Give Existence to God’s Insistence

St. John’s United Church of Christ
Greeley, Colorado
January 8, 2023
Rev. Juvenal Cervantes

Isaiah 43

1 But now, this is what the Lord says—
he who created you, Jacob,
he who formed you, Israel:
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have summoned you by name; you are mine.

2 When you pass through the waters,
I will be with you;
and when you pass through the rivers,
they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire,
you will not be burned;
the flames will not set you ablaze.

3 For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I give Egypt for your ransom,
Cush[a] and Seba in your stead.

4 Since you are precious and honored in my sight,
and because I love you,
I will give people in exchange for you,
nations in exchange for your life.

5 Do not be afraid, for I am with you;
I will bring your children from the east
and gather you from the west.

6 I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’
and to the south, ‘Do not hold them back.’
Bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the ends of the earth—

7 everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

Luke 3:15-17; 21-22

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah.

John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come,

the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with[b] the Holy Spirit and fire.

When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him

in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

John 15:16

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit— fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

As we consider these Scriptures it is important to understand that the Bible was not written to us; it was written for us. That means we must pay attention to the original setting and not rip verses out of context as if we are tearing pages out of a book that has a before and after to it.

When you read this passage in context—not out of it—you begin with the words being directed to Israel at the time of their deliverance from captivity in Babylon. Israel remembered that God had chosen them and redeemed from slavery in Egypt.

God had brought them through the waters of the Red Sea and led them by a pillar of fire by night in the desert until at long last they entered the Promised Land and settled down in that land of milk and honey. But at the time of this writing, they had experienced another long captivity, this time in Persia.

Now they looked out at the rivers of Babylon and wondered about their future. Just there and then, God promises that God has redeemed them and will be with them through the waters and fires to come. God knows them. God claims them. God loves them.

The question comes then, are these words only meant to communicate God’s choice of one people on earth for God’s own love and redemption? No, the passage itself uses language of creation to express redemption. I created you, and I formed you, Isaiah says as a mouthpiece for God. The words recall the language of Genesis when God made and formed all human life. Israel was chosen to represent God’s intention for all humanity, not to be the exception to it.

Which also means that if we are to understand our relationship to God rightly, it can’t be on our terms. It must be by way of God’s claiming of Israel to reveal God’s love and redemption. We Gentile Christians are chosen too, but only through Israel. This is why the end of the passage says that God is bringing people from all over the globe to Israel—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Everyone. Did you hear that?  But how do we get included in Israel without converting to Judaism? Through Jesus, the Messiah of Israel and Savior of the world. He is the linchpin between Jews and Gentiles. Instead of always and only seeing how Jesus divides us, we should look at how he unites us, without denying the uniqueness of each. Through Jesus, Gentiles like you and me are brought into the story of Israel. We share in the promises of God—promises like these in Isaiah that God will be with us too when we pass through the waters and walk through the fires.

This is why this text is joined today in our readings to the baptism of Jesus. Jesus is baptized by John in the river. He passes through the waters. And then John talks about how Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit and fire. All this recalls the words of Isaiah.

Whether you were baptized by immersion or sprinkling, you know the waters have not overwhelmed you. You have passed through the waters and God has been with you. Now, you have nothing to fear in life or death because you belong to God.

Gene Greer was a dedicated Christian and an active member in his church. In the final weeks of his life, Gene was dying of pancreatic cancer. The doctors told him the treatments were not going to preserve his life; there was no cure. He told the doctors not to worry about him. He said: “The worst thing that can happen to me is not the worst thing that can happen to me. Even death does not have the last word. I belong to God.”

Our baptism is a reminder that we don’t need to be afraid of anything because we have already passed through the waters of death unto life.

Baptism is rehearsal for death. When the time comes, we need not fear it because we’ve already practiced for it in the baptistery.

Isn’t that something?

But it’s also true that baptism isn’t a one-time event of passing through the waters; it’s an ongoing experience. Which is to say, being chosen by God, being part of Israel’s story in the world, requires that we continually pass through the waters and walk through the fire.

This is part of what we learn in the Christian life. Once you begin this journey, you can expect that there’s no way off it or around it or turning back from it. It’s always and only a through way.

Israel passed through the waters and fire in Egypt, and they had to do so again in Babylon. It wouldn’t be the last time either.

I don’t know why the Jews have had to suffer for their chosenness the way they have. I suspect it has more to do with the world’s wickedness than anything God designed for them.

But if we want to claim to be part of Israel’s story now too—through Jesus, we must give up the idea that we deserve some other way in the world around suffering.

On a personal level or as members of this church family, many of us are well acquainted with grief, disappointment, discouragement, loss, worry, anxiety, and uncertainty. And God has seen us through.

Now is no different. Hear these words again now, because while they weren’t written to you, they were written for you: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. Amen.