The Start of Something New

Matthew 3:13-17

Baptism of Our Lord, January 11, 2026

Holy Trinity Cathedral

“The Start of Something New”

We are in a new year.  We have a new start.  Today, we are celebrating the start of something new, both in the life of Jesus, and in the life of Dominic, who is to be baptized.  The gospel reading from Matthew describes how Jesus was baptised in the Jordan River by his cousin John.  This marks the beginning of his public ministry of preaching and teaching about the kingdom of heaven.  Because he decides to submit to what was a rite of repentance for sin, Jesus makes it into something more.  From this day forward it is a gateway for every new Christian to get onto the path of righteousness.  And God is delighted!

Jesus didn’t need to confess any crimes or rotten behaviour.  But he did come to identify with the whole of our human experience.  Even though like every other baby, he was born good when he came down to earth, he entered into a world that is filled with wrong.  Humans know brokenness and pain, oppression and injustice.  We have not listened to what God wants for us.  We have not loved each other or seen the image of God in each other.  Every person encounters the stain of sin, and we can’t avoid getting dirty because of it.  We can’t set it right by our own actions except by turning back to God.

Jesus didn’t get a privileged or protected childhood.  His family wasn’t rich or powerful, even though long ago his ancestors were kings of Israel.  He grew up in Galilee as the adopted son of a working-class father.  His parents didn’t grow up in Nazareth: they moved there after being exiles in Egypt.  We don’t know much of his childhood but he probably wasn’t the golden popular boy at school.  Maybe he was teased or bullied for being an outsider, or just weird.  His brothers and sisters may not have defended him, but even if they did, there are limits to shielding someone from the cruelty of the world.  God became incarnate, enfleshed in a human body, but that doesn’t seem to have been very noticeable to those around him. Yet in his growing and learning, Jesus was preparing for the saving work God had in mind.

Now, his cousin John was a little different.  He had already been listening to God’s word that the Saviour was coming into the world.  He proclaimed that people needed to repent and return to God’s way.  As an outward sign of the power of forgiveness, he washed them clean with water.  When Jesus came to him, he had a revelation.  Here was his cousin, someone he had grown up playing and tussling alongside.  Yet, God showed him that this was the Holy One he had been expecting.  Faced with Jesus, John protests that he is the one who needs cleansing.  He is not worthy to even undo or carry the sandals of his younger cousin, because he sees the Holy Spirit in him. 

But Jesus is fully human.  He is in the world.  He is part of our human condition.  And he is willing to get wet with the rest of us, and let God’s healing grace raise him up again from the water.  “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 3:15).  This is the start that witnesses to the world the power of salvation.  In the moment when he comes back up from the water, a way between heaven and earth is opened. 

There is a private sign and a public sign in baptism.  Not many of us see the Spirit of God descending like a dove, like Jesus did.  We may not feel very different afterward (except for a little damp!).  But something inside us changes in our orientation.  Our hearts are turned towards God.  Our bodies are set on a new path called righteousness.  We are not made perfect, but we are made whole.  Because of baptism a wonderful thing called sanctification begins: a making holy/wholly.  It is an inward and spiritual grace gifted to each new Christian.  The public sign is what we are doing this morning: with water and oil and the words of life spoken.  God is pleased with this public declaration of decision.  In Jesus’ case, the people around him even heard a voice from heaven: “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”  And as Jesus lived and died and rose for us, he makes it possible to be beloved children of God after him.

With water and with holy oil, we affirm that each person who comes to this sacrament is chosen.  With the sign of the cross, they are marked as Christ’s own forever.  This new beginning becomes a second birth day.  No longer just for this life, but the path of righteousness that goes forward from here into all eternity.  To help us follow the way, we have our covenant of faith.  The promises we make are stepping stones to keep us on the way.  Along with Dominic, we say that with God’s help:

• we will continue in fellowship with other believers, in worship and communal and personal prayer. 
• We will resist evil and turn back to God for forgiveness when we stumble.
• We will encourage each other and share the good news of Christ.
• We will serve in love and work in justice.
• We will honour all creation.

All of us are going to get a little damp, as we are sprinkled with holy water.  As we remember the meaning of baptism, we are brought together in faith.  We are re-membered- made whole again.  Today we baptise Dominic, whom his parents named as “of the Lord”.  Today we celebrate that we are all of the Lord because of Jesus Christ.  Amen.