Catechesis: Creed

Here [in the Creed] we see that God gives Himself to us completely. He gives all that He has and is able to doin order to aid and direct us in keeping the Ten Commandments.—LC II:68.

Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord, 2022

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen

This past Thursday, people loved by God, we celebrated the Epiphany, which the Germans call Drei Königsfest. Three Kings Feast. Martin Luther once quipped, though, that the true three Kings feast is the one we celebrate today: the Baptism of our Lord. For here the three preeminent Kings, the persons of the Blessed Trinity reveal themselves to sanctify all water to be a blessed flood and lavish washing away of sin, so that we might safely come to have a portion in the divine life and reign that is their eternal joy. Before we work through the Holy Gospel, would you join me in prayer? Lord God, heavenly Father, who together with Your Holy Spirit revealed Yourself in a most gracious manner at the Baptism of Your beloved Son, who bore all our sins, and by Your voice directed us to Him, that through Him we might have forgiveness of sins and all grace; we beseech You, sustain us in such confidence, and inasmuch as, in accordance with the command and example of Your Son, we also are baptized, strengthen our faith by Your Holy Spirit and bring us to eternal life. Amen.

Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. Isn’t it a bit odd how Baptism pops out of seemingly nowhere in the New Testament? But there were hints in the Old Testament that it was coming. Remember the vision of Ezekiel 47 and the waters that issued from the Temple and that carried life with them wherever they went. Remember Ezekiel 36 and the promise of God to give us a new heart via sprinkling with clean water and that He’d put His Spirit in us. Remember how Zechariah saw in the 13th chapter of his prophesy that a fountain would be opened in the house of David for sin and for all uncleanness. So hints are there all along. But then John the Baptist finally appeared and the hints all began to make sense. Now, there is a saying of St. Augustine in the Church “verbum accedat ad elementum et fit sacramentum.” Luther said Augustine never said anything better: that is, the Word comes to the element and it becomes a Sacrament. And THAT, people loved by God, is exactly what you see happening here. The Word, our Lord Jesus, the Eternal Word of the Father, comes to John’s Baptism so that He can transform the element, the water, and make it be by His presence more than John’s Baptism by itself could ever be. Now it will be a life giving water, full of grace. But this causes the Baptist to pucker his brow.

But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? That is, I am a sinner and all these that I baptize are sinners. But You, Jesus, are no sinner. Why would you possibly want to receive a sinner’s baptism? This is a Baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. This is a Baptism for those who are willing to admit they’ve gone astray; turned away from God and His love; tossed His commandments behind their back. So why are YOU here?

And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer [it to be so] now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. I suppose we might render that with: Don’t argue, Cousin! Go along with me here, okay? THIS is how we will fill up all righteousness. Now, what does that mean? There is a two fold action taking place here. First, by standing with us in our sin, Jesus is promising from this moment to head to His cross. He will stand with sinners under the judgment of God and do so that sinners might be sheltered from it. And secondly, He is putting His very own righteousness, His FLAWLESS keeping of the Law, His eternal unbreakable YES to His Father’s will into the water for us, that it might be our very own. So Jesus and John fulfill all righteousness. Jesus promises to bear the very consequences of all our sins and Jesus promises to give to us His shining, flawless righteousness. And all by the Word coming to the Element, by the Son of God stepping down into Jordan’s flood.

And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, Three things immediately transpire when John consents and baptizes Jesus: first, heaven is opened. In Mark’s Gospel it is even more graphic. Heaven is torn open! The home that we lost in Eden, closed by angelic guards barring the way to the tree of life; this home Jesus restores to us in the water. Get in the water with Him and suddenly you have a heavenly home again! And second:

and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: Jesus, of course, didn’t need the gift of the Spirit, for the Spirit eternally proceeds from Him, but WE need this gift. And so not only does Baptism open heaven, but it gives the gift of the Spirit. And just to make sure we don’t think that this is only for Jesus, remember how St. Peter preached on the Day of Pentecost: “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of your sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you and to your children.” Acts 2:38, 39 So get in the water with Jesus and heaven is opened to you and the Spirit is given to you. And one gift more:

And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Again, not anything HE needed. He was ever the Father’s beloved Son. But this is what we need. A rebirth that consists of adoption into the Father’s family. Oh, beloved! How amazingly awesome is this? The heavenly Father looks at you when you get in the water with Jesus and proclaims: “This my kid. I love them so. I am tickled pink with them.” That’s how the Father truly sees you because of Baptism.

And one last thing to note: Baptism did not merely GIVE these gifts to you once upon a time. As our Small Catechism makes so beautifully clear: it GIVES them still. “It WORKS forgiveness of sins, DELIVERS from death and the devil, and GIVES salvation to all who believe this as the Words and promises of God declare!” All present tense. The gifts Christ plants in that holy water by His presence and Word and promise there hold fast for you all the days of Your pilgrimage. No need to pour the water on you again, that water that was poured once embraces your entire life. And if you’ve wandered from it into the byways and sin and unbelief, you need only return to it again in repentance. Said another way, the absolution is wet! It dumps you right back into the initial water of Your Baptism.

