Mark 1:4-11 Sunday 11^th January 2008

One of the difficult things about the Church Calendar is that things move very rapidly at this time of year, some seventeen days ago we celebrated the birth of the baby Jesus, last Tuesday the Wise Men arrived at the stable, now just a few days later we have the adult Jesus making his first appearance, seeking out his cousin John to be Baptised by him. But it should serve to remind us that Christ is timeless, here yesterday, today and tomorrow, unchanging and constant.

And from where I am standing I can three symbols for that period of time. I can see the star shining high in the west window, the crib and the font where shortly Fergus will be baptised.

Many people had responded to John’s call, to repent and turn to God, and as a sign of this had come to be Baptised, to have their sins washed away to truly turn anew to God, and today they were joined by Jesus.

Jesus may have been sinless, but in being baptised he was showing his commitment to God. As we heard he went into the River Jordan and as he comes up out of the water, the heavens do not just open, they are torn apart – just as the Temple was, at the crucifixion, and out of these torn apart heavens the Spirit-Wind, descends like a dove upon him. And a voice from heaven declares, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Shortly we will call on the Holy Spirit when Fergus is baptised, for the Holy Spirit is , not just something reserved for Jesus, for kings and princes. The Holy Spirit is here for all of us, it is freely offered to us, all we need to do is to turn to Christ.

When I was ordained my youngest grand daughter announced to all within earshot that she had been watching that man (Bishop Tom) all the time but she hadn’t seen the Holy Spirit come down once.

Phoebe may not have understood, but the Holy Spirit like Love is all embracing and powerful, God is love and the Holy Spirit like love sustains us, comforts us, gives us strength, it is that amazing, indescribable gift from God. And I believe that through his baptism Christ was showing us his understanding of our frailty, demonstrating how he is alongside us in the bad times as in the good times. That, that is the promise given to each of us at our Baptism; being given today to Fergus.

Going back to the star at the top of the west window., I was saying to Fr Andrew the other day that what fascinates me most about our windows is that star. For in a sparsely populated Redhill our west window must have provided a spectacular picture when the church was lit. Was the real purpose of the star, the message, that that star, shining in the east, as people looked towards Redhill, was bringing people to a place where they would find not just the baby Jesus, but the living Christ. And if that was the intention has that message like the star become lost from view, from the mind, within the development of the modern town, or do we still shine out like a beacon drawing people to the Risen Lord, or have we become invisible.

When the Spirit descended like a dove on Christ God said ‘You are my son, whom I love, with you I am well pleased’. Each day God says to us ‘You are my children, whom I love’, but does he also say with whom I am well pleased.

Do we as Christians live out the promise made for us at our baptism, if anyone can still see that star, up there, shining out when the church is lit up, do they see, think, of this place as showing the light of the Risen Christ shining in the dark or does it convey nothing, and have we forgotten that this building isn’t the church - we are?

Holy Spirit, giver of new life to the human spirit, full us with your grace. Empower us for the work that you have for us to do in this world, following the example of Jesus, the sinless one, who accepted the baptism offered to sinners. Amen.