John the Baptist is having a "not me" moment. Hundreds have come to the River Jordan stirred by his preaching.  They have entered the waters and stirred up its muddy bottom.  They have received John’ s baptism for the repentance of sins.

And now the water is awash with their sins....

Then the Lamb of God, who will take away all sin, steps into the water.

The filthy waters of humanity’s worst thoughts and behaviors, actions and inactions. . .you, know those things done and left undone. . .

And John has a "not me" moment.

Of course, he does.

He knows. He knows that his cousin Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, the anointed one come into the world to save sinners.

Jesus reassures him. Let it be. Let us so this now to fulfill all righteousness.

Righteousness. The right relationship of the sinless one to John’s baptism before his own ministry and death and resurrection is submission.

What would this moment look like if Jesus had said,  "You’re right, John. Move over. Let me do you up. . . Down into the water you go." ?

Jesus would have been self-serving, not God-fearing.

Jesus would have been affirming the status quo. . . Top dogs stay top dogs. And the meek get dust in their face instead of inheriting the earth.

Because of this moment which ushers in Jesus’ teaching and preaching, his miracles and healings, his death on a cross and his rising to life again,  Peter can say to the centurion Cornelius, a gentile, not a fellow Jew,

"I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."

Salvation is open. To all. To all who know and follow Christ.

Recall the stories of Advent and Christmas and Epiphany: From the moment of his conception, this Savior was turning things upside down. A virgin conceives. The Prince of Peace is born in a stable and laid in a feeding trough. Both shepherds and kings kneel in homage.

And now, Jesus stoops in submission to the Baptism of John.

John, the Forerunner. . . The one whose vocation it is to say. . .

After John had baptized him, Jesus came up out of the water. . 

And the HEAVENS opened.

And a VOICE said

Wow.

When things are right, there is a clarity about them. We see and hear and know that harmony. Right-ness, clarity, harmony...these are sign posts that help us move forward.

In Terry Prachett’s novel, Small Gods, the main character moves forward following signs from God. These signs from God are turtles left on fence posts by eagles.

Friends, our signs are not turtles on poles.

We move forward informed by scripture and formed by sacraments.

We move forward following the example of saints past and present.

One Sunday morning, the priest told the congregation that  Samuel and Irene were giving a stained glass window in celebration of the life of their son Samuel Jr. who had served his country and died in Vietnam. In addition, they were putting $5000 into the Church’s growth in mission and ministry fund.

Everyone was touched.

One woman was so moved, that she poked her husband and said, "We should do that, too."

"What are you talking about? Michael didn’t die in Vietnam."

"I know, I know," she whispered.

And they both looked across the aisle, to where Michael was sitting with his family.

Jesus Christ came into the world to change the world.

We cannot go about our days as if God’s Incarnation makes no difference.

God has come to us, lived among us...

Was baptized by one of us....

Died among us...

And now is Savior in the midst of us.

And we are among those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.

I can’t say it any better than one matriarch who spotted young ones from her church misbehaving out in the world, she collared them with one glance and said sternly,

"You are baptized. Now act like it."

AMEN.