Episode 496 - The Baptism of Jesus - Voices In My Head (The Rick Lee James Podcast)

Welcome to Voices in My Head, the official podcast of me, Rick Lee James. I'm a recording artist, a singer, a songwriter, an author, a worship leader, and an ordained minister in the Church of the Nazarene. The Voices in My Head podcast is where I discuss music, movies, books, pop culture, theology, and more with friends, colleagues, and sometimes just by myself. Now make sure to let me know what you think of today's episode by leaving me a review on iTunes or by tweeting at me @RickLeeJames on Twitter. And please join my mailing list at RickLeeJames.com where you can receive an email every time a new episode is released. Released. And by the way, in case you're interested in a daily dose of kindness and encouragement beyond this podcast, I also run the Twitter account @MrRogersSay where I post daily quotes from Fred Rogers, one of the voices in my head. Well, I guess that's it for the intro, so sit back, relax, and listen to the latest episode of Voices in My Head.

Well, hello everyone. Happy New Year to you. This is the first podcast of 2023. I almost said 2022. I almost say it, I almost write it. There's been a couple times at the hospital where I'm working where I've had to rewrite some things, but we are, alas, in 2023. I hope that the sound is going to be decent on today's podcast. I'm actually driving on my way to work. Time is precious and I don't have much of it these days, so I find myself kind of fitting things in where I can. But this past Sunday, it was the first Sunday after Epiphany. We had just finished the 12 Days of Christmas. We had Epiphany, I believe it was on Friday of last week if memory serves, and then we come to the first Sunday after, which is the Baptism of the Lord. I have a few thoughts on baptism as I thought about the baptism of Jesus that I wanted to share with you today. So thinking about the baptism of Jesus from Matthew chapter 3, verses 3 through 17, it says that, "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John." But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Seems like that's the response a lot of us would have, doesn't it? And Jesus replied, "Let it be so now. It is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Very interesting phrase there. Then John consented. 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. And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Just a quick thought that is not necessarily important to the passage, but it might be. I did not know until this last week. I was listening to the Pulpit Fiction podcast, which is a really excellent podcast, especially if you're a preacher and you're needing some help with sermons each week. If you go through the lectionary, excellent commentary. But anyway, they were talking about how scientifically, physically, there is no difference between a dove and a pigeon. I did not realize this. So there is no difference in, uh, when you look at what we would call a dove and a pigeon. So think about that with the Spirit descending like a pigeon, or the Spirit of God descending like a dove, like a pigeon. We always think of doves as you know, sort of a white majestic creature, the white representing purity, and, you know, this sort of cleanliness and the beauty and the majesty. But think of it, that also it's the same creature as a pigeon. And pigeons are kind of like known as rats with wings. They're associated with filth, dirtiness, and disease. Things that we don't think you would associate with a dove necessarily, but they're the same animal. And I found that quite fascinating when, when reflecting on this idea of what Jesus does in his baptism, that Jesus comes down not into our cleanliness, not in the form of majesty and glory, even though It is proclaimed of His glory when His birth happens. But Jesus comes into our darkness. Jesus comes into our disease. Jesus comes into our sickness. Things that we consider unclean. These pigeon doves, so to speak. The Spirit comes like that. And think about it. Thinking about the baptism of Jesus. Jesus is this man who who walks up to the River Jordan in order to be baptized by John the Baptist. And then think about it, what happens? Well, as we think about water, let's just keep our thoughts on water today. Jesus entering into the water, the Spirit of God entering like a pigeon. All right, in the Old Testament, what does water most often represent? Well, I think it most often represents chaos, death. We often think of water as something that can add purity, almost like that contrast between a pigeon and a dove, something dirty and something clean. Water can be used to purify, but water is in the Old Testament often associated with death and chaos. So when we talk about being cleansed with this water and what Jesus is doing here in light of what happens in the Old Testament when the people of God touch the water, what do we think might happen when Jesus touches the water? You know, in the Old Testament, what happens when the people of God come running up to the waters while running from Pharaoh? Well, the waters part, don't they? The enemy is chasing them and they're running in hot pursuit, you know, they're running for their lives, and the water parts. The chaos, the death parts. And then when the water comes back together, it drowns the enemy. It drowns the foes. In the Old Testament, well, what happens when the Ark of the Covenant which was God's presence to his people, by the way. What happens when the Ark of the Covenant came to the River Jordan? Well, the waters parted and they crossed with the Ark of the Covenant. Well, a person who is, is well versed in the Old Testament, when seeing Jesus come to the waters, they might have every expectation that something miraculous is going to happen, like the waters are going to part when Jesus comes into it, because water represents death and chaos. In fact, we talk about water— the early church did— about the old Adam drowning and the new Adam being reborn. And Martin Luther said the problem is that the old Adam was a pretty good swimmer. So the waters don't part when Jesus touches them, when Jesus goes in. Instead, Jesus, who we believe is one with God through the Trinity, the Divine Son— God doesn't part the waters. With Jesus, God enters into the waters of chaos and death. And he is fully immersed. He is covered. That day, not only does Jesus come up to the chaos and the death of the water, he allows it to swallow him up. But it's also on this very day that for the first time God reveals himself in the fullness in Matthew as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit to humankind. We learn that God in Christ reveals himself clearly by immersing himself in the chaos and death of human suffering, just like Jesus immersed himself in water, that symbolism of chaos and death Jesus immerses himself in our death and our suffering. At the hospital, I'm often with families who are in the midst of chaos and death and suffering. As a chaplain, I walk into those places with much prayer, with sometimes fear and trembling. There are mornings when I am met with the chaos, with families who are met by grief. And there have been times that I've been in the parking lot with them as loved ones are shrieking, screaming, crying out, saying, "Why?" One mother looked at me when I walked up to her to see if I could comfort her And she asked me, "Can you bring my son back?" Sometimes they say it angrily, sometimes with a desperate pleading, "Can you bring my child back to me that just died? Can you bring my loved one back?" And I want so badly to be able to part the waters. I really wish I could. I wish I could come in and say, just like Jesus, "Lazarus, come forth!" And I wish their loved one would come walking out of that emergency room, that ICU unit, and greet them and hold them. But sometimes all I can do as a representative of the Kingdom of God on Earth is to, like Jesus, enter into people's chaos, enter into people's death and suffering. I feel like this is the work of God in the world. God doesn't always heal us. Sometimes there are miracles. Sometimes miraculous things happen, and I don't want to ever discount those things. I've seen things in the hospital as a chaplain that's Sometimes I feel like a true divine touch has happened and the course of people's lives have changed as a result. Not because of my doing, but because of the divine touch of the Lord. But more often than not, I find that my task is to enter into the chaos. I believe this is the work of the church. 1 Corinthians 12:27 says, "Now you are the body of Christ, each one of you is a part of it." So as I reflect back on the baptism of Jesus from this past week, moving into this new year, even as I right now am driving to the hospital, realizing that my task is to enter into the chaos and death of my fellow man, knowing that Christ meets us there, that Christ is not far away from those places. And I realize as I enter into those places of suffering and death, I am entering into the presence of Jesus, who allowed himself to be swallowed up by those things but who also was raised from the dead by God the Father. And I find such tremendous hope in that today. It enables me to go into those places where there is death and chaos and suffering, and to not suffer for other people, but to suffer with them. I can't do the suffering for for them, but I can suffer alongside with them. That I can be present to myself. That I can be present to the Holy Presence. That I can help others be present to themselves in order that I may help them become present to the Presence. May the Lord bless you today. Thank you for listening to this podcast, and I hope you have a wonderful start to your new year. The single I'm promoting right now is Shine a Light in the Darkness, and if you hadn't had a chance to hear it in a while, I thought I'd close the show by playing it for you today. It's being currently played on several Spotify playlists, which I am grateful for. I hope that will continue into the new year. So go out today into the chaos, into the death, and into the darkness, and shine a light into that darkness.

