Homily – Sunday, the 7th January 2024

Reading: Mark 1:4-11

Epiphany is the celebration after the Twelfth night of Christmas commemorating the magi meeting with Jesus the toddler. A genuine God search finds its fruit when the wise men meets Jesus, worships him offers him gifts and being warned in a dream returns home taking a different route.

The revelation of Godhead in a manner comprehensible to the ordinary person, that too, the outsider, is what is celebrated.

It gave a new meaning to the God quest or the God search of generations and the guiding start took various forms across time leading the seeker to the Saviour.

One of my colleagues who is actively engaged in space mission and had lead roles in Chandrayan and Aadhithya the India missions to the moon and the sun used to tell us how he reconciled with Science and Spirituality.

It is all about the search to find the unknown. It is ignoring the popular voices around, don’t be foolish you are seeking the impossible, the non existant. There is always the wisdom of collective consciousness that inspires the spark when we see the star that is unique. Intuitively we follow the star. The journey could be hard, palaces could distract but persistence leads us on, the star guides us on until one day we encounter the long sought answer and that could alter the way we look at the future. Some seekers find some don’t even as some researchers reach their goal while some don’t. It is therefore not a coincidence for me that the Mission to the Sun had a successful start on Epiphany day.

The visit of the magi also focusses on how Herod the tyrant responded seeking to destroy the child and forcing a fleeing of the family.

A meaningful epiphany prayer for today goes like this

As we enter into the Epiphany story today

May we decry the tyrants that still rule

Expose the forces that still terrorise

Confront the realities that still displace

As we enter into the Epiphany story today

May we celebrate the ones who follow their heart

Who long for the child

Who defy those who deal in death

May our gifts be passion, commitment and action for a day

When all children under the star filled skies

Might thrive in dignity, safety and possibility

In the name of the toddler Christ- Amen

Jennifer Henry 2021

The Sunday after Epiphany we look at the Baptism of Jesus and is an occasion where we renew our baptismal vows or say the prayer of Covenant. The Voice in the Wilderness who came to prepare the Way of the Lord is now initiating Christ into his public ministry phase. Let us take a close look at the Baptist today and the Baptism of Jesus.

An Alternate Way of Living is Possible

We live in an age where quite a lot of discussion is happening around appropriate ethical ways of living. We try to as non exploitative and just as possible in our life style choices and decisions but often end up saying- living the idealist life is not possible. In the post globalised artificial intelligence era there is no alternative than to toe the time. Though this is the dominant thinking there are still small voices shouting from nooks and corners- There are Many Alternatives.

The life style of John the Baptist is a testimony to the fact that alternate ways of living is possible

In India the parameters of development was defined as roti, kapada our makan.

Here is a man who chose to be homeless, to live in the wilderness, not bogged down by the structures called the house or the home

Here is a man clothed in camels hair with a belt round his waist. In a consumerist society where fashion designs and branding of clothes define dignity here is someone who refuses to toe the line.

Here is a man who ate locusts and wild honey. We live in an age where advertisements define food habits. Processed food consumption, a fast food culture, sedentary life styles, irregular eating patterns and food insecurity has redefined the healthy food habits we once had. Here is someone who affirms alternate ways of living is possible. He refuses to be part of the economics of food being entangled in the production consumption cycle.

Yes John the Baptist and later Jesus proved that an Alternate Way of Living is Possible.

An Alternate Way of Thinking is Possible

We live in a world today where people do not want to talk much about SIN, repentance and forgiveness.

We live in a world where though people see the atrocities of those in power chose either to be silent or to be politically correct.

We live in a world where prophetic calls for course correction is seldom heard in the public square.

Here is a man who boldly questioned hegemonic structures of power.

Here is a man who called for REPENTANCE and Forgiveness of SINS

Here is a man who called the stubborn generation- brood of vipers

Sathi Clarke in his Bible Study at the Racial Justice Conference called him “the wild man unwilling to be tamed who paid the price with his life for being an advocate of truth.”

He was born against the anti-kingdom

He was born again into the beloved community of God

He was borne by the Spirit for freedom and justice

Yes John the Baptist and later Jesus proved that an Alternate Way of Thinking is Possible.

My morning devotion today was about a family that lived by the sea, They had an old boat that sustained the family for long but since no repair was done for months together they had to keep it aside. Life went on and as the father saw the boat rusting away he thought he should atleast paint it and keep it as a memory of their roots and humble beginnings.

He found a good painter and asked if the boat could be painted new so that it could be a good show-piece. The painter agreed and when he came he saw that there were holes already in the bottom of the boat. He first plugged the holes and painted the boat. The father paid him and thanked him.

