The Chosen One
Scripture Reading: Isaiah 42: 1 - 9 (NIV)
“Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will bring justice to the nations. 2He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. 3A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; 4he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
5This is what God the Lord says—the Creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it: 6“I, the Lord, have called you in righteousness; I will take hold of your hand. I will keep you and will make you to be a covenant for the people and a light for the Gentiles, 7to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.
8“I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols. 9See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being I announce them to you.”
Message: The Chosen One
Jesus baptized - announced as the Chosen One
When we remember the baptism of Jesus, we reflect on the relevance of it in our lives today
We remember the baptism of Jesus every year, but it is not a celebration like Christmas of Easter… it is just a momentary reminder of a significant event
Sometimes we look for connections between the baptism of Jesus and our own baptism… there are distinct differences, but also similarities
The baptism of Jesus was about God announcing Jesus as his Son and the Chosen one to bring freedom to this world
And although different, as in that we are not Christ, our baptism is also an announcement of God that we are his children and that we are chosen by Him
In Matthew 3: 16, 17, we read - “As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”
Everyone present that day, walked away from the Jordan River knowing that Jesus was the Son of God and that He came to this earth with a mission
Next week, we will also have a baptism and there God will also announce his love for a child and in the process remind us all of his great love for us
And perhaps also a reminder that we are chosen by Him too…
God’s plan - choosing - intervention
The focus of the baptism of Jesus is God announcing his Son
This is important, as it lays the foundation for the ministry of Jesus
It is like a letter of credence that this Man, Jesus, has the authority to the work God has chosen Him to do
But it is also God announcing his plan of intervention in the world
This is God saying to the world - “Jesus is my plan”
“This is how I am going to help the world that has lost its way”
This is God saying that He is choosing to change the world in this way
There were many prophesies about this plan of God - we’ve read about it this from the book of Isaiah
God’s plan of intervention in the fate of the world, is through the act of choosing and announcing his choice
God’s plan is gentle and liberating
From the prophesy of Isaiah, we learn that this plan of God, through choosing his Son, is a gentle plan to bring freedom to his people
“He will not shout or cry out, or raise his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out. In faithfulness he will bring forth justice; he will not falter or be discouraged till he establishes justice on earth. In his teaching the islands will put their hope.”
It tells a story of a God Who is forcing his plan on people
It tells a story of a God Who is patient with stubborn people
It tells a stroy of a God Who is intent on bringing justice to this world
And it tells a story of a God Who brings hope in hopeless world
All of this plan is centered in God’s Son, the Chosen One
This is how God is still intervening in the fate of this world today… through his Son, Jesus
Chosen like the Son to be part of God’s plan
Our faith rests in the Chosen One
And it is in his teachings that we find our way in this broken world
It is in relationship with Him that we practice our spirituality
Through our relationship with the Chosen One, we are able to live in relationship with God
But it is the same Chosen One who said: “as the Father has sent Me, I send you…” (John 20: 21)
And it is the same Spirit that came down like a dove that day on the Chosen One, that He sent on the day of the pentecost
It is also the Chosen One Who said: “you will do the things I did and more” (John 14: 12)
And it is through the Chosen One that we are also called children of God - not slaves, but children of God
Therefore, when we remember the baptism of Jesus today, it about more that just an event where Jesus got his letter of credence to begin his work on earth
It is about God’s gentle and liberating plan that came through the act of choosing his Son
But today it is also about God saying to me and you, that his plan for this world is continuing to this day
And that throught the freedom the Chosen One brought to this world, you and me are also chosen to be part of God’s plan for this world
AMEN
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