The Baptism of the Lord

Lectionary: 21

I, the LORD, have called you for the victory of justice,
I have grasped you by the hand;
I formed you, and set you
as a covenant of the people,
a light for the nations,
to open the eyes of the blind,
to bring out prisoners from confinement,
and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Scholars debate what Isaiah the Prophet had in mind when he wrote the passage above. Who was the "you" who is called, grasped by the right hand, and set as a covenant? Was it the prophet himself, a now-forgotten Jewish hero in Babylon, the emperor Cyrus, the people of Israel, or a hero yet-to-appear? 

Many centuries later we also ask what it means for us. A catechism answer would say, "Jesus!" and move on to the next question. (They tell the story of the priest who asked the class of small children, "What wild animal looks like a pussycat but has a white stripe on its back?" After a considerable silence and much head scratching one boy replied, "I know you're talking about Jesus but it sounds like a polecat to me?")

As we come to the Baptism of the Lord and the end of the Christmas season, we might ask ourselves, "What difference has it made? Am I more hopeful, more willing, and less anxious than I was on December 3, on that First Sunday of Advent? In the rush of today's event, even the shortest Christmas season seems to have begun a long time ago. Has anything changed in my heart since then?" 

As a chaplain in the VA hospital I met some gentlemen who admitted they'd gone to church a few times. One fellow had been quite involved as a musician and choir member. But that was a long time ago. I was astonished that he felt no obligation or need to return to the church. He didn't miss it, nor had anyone asked about him. 

Someone else explained it to me, "Catholicism is a covenant. We feel an intense sense of belonging and obligation to the Church." Perhaps the initiation of seven-year-old children with "First Communion" leaves such a lasting impression that they cannot deny its power a half-century later. I've never forgotten the navy blue suit that my parents could ill-afford, or the new shoes and oil-slick hair of that day almost seventy years ago. Somewhere there's a two-inch, black-and-white, square photo of that solemn child. He can't imagine the challenges he'll face but he's ready. 

The covenant of Baptism and First Communion is not for the child; nor is  OCIA just for adults. They're for the whole world. We are sent as... 

...a light for the nations,

to open the eyes of the blind,

to bring out prisoners from confinement,

and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness.

Our Jewish brothers and sisters in the covenant have never forgotten their mission to the world. The LORD spelled it out to Abraham in the twelfth chapter of Genesis: 

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you.

The whole world knows about Christmas. They've heard that it has something to do with the birth of a messiah or a holy one of God. Perhaps they've heard he is supposed to be a savior -- whatever that means. 

But they don't know who he is; and they'll never know until we appear as God's holy people, righteous, generous, willing to share our hope and joy, willing to serve the common good, willing even to carry the cross of covenant.