Every year the church tells the story of the revelation of God through Jesus Christ, beginning with the expectations of Advent, the birth of Jesus at Christmas, and then we follow the main events of his life, showing how the people saw God revealed in him. The visit of the wise men, the story of Jesus in the temple as a teenager, his Presentation as an infant, and today his baptism in the Jordan River. We do not always tell the story in the right order, jumping backwards and forwards in his life, but that doesn’t matter. What is important is to show that God was in Christ, and through him the world is being reconciled to God.

Today is a particularly important event. For the gospel writers it marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. The story occurs in all four gospels and for them Jesus’ baptism is a turning point in his life.

Luke tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old, a mature adult, when he came to John for baptism. He had heard about John’s preaching and teaching and he made a careful decision to be baptised. It is as if Jesus is using John’s baptism to affirm or declare his commitment to ministry. Matthew is the only gospel writer to emphasise this. He records how John questioned Jesus’ need for baptism. Jesus’ reply was, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us now to fulfil all righteousness.” Jesus might have been saying, “This is where my path leads, this is where I must go.”

The only other time that Jesus used similar words was when he was describing his coming crucifixion. Jesus’ decision to be baptised can be compared to this in importance.

And to make the importance quite clear, we have the evidence of the Holy Spirit, appearing like a dove; and the voice from heaven, declaring, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

In this way Jesus’ identity and his decision are acknowledged and affirmed. And to make the point clearer, the church adds to this reading, psalm 29, where the power and strength and glory of God are celebrated. As we listen to the psalm, we listen to the voice from heaven, a majestic voice that drowns the noise of the storm, a voice that flashes forth flames of fire, strips the forest of leaves and sweeps like a dust storm over the deserts of Kadesh. So the psalmist declares the glory of God in the forces of nature and the church declares the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ. The revelation, the epiphany continues.

But there is another aspect to our readings today. In the Gospel, Luke declares that the Holy Spirit appeared to affirm Jesus’ decision to be baptised, and in the book of Acts, also written by Luke, Luke describes the coming of the Holy Spirit to those who have been baptised. It is not only Jesus who is affirmed by the mighty voice and power of God – ordinary Christians who have accepted the word of God receive the Holy Spirit. To put it in the same terms as Jesus’ decision to be baptised so that righteousness may be fulfilled, God affirms us in the decisions we make to follow the path of companionship with God. St Paul uses the sentence, “All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.” and the prophet Isaiah proclaims the same in one of my most favourite passages of scripture. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine.” When our names are spoken at our baptism it is God declaring, “You are mine.” And we are urged to move on in faithful trust. “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.”

I wonder whether Jesus was thinking of those words as he walked into the river Jordan. I know that many Christians turn for courage to that passage when they need to make a difficult decision. For myself, I have kept a copy of it in a folder with my confirmation certificate, my ordination papers and the various licences I have held. Some of my ministry has been in deep waters indeed, and at the turning points in my life I have read those words and been encouraged. Three years ago they were there in the lectionary for my last Sunday in the parish of Henley Beach. Here they are again, as I start a new year among you I still need to hear what God is saying through Isaiah. “Do not fear, for I am with you,” says the Lord, “You are precious in my sight and honoured, and I love you.”

But these words are not for me alone, they are for all of us. Every living and active church community is always looking forward to new challenges and new risks. To look back is to die. Jesus said, “Any one who puts their hand to the plough and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of heaven.”

In the past we have made some decisions for our future, some have born fruit, some have died before they started. In February we will have a Future Forum to see what God has in store for us in 2007. Let me encourage you to commit yourselves and the future to God; to pray and to discuss, to study and to take advice. The wisdom of God is not vague or ethereal, impossible to discover or discern; instead it is always practical, concrete and achievable. In the book of Deuteronomy it is written, “Surely, this commandment that I am commanding you today is not too hard for you, nor is it too far away. It is not in heaven, that you should say, “Who will go up to heaven for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, “Who will cross to the other side of the sea for us, and get it for us so that we may hear it and observe it?” No, the word is very near to you; it is in your mouth and in your heart for you to observe.”

When Jesus chose to begin his ministry, to be baptized by John, he chose to do what was in his heart, and as he prayed, the Holy Spirit came to him to strengthen him in God’s love.

I pray for myself and for you that we may be true to our heart’s calling and aware of God’s love for us. I pray that we may be filled with the wisdom of God to see the way forward for us and our church; always aware of God’s loving presence among us, God’s glory to surround us and God’s strength to encourage us.