the risk of loving.

What if we were captured by love? "Daddy, won't you build me a doghouse for Scruffy?" He cried. He squeezed the little puppy in his arms and gazed at his father. "Okay, I'll build a house for Scruffy." Hours and hours were spent sawing and hammering to put something together that resembled a house, to put a door and a roof on and the puppy's name on the front. He's probably the only father in the history of the world who made a doghouse - for a stuffed animal! But surely, one part of being captured by Love is being impractical.

What if we were captured by love? It's realizing as you are vacationing with your spouse - you on one towel; he/she on the other. Barely a word is exchanged. You each read through the afternoon. Then you notice the distance between the two of you. You think: We're busy - both of us, going in different directions. We pay attention to so many details of life and they, the details, have pushed any kind of intimacy we had aside. 'What's the matter?' He/she asks you. You hesitate. And then it comes tumbling out, "It seems like we live in different worlds. I miss you." He/she says, "I miss you, too." We continue, "Perhaps some day we ought to renew our marriage vows." And we did, that night. We made them up as we went along and as we needed. Being captured by Love is realizing Love deserves on-going nurturing.

What if we were captured by love? During a particularly hard and painful time, she sat with eyes glazed from tears. She had offered her hurt to God but the ache just hadn't stopped. Healing took time. That's how he found her, her husband. He didn't say a word, but surely it was one of the most precious moments of their relationship. He touched his finger to the tears finding their way down her cheek, and then he touched his wet finger to his own cheek and moved his finger down is cheek. A profound gift of love is to share another person's suffering, simply to be there, to blend your tears with another's.

No one knew who she was. The nurses called her Sunshine Lady. She always came sporadically and unexpectedly to the hospital's pediatric wing, leaving gifts for the children. One evening she arrived with a big mysterious box. Later, a brand new teddy bear sat beside every sick child on that wing. Not one child would ever know who brought those huggable companions to share their hospital experience. She got no tributes, no credit. Sometimes being captured by Love means loving anonymously is enough.

Do you know those Magic Slates where you can write on them and then in one movement lift up the clear layer of plastic page and the marks seem to magically disappear? Well, he was watching a friend writing using this Magic Slate while he stewed and simmered over the remarks he and another had exchanged with each other. The remarks cut too deeply. It wasn't really an argument just a bunch of angry words that come out without thinking. Oh, that it would be as easy as lifting the clear plastic page to erase what was said. Why is it so hard to forgive? Why do I have to be right? How important is pride? He was thinking all this and then she came through the door looking more uncertain than angry, "About our exchange earlier today, I'm sor---" "I'm sorry, too." He said. They stood together; with the faint swoosh of the Spirit somewhere in the room. Being captured by Love is knowing how to say I'm sorry and meaning it.

"You are beloved, Child," God says to Jesus, God says to us. God captures us; Love captures us. How might we express this embrace?

Go out as one body, Christ's body. Love. Forgive. Show mercy. Make peace. And tell the Good news of Christ, the world's light. Amen..