So yes, indeed, the Baptism of our Lord is the true Three Kings feast. The Son stands in the water to sanctify it and open heaven’s door, the Spirit descends to testify to our rebirth, and the Father speaks in tender love proclaiming us as His very own beloved. All that, your Jesus dumps into the water. The Word comes to the element and it becomes a sacrament indeed, and for that all glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Patristic Quote of the Day

Of the Jews, shepherds were the first-fruits; the Magi became the first-fruits of the Gentiles. The former were brought to the manger from near by, the latter from afar off.—St. Fulgentius, Homily for Epiphany

Luther

Therefore, if we desire happiness and want a pure and happy conscience, we must forgo King Herod’s manner of living and following another king, which is Christ; and that means, that we must not be so bold as to seek justification through works, nor place our hopes therein, but that we must blazon on our hearts the image of Christ alone, the gracious Lord, who comes without any show.—Sermon, 1521

Catechesis: The Creed

But God’s Spirit alone is called the Holy Spirit, that is, He who has sanctified and still sanctifies us.—LC II:36.

Patristic Quote of the Day

As from the their treasury they gave mystical gifts to the Lord, so let us also from the treasury of our hearts offer gifts that are worthy of God.—Pope St. Leo the Great, Epiphany Homily

Luther

But the saintly men are not misled… Heedless of the poverty and wretchedness, they fall down before this Babe and worship  Him, and open their treasures and present them to Him.—Epiphany, 1544.

Catechesis: The Creed

Let this, then, be the sum of this article: the little word Lord means simply the same as redeemer. It means the One who has brought us from Satan to God, from death to life, from sin to righteousness, and who preserves us in the same.—LC II:31

Well, it’s been 42 years…

…since my father’s death on this very day in 1980. Now I’m two years older than he ever lived to be. It makes me sad that he and mom didn’t really get to know my children, let alone grandchildren. I trust that that will be remedied in the glories of the Kingdom. Till the day of resurrection, rest in peace, Daddy! 

Patristic Quote of the Day

From now on we enter our eternal heritage; and the truth which the Jews in the blindness of their hearts did not receive, casts its light on all nations. Let us fittingly honor this most sacred day on which the Author of our salvation appeared. He whom the Magi worshipped as an infant in the crib, we will adore as the omnipotent King of heaven.—Pope St. Leo the Great, Epiphany Homily

Luther

But further, we are priests, which is more than kings, for priesthood makes us worthy to stand before God and to pray for others. For it behoves none but priests to stand before God. Thus Christ gained this privilege for us, so that we might stand and intercede for one another in spirit, as a priest stands before his people in the flesh making intercession.—On the Freedom of a Christian, 1520.

Catechesis: The Creed

Now, all that we have, and whatever else is in heaven and upon earth, is daily given, preserved, and kept for us by God. Therefore, it is clearly suggested and concluded that it is our duty to love, praise, and thank Him for these things without ceasing.—LC II:19

Patristic Quote of the Day

Let us acknowledge, beloved brethren, in the adoration of the Magi the first sign of our calling and of our faith: and let us celebrate with glad hearts the beginnings of our blessed hope.—Pope St. Leo the Great, Epiphany Homily

Luther

For I have often said, it is the heart’s trust and faith alone that makes both, God and idols.—The Larger Catechism 

Catechesis: The Creed

For if we could by our own power keep the Ten Commandments as they should be kept, we would need nothing further, neither the Creed nor the Lord’s Prayer.—LC II:3

Patristic Quote of the Day

The Word made flesh so ordained His manifestation that as a new-born Infant He would be known to believers, but hidden from persecutors. Already on Christmas the heavens were resplendent with the glory of God and the sound of His truth went forth to all the earth, when an array of angels appeared to the shepherds as messengers of the new-born Saviour and the guiding light began leading the Magi to adore Him.—Pope St. Leo the Great, Epiphany Homily

Luther

Therefore should we praise Him and thank Him, that He alone may be our son. So shall we truly be blessed in Him. It follows, that this Lord is Jesus Christ, true God, eternally born of the Father, and also true Man born of Mary, in the fullness of time, because He is here praised as our strength and power, our psalm and Saviour.—Comment on Psalm cxviii.14

Catechesis: Conclusion of Commandments

So this word, “You shall have no other gods before Me”, in its simplest meaning, states nothing other than this demand: You shall fear, love, and trust in Me as your only true God. For where there is a heart set this way before God, that heart has fulfilled this commandment and all the other commandments.—LC I:324.

December Workout Stats

I really dropped this down a bit in December, and then missed a few days with illness. I’ve switched workout routine to doing 250+ pushups on Monday-Wednesday-Friday, together with 24 45-lb kettle bell swings and 24 pull ups. But then on Tuesday and Thursday, I do my high intensity interval training (only for ten minutes; thank you, Apple Fitness!). So totals: 2301 pushups; 240 kettle bell; 240 pull ups; and six HIIT workouts. I think, getting older and all, the body appreciates that day off between the body weight workouts, and (of course!) the two days off on the weekends. 

P.S. And have zero idea how accurate the bathroom scale is, but it reports that on Dec. 31, body fat percentage was at 12.2. 

142

In the first pic, Chancellor Barbour Weedon (my grandfather) is holding William Chancellor Weedon’s hand; in the second pic, William Chancellor Weedon is holding grandson Chancellor James Herberts. 

Chancellor Barbour - born in 1879.

William Chancellor - born in 1960.

Chancellor James - born in 2021.

142 years between the birth of Chancellor my grandfather and Chancellor my grandson.