Feast of the Baptism of Jesus: January 12, 2020 -- Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer

Reading One:  Isaiah 42: 1-7

Psalm:  The Lord will bless his people with peace

Reading Two:  Acts 10: 34-38

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17

This weekend we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. 

Jesus’ baptism has been the source of much theological debate given that the tradition has maintained baptism is the means by which we are freed from the stain of original sin – if Jesus was without sin, why did he seek out John in the Jordan to be baptized?

Like all of our traditions, the doctrine of original sin developed within the lived experience of the community. This development can be seen in the scriptural passages themselves. If we set the Gospels next to each other in the order in which they were written – Mark, Matthew, Luke, John – there is a minimum of a 70-year time span between Mark and John. Over this block of time there is a clear development in the theology of Jesus’ baptism. In the Gospel of Mark, Jesus simply comes to John and is baptized. In the Gospel of John, there is no mention of water ever even touching Jesus’ head – John sees Jesus and begins to preach a discourse on who Jesus is. In the passage we just heard proclaimed today from Matthew, Jesus is baptized but with some hesitation on John’s behalf – “It is I who needs to be baptized by you…” 

The teaching that baptism is necessary to wash us free from original sin was not handed to us directly by Jesus. It was St. Augustine, several centuries later, who made the direct connection between the sin of “Adam and Eve” and the need to be baptized in order to be released from it. 

The Book of Genesis claims all human beings are created in the imago Dei – how can someone from the moment they are miraculously conceived in the womb in the image and likeness of God, be inherently marked with a stain so severe it can only be cleansed through the tradition of one major world religion? This theological concept has become even more difficult to explain and understand in the midst of scientific developments which affirm our human history is much more complicated that the Adam and Eve story – how we evolved and in what manner is debated, but most agree we evolved in some way.  We have been taught that death entered into the world when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the forbidden tree. Reality is, from the moment this earth was created, death has been present. The dinosaurs died tragically long before human beings were created. 

For St. Augustine’s theology of how original sin is passed down to make sense, we need to assume Adam and Eve are the first set of parents from which every other human being descended.  From this story (Genesis 1-3) we have formed an image of a world with one set of fully formed parents commanded to beget children and populate the earth. The image of Eden most of us have been taught depicts a scene where no other human beings exist. I would like to read an excerpt from chapter 4 of Genesis:

The man (Adam) had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying, “I have produced a male child with the help of the LORD.”  Next she gave birth to his brother Abel... When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD asked Cain, Where is your brother Abel? He answered, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” God then said: What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground... You shall become a constant wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the LORD: “My punishment is too great to bear... Anyone may kill me at sight.” Not so! So the LORD put a mark on Cain, so that no one would kill him… Cain then left the LORD’s presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain had intercourse with his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. Cain also became the founder of a city, which he named after his son Enoch.

Who were all of these people who might kill Cain? Where did Cain’s wife come from? Who were the people living in the land of Nod, if they had not descended from Adam and Eve? You get the point I am trying to make – these stories were not written to be read literally as historical or scientific texts, yet we have developed centuries of infallible teachings based on biblical fundamentalism. Most of our dogmatic teachings have little to do with love, and even less to do with Jesus, and are really centered around institutional power and law. 

Putting the distorted idea of original sin aside, how do we reconcile Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan by the prophet John the Baptist with a healthy understand of baptism today?

Baptism is a sacrament of gifts. In last week’s gospel we heard that Jesus received three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. These gifts are symbols of the gifts we each receive in baptism - gold represents our divine nature; frankincense our baptismal priesthood; and myrrh our prophetic call.  

In our baptism we are endowed with the gifts of the Holy Spirit – gifts including courage, understanding, wisdom, and strength. The gifts of the Holy Spirit we receive at baptism are sealed at our confirmation and renewed through the sacramental life of the Church. We are gifted in so many ways, but we are not always aware of our potential.

A contemporary image that comes to mind when I think about the sacrament of baptism is the Wizard of Oz. We, like the characters in the story, are drudging along on our journey not always aware that we already have the gifts we seek – courage, compassion, intelligence. The institution is in many ways like the Oz – creating an impression that the power lies behind a “proverbial curtain” and is dispensed at the will of the great and powerful magisterial Oz. When the curtain is pulled back, we realize most of what we feared and/or believed to be true, was not authentic. Isaiah 2:22 reminds us, “Do not put your trust in human beings, they are frail” – we are painfully becoming aware of this today. 

We are called – actually we are commanded – to place our faith in God alone, not in human beings or institutions. There are a growing number of scientists suggesting that the entire universe – even what seems to be inanimate objects – have consciousness. 

Stop for a moment and consider this image – the presence of God within and around us in every part of our being. Every aspect of the created world existing with the divine consciousness – within the mind of God – this is extraordinary. How can it possibly be contained – or limited – by any particular creed or doctrine? This idea of a universal consciousness is the message the mystics from every world religion have been trying to communicate for as long as human beings have been able to communicate. We are not separate from God – we are created in God’s image and likeness – we are one with God.

For St. Hildegard of Bingen, and many other enlightened humans, this universal consciousness is described as the Living Light – the force that creates, animates, and sustains all that exists.  It is an energy from which all that exists has emerged. This awareness can be seen in the prologue of the Gospel of John: In the beginning was the Word and then the Word become flesh. Words are energy.

What does this mean in relation to the sacrament of baptism? When we are baptized, as Jesus was baptized, we recognize we belong to a reality much greater than ourselves. We are affirmed in our royal, priestly, and prophetic nature and are endowed with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit to help guide and sustain us as we grow in our relationship with God, each other, and all of creation. Baptism wakes us up to our divine nature. It is on some level necessary for salvation, not because it washes away a horrid stain assigned to all humanity, but because it showers us with an abundance of grace giving us eyes to see and ears to hear the presence of God all around us.  Can we come into this awareness without the sacrament of Baptism? Of course. But we recognize the gift of Living Water offered to the Samaritan Woman at the Well, and to us in baptism, is a gift consecrated and shared by Christ himself.

Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer
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Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer

Rev. Dr. Shanon Sterringer is a theologian and an ordained priest (ARCWP) with over two decades of pastoral experience and a strong advocate for holistic health/spirituality.  Her background includes a Ph.D. (2016) from Union Institute & University in Ethical and Creative Leadership (she focused on the example of St. Hildegard of Bingen); a D.Min (2012) and a MA in Theology (2007) from St. Mary's Seminary and Graduate School of Theology; a MA in Ministry (2011) from Ursuline College; and a BA (2003) from Cleveland State University.   She is a certified minister. She has training in pastoral care/counseling and sacramental preparation including marriage and funerals. She has received a number of awards and acknowledgements over the years for her academic and pastoral achievements.  She is the author of a daily meditation book, 30 Day Journey with St. Hildegard of Bingen (fortress press 2019).

She is married and is the mother of 3 beautiful adult daughters.  In her spare time she is an amateur beekeeper and she loves to be outside walking, collecting Lake Erie Beach Glass, and reading. 

Her greatest passion is St. Hildegard of Bingen and her second spiritual home is on the Rhine River in Germany! She has dedicated her life to discovering creative ways to help others renew their greenness (viriditas) of mind, body, and spirit.  

Shanon’s blog can be found at thegreenshepherdess.org

https://thegreenshepherdess.org/f/feast-of-the-baptism-of-jesus

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