The next day evening the painter saw the father running to him. Panting the first thing he did was handing over a cover with more money in it. The painter said- You already paid for my work. But the father said- This is for plugging the holes.

He said when I got back home this afternoon I saw that the boat was not there and was shocked when I realised that my children had gone to the sea in it. I suddenly realised about the holes and that I had not asked you to repair the boat. As I was panicking I saw the boat sailing back and the children safe. I ran into the boat and saw that the holes were sealed. This is a token of thanks for saving the lives of my children.

Friends, many a times our failures are because we fail to plug the holes in our boats. Sometimes we are wise to foresee the holes that could affect our lives and take steps to plug them. But the alternate way of thinking is to see the holes that could affect the lives of others and try to plug them so that others do not enter danger zones. A good thought for the new year.

An alternate Way of Looking at Christ in Possible

One of the key questions that we will be discussing through out the new year would be, “Who is this Jesus?”

You would agree that the Baptist’s understanding of Jesus is very profound but looking at Mark we realise that he does not call Jesus the lamb of God as John did but presents Christ as the One they were waiting for.

The salient features that John empathises include

The Power of Christ- One who is more powerful than me is coming after me

The Unworthiness of the Beholder- I am not worthy to untie his sandals

The Promise of the Baptism with the Spirit- He will baptise you with the Holy Spirit

What does baptism with the Holy Spirit mean. It among other things means the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Yes it is the spirit of wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophesy, discernment and tongues. The Holy Spirit is the One who comes by to help and comfort when someone calls for support- the paraclete. The Holy Spirit is the one who makes Jesus known, makes us more like Jesus, helps us discern the scripture, guides us in mission. I remember my first interaction with you on Paul being guided by the Spirit in reaching out to the Etheopean. (Acts 8:26-40). The Holy Spirit empowers us, helps us pray, guides us, bestows us with spiritual gifts and fills us with the fruit of the Spirit.

John offers an alternate way at looking at Jesus. Till then the thirty year old youngster was living an ordinary or rather obscure life. We have not heard of him after the incident in the temple when he was twelve. But here John is presenting Jesus at his baptism which among other theologically significant facts is also about

The Transition into the Public Ministry of Jesus        

                   The next step towards the Cross

                   The identification with humanity

                   The Trinitarian revelation

                   The Humility of Christ

An alternate way of Understanding Baptism in possible

The Sunday after Epiphany is an occasion where we sometime renew our baptismal vows. Some people would be happy to have a mark of the cross in their foreheads with water reminding them of their baptism. It is a reminder that it was Jesus who came seeking the Baptist by the river Jordan and the baptism of Jesus had three significant elements associated with it

The Experience of Seeing Heavens Opened.

At the baptism of Jesus they saw the heavens opened. Can we imagine the splendour of that sight. Heavens being opened should be a marvelous sight to behold and that is the experience of baptism of Christ. We read about that in the vision Jacob saw in Genesis 28, that Ezekiel saw in Ezekiel 1, that Stephen saw in Acts 7, Peter saw in Acts 10 and John at Patmos saw in Rev 4.

That is what baptism does- It makes heaven visible and accessible.

The Experience of seeing the Spirit Descending Down like a Dove

Baptism is an experience in the Spirit. We have a wonderful Trinitarian imagery here. The Voice of the Father, the movement of the Spirit and the physical presence of the Son.

Baptism scene affirms that the Holy Spirit is not an abstract myth but instead an experiential reality bestowing one with the gifts of the spirit and fruits of the spirit

The gifts of the spirit include the gifts of wisdom, the gift of counsel, the gift of piety, gift of knowledge, the gift of the fear of the Lord, the gift of fortitude and the gift of understanding.

The Experience of affirmation of the Belovedness and Pleasure of God in Jesus.

The Voice of God is made manifest at the baptism of Jesus affirming that this is my beloved son. That is the key of baptism. God affirms that the one baptised is beloved to God.

By Jesus humbling himself to be baptised God affirms that God was well pleased with Jesus who was baptised. The Love of God and the Pleasure of God overflows at the event of baptism.

The message that we take home when we are reminded of our baptisms today is this- that we are the beloved of the Lord and the Lord is well pleased with us.

Conclusion

Epiphany reminds us that if we genuinely search we will find Jesus. For the magi the Journey was not easy yet they followed the star, they were distracted when they saw the palace but the star waited, they were glad that they found the star again and they reached and worshipped the Messiah. Search him and you will find him and you will then return through a different route.

Baptism of Jesus affirms that in baptism heavens rejoice and bursts open, in baptism the Holy Spirit descends and in Baptism the love and pleasure of God is revealed.

We offer today a mark of the sign of the cross for those who would want to remember their baptism and commit to a life of being the beloved of the Lord in the new year.

Vinod Victor

7^th January 2024