First Sunday after Epiphany, The Baptism of our Lord: Isaiah 43:1-7; Acts 8:14-17; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22; Psalm 29
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. (Isaiah 43:1-2)
Hearing this while watching the terrible fires in Los Angeles is a bit unnerving; as of now, at least 13 people have died, consumed by the flames. Where is God in all this? God is everywhere, it turns out. We often act as if we are all separate, but we are not. It has been extraordinary to watch people reach out. Those I know who have needed to evacuate have had multiple offers of places to go. Fundraisers for people and institutions that have lost their homes have received gifts from around the country. Firefighters have come from around the state, the country and the world to assist in fighting these extraordinary fires. People are helping. The impulse to help, to give, is one way in which we see God present in challenging times.
Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord. We may think of baptism as a nice thing we do for little children, but the baptism service makes it clear we are talking about death and resurrection. It’s not just sweetness and light; it is deadly serious. In the thanksgiving over the water,
We thank you, Father, for the water of Baptism. In it we are buried with Christ in his death. By it we share in his resurrection. Through it we are reborn by the Holy Spirit.
We die, and return to life. When Jesus had been baptized into his new life, “the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased’.”
“With you I am well pleased.” In baptism we join Christ, we share in Christ’s baptism. We too are beloved of God, with whom he is well pleased. Our response to that is attempting to live out all that is promised in Baptism. The service is full of phrases that can shape our lives: “Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and to love you, and the gift of joy and wonder in all your works.” Wonder and joy! An inquiring and discerning heart! Courage! These are great gifts!
Some phrases are more challenging, but still ones that stay with us: we promise that we will “persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?“. We offer to “seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” It is good to know we are more or less expected to fall into sin, and we need to admit the ways in which evil can be very hard to resist. And there are certainly neighbors in whom it is difficult to see Christ. But we persevere.
When you face disaster, whether a communal natural disaster like the fires, hurricanes, or flooding, or a more personal one of disease, fire or death, it is easy to feel abandoned by God. Yet today’s readings remind us again and again that we are not alone. God comes to us in those who help us through loss, grief, and struggle. Isaiah promises,
Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, and from the west I will gather you; I will say to the north, “Give them up,” and to the south, “Do not withhold; bring my sons from far away and my daughters from the end of the earth–everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.
In baptism, these promises are echoed. Just as Isaiah tells us that “I have called you by name, you are mine“, the voice of God tells us that “You are my Child, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased“. May we believe it. And let us pray for all those who struggle to believe it.

(From LA Times )