Be, would you a son of hell or a child of the king? After the lies you said were true, the compromise you waved on through, I know you're wishing for something new, but the ancient roads are calling you. Yeah, the same old love is crying out to you. Say, where there is hatred, let us love. Where there is doubt, let us trust. Where there is cursing, let us bless. Let us bravely walk through the shadow of death, shine a light in the darkness. Where there is hatred, let us love. Where there is doubt, let us trust. Where there is cursing, let us bless. Let us bravely walk through the shadow of death. Shine a light in the darkness. It's time to let all the fighting cease. Take up your cross and follow Rick Lee James. Come out and see what love can bring. The lame to walk, the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the mute to speak, the mourners cheer, the lepers clean, the prisoners set free. Where there is hatred, let us love. Where there is doubt, let us trust. Where there is cursing, let us bless. Let us bravely walk through the shadow of death. Shine a light in the darkness. Shine a light in the darkness.

Thank you for joining me here this week on Voices in My Head.

I hope you'll visit me on my website at rickleejames.com where you can find out more about me Get my music on vinyl and CD, follow my blog, and even schedule me for a concert or a speaking engagement. Better yet, even a book signing in your neighborhood. You can find all that and more at rickleejames.com. Also, it would mean a great deal to me if you could write a review of this podcast on iTunes. The more positive reviews that we receive, the more visible this podcast will be online. And now for the benediction: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. God bless you, and thank you for listening to Voices in My Head.