The Waters of Baptism

January 11, 2026 homily on Matthew 3:13-17 by Pastor Galen on Baptism of the Lord Sunday.

And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” – Matthew 3:16-17

By the Water

I have always loved being around water. Perhaps it’s because I grew up just three blocks from the riverfront in Harrisburg, PA, but there’s something calming and restorative to me about water. I love visiting the ocean and watching the waves crash against the sand. And, when given the opportunity, I love being out on the water.

One of my favorite memories growing up was canoeing on the lake at Camp Hebron, just outside the city where I grew up. Every Memorial Day we would spend the day there, riding horses, hiking, canoeing, and paddle-boating. I loved the gentle rocking of the canoe as our oars slipped through the water, and I loved seeing the mountains reflected in the stillness of the water around us.

Many of us have fond memories of water. Maybe you swam in a pool or lake as a child, or fished with an older relative. Maybe it’s trips to the ocean, or sailing on a boat. Whatever the specifics, being in or around water is an experience that is common to many of us.

Living Water

Much of Jesus’ ministry took place near water. Often Jesus could be found teaching and healing along the Sea of Galilee. Several of his miracles happened on that water: calming the storm, walking on the water, guiding the disciples to their biggest catch of fish they had ever seen.

Other times, Jesus used water as a metaphor for his ministry. Sitting at a well in Samaria, he spoke of “living water” and told the Samaritan woman that those who drink the water he gives will never thirst again (John 4:10–14). During the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem, he cried out that all who are thirsty should come to him and drink, and that rivers of living water would flow from the hearts of believers (John 7:37–39). And he spoke of springs of living water welling up within those who follow him.

Given the centrality of water to Jesus’ life, ministry, and teaching, it is little wonder that his public ministry began in a river.

People in Jesus’ day were streaming to the Jordan River to hear the teachings of a wild prophet named John, who was called “the Baptizer” and who dressed in camel’s hair, ate locusts and wild honey, and who urged the people to repent and prepare for the coming Messiah. As a response, John invited people to come down into the waters of the Jordan to be baptized.

Until recently, I imagined this scene like a modern baptism: one person at a time, often solemn and reverent as the pastor carefully pours water over or immerses the person in the water. Many baptisms I’ve witnessed feel weighty and significant, with parents dedicating their children to God, or adults committing their lives to Christ.

But I wonder if John’s baptisms looked a little different than that? I wonder if they were less solemn and more exuberant. I wonder if John the Baptist was more like a kid in a swimming pool, calling out, “Come on in, the water’s fine!” I wonder if the crowds waded in together, splashing in the water, joyful and exuberant as people symbolically washed off their old lives and embraced the new that was to come.

Whether it was solemn or more joyful, it is also worth noting that John’s baptism was not a symbol of salvation in the way we understand Christian baptism today (cf. Acts 19:3–4). It wasn’t a “once and done” event. In the Jewish tradition, ritual immersion happened frequently. Priests immersed themselves in water before entering the temple (cf. Exod 30:17–21; Lev 16:4, 24). Others immersed themselves in water as a ritual cleansing throughout their lives (cf. Lev 14:8–9; 15:5–8, 13; Num 19:7–8, 19–21). Yes, later Jewish practice also included ritual immersion for Gentile converts, but John was inviting primarily Jewish people to participate in a symbolic cleansing, turning from the old ways and preparing for the new.

But then Jesus appeared, and came to John to be baptized.

The Baptism of the Lord

We have spent the last few weeks focusing on the events surrounding Jesus’ birth: how the shepherds came to see the baby Jesus, and how the Magi came to worship him on the day that we call Epiphany. But now we fast-forward about thirty years. Jesus has grown up in Galilee, likely working as a carpenter. Scripture is largely silent about those years, and scholars speculate—did he travel? Did he study with other groups? Was he influenced by the Essenes in the wilderness? Did he train in rabbinic schools? We don’t know. What we do know is that when John was baptizing in the Jordan, Jesus came forward to be baptized.

John was stunned. He felt unworthy. He protested, “I need to be baptized by you,” (Matthew 3:14). But Jesus insisted: “Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).

