The 1st Sunday after Epiphany (The BAPTISM of our Lord) “Let’s Get Real”
January 7, 2024 Romans 6:1-11
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Dear brothers & sisters in Christ,
Pastors sometimes get criticized for preaching ‘impractical’ sermons, because we talk about spiritual stuff, or future things, instead of earthly, daily things. A complaint can be spending too much time preaching about doctrine, and not enough time preaching about what people ‘really need.’ You know: being relevant, like: what are the 5 key things to a happy marriage, or the 10 steps of raising well-adjusted & godly children? ‘Come on pastor, let’s get real.’ (I apologize ahead of time for using the word ‘real’ a few extra times in this message)
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Okay, we can be real; but it will have to be real for everyone. So here’s 2 things: Every living soul must face the fact that our lives are temporary, and we are all on the clock. We can’t see that clock, but we will hear the buzzer, & our life will end. That’s what’s ‘real’= for all. And all of us have the same empty spaces in our lives where our Creator was cut off from. Those empty spaces might not always be so noticeable, but they’re there: loneliness, insecurity, fear, loss, & need.
On any given Sunday here, there are those who miss their friends or spouse; young people who struggle to stand up against peer pressure. There are women who feel unappreciated, and men who regret neglecting their family/household. Some don’t want to look back at their lives because of some severe guilt; and some who live in the past because they don’t see much hope in their future. Everybody has some empty spaces = altho, maybe I didn’t mention yours. But everyone looks for something to fill-in their emptiness. Everyone has unfulfilled needs & desires; & spends their days trying to be fulfilled. Now, is that abstract, or real & foundational?
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Real empty life-spaces need real life-filling. The problem is, we can spend too much time trying to fill them in with something unreal. Our human nature is fallen & imperfect; facing away from God. So we will seek various kinds of diversions that we can think of, or that the fallen world offers to us. And since ‘there is nothing new under the sun,’ so those diversions have always been: entertainment, technology, achievement, money, false spiritual things, social acceptance, & the always present = sex, drugs, alcohol. Those things are used to seek & find meaning & fulfilment; but which of those lead us back to our Creator? (none)
Which ones actually cure our loneliness, fix our pain, answer our questions, or give us peace? Those things can distract us from seeing those empty spaces = but only for a while. The reality is that we are not just earthly, physical beings, we are spiritual beings; & the spiritual empty spaces are the most important & foundational to life. Therefore, only our Creator has the real fill for our spaces. And deep down, we know we need His things – as His clock for us ticks away.
At times, we can all wish there was more real life-fulfilment in electing the right leaders for our government. Or we wish that, after we have ‘binge watched’ that new TV show, or read that series of books, that we would have a real satisfaction, instead of feeling that we just kind-of wasted a lot of time. We do have an instinct that the real thing we’re needing will not be found in social media, or at a friend’s party, or in a self-help book, or in a bottle. If it’s real, what fills those spaces will have to be divinely real.
Such as: flesh & wood, water & word, bread & wine. Those empty human spaces need the real thing of God’s own truth; & the whole truth. Even our fallen human nature can detect half-truths or lies. Only the real God, and His real word, can address those real spaces that sin chased God out of. So, let’s get real: as real as the Son of God coming to us – in the flesh, and really being baptized -on our behalf- in the Jordan River.
Jesus Christ is the Savior for all of us, & His teachings are the word of truth for every day of our life, as the clock ticks away. The eternal Son of the Triune God, your Creator, knew that every human being ever born was going to need something to hold on to in this fallen life; some things that would feed & nourish your hope; tangible things that you could see & hear & look to – for His real comfort & truth.
As God’s Word says & history shows, God knew that the world would ‘kick the stuffing out of you.’ The reality is that Satan & his demons are not off partying in hell. 1Pet.5:8 says they are roaming the earth, looking for souls to devour. You’ve heard the newish term, ‘social influencer’ (or tic-tock influencer)? That’s an apt term for God’s enemies. They are influencing public opinion, public officials, & public schools. They are looking for you, your children & grandchildren, & your neighbor. Let’s not pretend that influence, or temptation, doesn’t exist. It’s real; & that’s at the start of any problem in your life. But, thanks be to Jesus, it’s only until the buzzer. Until then, we have His strength, & His ways.
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To comfort our weary souls, to fill some empty spaces, & to strengthen our faith with hope, the Lord has given you some real truth to hang on to; & we’ve already heard it once:
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried -therefore- with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in the newness of life.” (v.3-5)
That’s the truth from God-the-Holy-Spirit in Romans 1.
