Jesus gets baptized in the Jordan river. His hair may still be wet. But no cake or party for him. Instead, Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, is led by the Spirit in the wilderness.
The wilderness plays a big role in the Bible. After leaving Egypt, the people of Israel spent 40 years, a generation, in the wilderness. They learned what it meant to be people of God and that God was with them – providing water from a rock when they were thirsty and manna and quail when they were hungry. They learned who they are and they learned that God was with them.
But when the Holy Spirit leads Jesus out into the wilderness, there is no water coming from the rock. There is no manna or quail for Jesus to feast upon. And so… after being without food or water for a long time… Jesus is hungry and thirsty.
The devil chooses this time, when Jesus is physically weak and hungry to test him. But Jesus resists the temptation of temporary comfort by remembering the words of Deuteronomy that he learned from his family and teachers who had in turn learned them from their parents and grandparents. And when tempted with power and prestige – at the cost of worshipping something other than God-- he remembers the commandments that he had been taught. And, when the devil gets clever and pieces together a couple of scriptures and spins them to say what he wants them to say and offers up a promise of glory wrapped up in scripture, Jesus doesn’t fall for that one either. We know that glory will come to him. But not as a flashy spectacle. Instead, Jesus’ glory will come on the cross. But in his hour of temptation, Jesus rests on two things: scripture and the power of the Holy Spirit – who never left him.
Today, Sebastian will be baptized and welcomed into God’s family as a child of God. Sebastian will receive the same promise that Jesus promised his disciples – and you - that the Holy Spirit will be with him – forever. Preston and Ashley, as his parents and Patrick and Lisa as his Godparents, you will be making promises too. You will be promising, before God and this congregation, that you will teach him scripture – including the Lord’s prayer and the Ten Commandments and bring him to God’s house so that he can grow in his relationship with God and God’s people. With that, Sebastian can not only count on the Holy Spirit being with him but he will be prepared for whatever life throws his way.
This past week we gave thanks and celebrated the life of Herb Scheelk – he was 99 years old. Of the many memories Herb like to share, one mission from his time serving aboard the USS Thompson during World War II stands out - patrolling Normandy on June 6, 1944, otherwise known as D-Day. The Thompson’s job was to travel along the coast, giving protection to the young men landing on the beach. The danger that they faced was that there were mines in the water. But the crew did their job, and somehow, by the grace of God, they were able to patrol the area up and down the coast avoiding the mines and protecting the soldiers. They did their part. But finally, both the boat and the crew needed to refuel. Another ship was called to take their place. On its very first pass along the beach, that ship hit a mine.
When he shared this story with me, Herb asked, why were we so lucky? I had to tell him – I don’t know. But I do know it was not because the crew on his boat were more faithful or because they prayed harder than the crew on the other boat. We do know, as Christians, that no matter which boat that we are in – God is in the boat too. But, as Herb reflected on it, he to said, “I guess it wasn’t my time.”
Those are words similar to what I said to him when he fought the demons of depression - a different wilderness journey. After burying three children and two wives and outliving most if not all of his crew mates from the USS Thompson, Herb became depressed. These last two years when he was cut off from family and friends because of the pandemic restrictions, didn’t help. And yet… both on the USS Thompson and in his nursing home room, God was with him. The scripture that he had been taught helped. But it was the prayers that we prayed and that he prayed – every day – that sustained him.
As the infection rates of the pandemic drop, I am hopeful that we are coming to the end of that wilderness time in which we have to isolate from one another. We haven’t won that war yet – and may always need to be vigilant about mutations from the coronavirus --but we have tools – vaccines and masks and our medical community--to help us. And we know that, no matter what, God is with us.
But now, as the last veterans of WWII are dying, the wilderness of war is with the world - again. Just a few short weeks ago I could not have imagined that the Russian Army would invade Ukraine. But while the Ukrainians are fighting back – hard, ordinary people, some of them faithful Christians, are suffering.
God never promised us that nothing bad would happen to those who are baptized in Christ Jesus. Baptism doesn’t make anyone bulletproof.
But how do we respond to this wilderness crisis? It is happening on the other side of the world – and yet if the pandemic taught us one thing – what happens on the other side of the world affects us too.
There are some things that we cannot control. However, as Jesus teaches – even in our most vulnerable hour - we can first remember that God is with us and then, we can turn to scripture and prayer. The scripture reminds us that we are part of a bigger story, God’s story. And prayer, talking to God about our cares as well as our hopes and dreams – and listening for God’s way even when we think there is no way - helps us live our lives more fully, more wholly in Christ.
Remembering the promises of our baptism, and that we are never alone, we can rejoice in each day – regardless of the challenges around us. For we know that we are beloved, and that God is with us. And that makes a difference for how we live. Thanks to be God. Amen.