Worship Helps for Epiphany 1
Artwork: Baptism of Christ
Artist: Giovanni Bellini
Worship Theme: “Why did Jesus need to be baptized? I
thought baptism was for sinners?” It seems strange that our Savior, who was
perfectly sinless, would need to be baptized, and yet he was. Why? Because
Jesus had come to be our perfect Savior, and he is revealed as such in his
baptism. God laid on him the sin of the world (Jn 1:29 ). Even from birth he endured the effects
of our sin. Though Jesus wasn’t a sinner himself, he was carrying our sin, pain
and sorrow (Is 53:4), making him seem an unlikely Savior. But by taking our sin
and suffering on himself, Jesus actually became our unlikely, yet perfect
Savior (Heb 2:10 ; 5:7-9).
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 16:1-13
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you
mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn
with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I see a king for
myself among his sons.”
2Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and
say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’
3Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are
to do. You are to anoint for me the person that I point out to you.”
4So Samuel did what the Lord
had told him to do and went to Bethlehem. Trembling with fear, the elders of
the city came to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”
5He said, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come
with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them
to the sacrifice.
6When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, “Certainly this is the Lord’s anointed.”
7But the Lord said to Samuel,
“Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected
him. For the Lord does not look at
things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel
said, “The Lord has not chosen
this one either.”
9Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
10Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11Samuel
said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?”
Jesse said, “There
still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse,
“Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.”
12He sent for him and brought him in. David had red hair and striking eyes,
and was good-looking. The Lord
said, “Get up! Anoint him, because this is the one.”
13So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his
brothers. The Spirit of the Lord
rushed on David with power from that day forward. After that Samuel set out and
returned to Ramah.
1. Whom had God rejected as the King of Israel?
2. When Samuel went to anoint a new king, did he and the
Lord agree on who would be the “perfect” king?
3. Whom did the Lord finally choose as Israel’s new king?
Epistle: Titus 3:4–7
4But when the kindness and love of God our
Savior toward mankind appeared, 5he saved us—not by righteous works
that we did ourselves, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the
washing of rebirth and the renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6whom he
poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7so
that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs in keeping with
the hope of eternal life.
4. According to St. Paul, why did God save us?
5. According to St. Paul, how did God save us?
Gospel: Luke 3:15–17, 21–22
15The people were waiting expectantly
and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ. 16John answered them all, “I baptize
you with water. But someone mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to untie
the strap of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17His
winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will thoroughly clean out his threshing
floor. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire.”
21When all the people were being baptized,
Jesus was baptized too. While he was praying, heaven was opened, 22and
the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came
from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love. I am well pleased with you.”
6. What was the purpose of the baptism given by John?
7. If Jesus was sinless, why was he baptized?
8. Which three special persons were present at the baptism
of Jesus?
1. Saul.
2. No. Samuel was impressed with the oldest sons of Jesse
because they were big, strong and handsome. But the Lord had different ideas,
as he explained: “The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks
at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
3. God chose the youngest son of Jesse, David, the
forefather of our perfect Savior, Jesus. Jesus, too, would seem like an
unlikely choice to be our perfect Savior (cf. Is 53:2-3).
4. Paul plainly states that God did not save us because of
righteous things we had done (our good works), but because of his mercy. In
other words, our salvation depends entirely upon God’s love for us and not our
love for him, a concept that seems unlikely to human reason.
5. Paul explains that God saved us “through the washing of
rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit.” The Christian church has always
understood this to be a reference to Holy Baptism, where God washes away our
sin through this water connected to his Word of promise.
6. The purpose was the same as the baptism we have today:
it’s “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Mk 1:4).
7. Though Jesus did not have any personal sin, in his role
as our perfect Savior he was carrying the sins of the world (Is 53:6; Jn 1:29;
2 Co 5:21). He welcomed the promises of God that baptism gives sinners.
8. The Holy Trinity (God the Father, the Son and the Holy
Spirit) were present at Jesus’ baptism. In the same way, the Holy Trinity was
present at our baptisms, as we are baptized “in the name of the Father and of
the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt 28:19).
Strictly speaking, our Savior did not
need to be baptized. He had no sins that needed to be forgiven. We, on the
other hand, desperately need baptism. Paul’s words crush our sinful pride that
tries to take at least partial credit for our salvation. At the same time his
words comfort us that God, in mercy, gave us what we could never earn or
deserve. Through something seemingly so simple as water applied in the name of
the Triune God, God’s “not guilty” verdict becomes our own. Now we have a
wonderful inheritance: heaven!
You must honor Baptism and
consider it glorious because of the Word.
For God Himself has honored it both by words and deeds. Furthermore, He confirmed it with miracles
from heaven. Was it a joke that, when
Christ was baptized, the heavens were opened and the Holy Spirit descended
visibly, and everything was divine glory and majesty [Luke 3:21 –22]?
I encourage that these two—the
water and the Word—by no means be separated from each other and parted. If the Word is separated from the water it
may be then called a bathkeeper’s baptism.
When the Word is added, as God has ordained, it is a Sacrament, called Christ’s Baptism. This is the first part about the holy
Sacrament’s essence and dignity.
In the second place, since we
know now what Baptism is and how it is to be regarded, we must also learn why
and for what purpose it is instituted.
We must learn what it profits, gives, and works. For this also we cannot find a better
resource than Christ’s words quoted above, “Whoever believes and is baptized
will be saved” [Mark 16:16 ]. Therefore, state it most simply in this way:
the power, work, profit, fruit, and purpose of Baptism is this—to save [1 Peter
3:21 ]. For no one is baptized in order that he may
become a prince, but, as the words say, that he “be saved.” To be saved is to be delivered from sin,
death, and the devil [Colossians 1:13 -14]. It means to enter into Christ’s kingdom [John
3:5], and to live with Him forever. – Large Catechism, Article IV, Baptism (paragraphs
21-25)
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