Jesus did not come to the water because he needed to repent. He lived a sinless and perfect life. Rather, Jesus entered the water to identify with us, to stand with humanity, to show that in Jesus, God had become one of us. Though fully God, Jesus did not remain distant. Rather, he came near, wading into the waters of the Jordan River, sharing our burdens, and our hopes and dreams, and experiencing the joy and solemnity that all those who were baptized by John experienced that day.

The Affirmation of the Father

When Jesus rose from the water, the heavens opened, the Spirit descended like a dove, and a voice declared: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). What strikes me is that Jesus had not yet performed a single miracle. He had not yet healed anyone, exorcised any demons, raised the dead, or fed the multitudes. He had not yet walked on water or turned water into wine. He had not yet taught the Sermon on the Mount or gone to the cross. And yet, even before any of that, the Father declared Jesus “beloved.”

The same is true of us. We too are beloved by God. We too are called children of God. God delights in us, not because we have earned it or achieved it or gotten everything right, but simply because God made us, God knows us, and God loves us.

Of course, unlike Jesus, we do need cleansing from our sins. We do need forgiveness, renewal, and a fresh start. But even here, Jesus has gone before us, bearing our sin, shame and guilt on the cross, so that we might be washed clean and made new.

Invitation

Today, as we remember Jesus going down into the waters of the Jordan river, we are reminded first of our identity. Before Jesus ever performed a miracle, taught a sermon, or went to the cross, the Father spoke a word of love: “This is my Son, the Beloved.” That same word echoes over us. We are God’s beloved children, not because we have earned it, not because we have always gotten it right, but because God made us, knows us, and delights in us. That is the gift of baptism: it names us as beloved.

But baptism is also about renewal. The waters remind us that God’s mercy meets us again and again. Baptism is not merely a past event, but a present grace. Every day we are in need of cleansing, forgiveness, refreshment, and newness of life. And every day God’s Spirit offers it to us.

Baptism is also about belonging. In the waters of baptism we are joined not only to Christ, but to his Body, the Church. That belonging is not undone by distance or age or illness or circumstance. Whether you are in the sanctuary this morning, joining online, reading this sermon as a blog post, or receiving this copy at home by mail, you belong. You are part of the Body of Christ, and the Body is not whole without you.

So today, as we reaffirm our baptismal vows, let us remember that we are loved by God. Let us receive the renewal that we need. And let us claim that which is true: that we belong to Christ and to one another. 

Amen!

Invitation to Come to the Waters

This morning, in a few minutes, we will reaffirm our baptismal vows, after which I’ll invite us to come forward and to touch the water in the baptismal font.

If you have never been baptized and would like to explore that, I would love to talk with you. 

If you were baptized long ago and simply need refreshment, if you feel weary or dry or uncertain, or if you simply want to renew that covenant that was made at your baptism, in a few minutes I will invite you to come forward to dip your hands in the water as a sign of your longing to be made new. As we do, my prayer is that we would feel God’s grace wash over us like a flood.

Application for Those Reading this on our Blog:

For those who are not present in the sanctuary today: those worshipping online, receiving a print copy in the mail, or reading this as a blog post, I invite you, too, to “come to the water” in your own way.

If you have water nearby, at your sink, in a cup, or in a small bowl, consider touching the water as a reminder of your baptism, or of God’s persistent grace that seeks to renew you day by day. If you are unbaptized and curious, know that the invitation is open to you as well; feel free to reach out so that we can talk and pray.

And if you are unable to touch water today, simply take a moment to remember that you are God’s beloved child, that before you have achieved anything, before you have succeeded or failed, before you have carried out a single task, God has already spoken a word of love and delight over you.

May that grace meet you wherever you are, and may the Spirit’s renewing waters refresh your soul.  

Amen!

Questions for Personal Reflection in response to the Sermon:

1. What memories do I have of water? How do they shape how I imagine baptism and renewal?
2. What does it mean that Jesus was named “beloved” before he accomplished anything?
3. In what ways do I seek to earn love, approval, or belonging rather than receive them as gifts?
4. Where in my life do I need renewal, cleansing, or a fresh start?
5. How do I experience belonging in the Body of Christ? Who might need to hear that they belong?
6. What act of grace might I receive this week—touching water, praying, pausing—so that I remember I am God’s beloved?