The apostle Paul was a real person; one of the greatest pastors & missionaries who has ever lived. Thru him, the HSp spoke to the weary hearts of those under the heavy hand of the pagan Roman Empire, and gives them something they can hold on to. It’s the greatest news any soul can hear; including yours. Paul tells them, and us, that we are connected to the
Son of God. Paul reminds them that they have been washed with real water which was connected to a very real word of promise. He proclaims that this was a very real & effective event in their lives, so that something real has happened to them.
This is your truth, too. With the promise & water of Baptism, the old you died that day, and someone new was born. This really happened; and there were real eyewitnesses.
Real physical water -combined with God’s true Word- has changed you & your future.
Your baptism connects you to the death & resurrection of Jesus. When He died, you died. When He rose from the dead, you rose from a real death. That’s a new life.
Now, when you feel uncertain about your identity or value in the world, or you’re not sure about what to put your hope in, the Living Word of Romans 1 directs you to look back to that moment when Jesus joined himself to you with water, & you were changed. Sinful influence makes it real hard to live in this fallen world; but the reality of our Baptism gives us the real promise of living under God’s mercy. That means our past is forgiven, our present is guarded, and our future is secure with Him.
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And since this truth-in-Jesus applies to each one of us, no matter what our empty spaces are, isn’t that really practical? And the Spirit doesn’t stop there. Paul writes: “We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over Him.
For the death He died – He died to sin, once for all, but the life He lives – He lives to God. So you must consider yourselves dead to sin, and alive to God in Christ Jesus.” (vv 9–11).
So Paul connects two real historical events: Christ’s death & resurrection, and your Baptism. Jesus’ real flesh & real blood were nailed with real nails, to real wood, when Jesus experienced a very real death. He paid for all your very real sins, saving you from a very real hell. And when He rose again, He rose to live eternally & reign in a very real heaven. And because you are connected to Him at your Baptism, you too will live eternally. Really. That’s what Paul urged the believers in Rome to cling to – as life was kicking the stuffing out of them.
God knew that things would be too tough for us – to go around thinking just abstract thoughts about salvation. This is why God connected heavenly things to earthly things = so that you have something to hold on to. This is why His worship service was meant to fill your earthly senses. You come to the Divine Service & you see with your eyes that you are not alone; you are with other tempted, fallen, but loved children of God. We confess our sins together, and so we hear that we are not alone in our sin. Here we look at certain reminders of God’s working: an altar, a baptismal font, a pulpit. Word & Sacrament are God’s tools for bringing you salvation; they are the means of His grace.
When you confess your sins, and hear the absolution here, it is not a different forgiveness than you receive in your private prayer. But God wants you to hear it pronounced verbally; a real forgiveness. With our voices united in hymns & liturgy, or by the voice of the preacher, you hear that God’s saving grace is real for real sinners.
In the history of the NT, the church used to have a smell attached to that worship involving repentance & forgiveness. Incense in worship is not a Catholic or Orthodox thing; it originated by God’s command in the OT. It was God who told them to burn incense in the tabernacle & temple, because the Psalms were prayers – rising like incense from the people up to heaven. So the church used to smell different than the world; and for some congregations, it still does. That helped to create a different state of mind for when God’s people gathered.
Incense & ceremonial washing, blood & burning sacrifices, feasting & fasting, singing Psalms & the blast of the ram’s horn were the OT ways God kept things physical, earthly & real for His worshiping people. His NT worship is also physical, with word & water, bread & wine.
Jesus himself instituted His Meal, where He joins His real body & real blood to the earthly elements of bread & wine, and has given to us His real presence for our mouths, and the real forgiveness we can taste. The Savior himself comes to us to renew our trust in Him, whose life & cross saves us from sin, death & hell. Seeing & feeling, hearing & smelling, eating & drinking. It seems that God has given us a lot of very real things to hang on to in this life. In this way, Jesus Christ fills those empty spaces of an old life that becomes new, so that we can now walk in His more fulfilling & satisfying ways.
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As the clock ticks on, and on this side of heaven, this Christian life is not a perfect life. We will be -at times- lonely or afraid, sick or suffering, influenced & fallen. To sin, or to be sinned against, causes misery. However, who but our sin-conquering Creator can give into our lives the best assurance & hope?
You have a real life out there in the world, in the home, at the job; but it’s real in here, too. Here you are reminded of your Baptism = a real promise with water; a real birth to a new life in Christ. You have been washed in the forgiving blood of the cross. As sin has caused all those empty spaces in our lives, so the forgiveness of Jesus is given to us in His Word & Sacraments, so that we will be restored as we wait for the heavenly life to come.
For all those who realize that the clock is ticking, that’s as real as it gets.
Amen.