On this feast of Our Lord’s baptism, there are many different directions to take the homily. Perhaps the most obvious would be to explain Jesus’ baptism, with its theological and historical implications, what it means for us and our own baptisms, and how it is the beginning of his public life and ministry. All good points and helpful teachings. But today I want to take another direction, based on the observation of a Christian minister, which spends some time considering the act of affirmation, present in the baptism of Christ.
Listen again to that beautiful moment when Jesus emerges from the water:
“After Jesus was baptized, he came up from the water and behold, the heavens were opened for him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”.
What powerful words of affirmation! What a way to begin this new stage of his life! What a way to feel before setting out on his public ministry! What a thing to know before any special act has been undertaken, anything accomplished!
This is a perfect opportunity to reflect on the act of affirmation, something I’ll admit, doesn’t come easily to me. This feast gives us a chance to consider what it is, how special it is when God affirms us and in turn when we might affirm others.
The word affirmation means to state positively or to assert some truth; especially some truth concerning the nature of another person and the relationship one has with them. The person who affirms something or someone stands by his word. They put their conviction, their care into what they are saying. They invest themselves and all that is true into their speaking. To affirm something means to value it.
But all too often when we affirm someone, we follow with: "Don't you think you could have done a little better, don't you think if you had taken more time, or if you had put more effort into it, you could have won first place, or made it perfect?"
No matter how tough or independent we are, we all long for affirmation. We long to be praised. We long to be valued and considered worthwhile, especially by those whom we love and respect. All of us long for affirmation but too often, it seems, those words come too late, after we have gone out from our homes and families, after we have struggled with things, winning some and losing others. Too often they come after some victory or in the midst of some crisis, as if we had to prove ourselves worthy of them, or in desperate need of them. This is the experience in many people's lives.
Fortunately, God’s affirmation of us as his children is different.
The whole story of Jesus' ministry begins with affirmation. Even before Jesus had told a single parable, even before he had healed a single person, there is affirmation. God speaks those beautiful words, "With you I am well pleased." while Jesus is still coming forth from the water.
If we think of our own experiences of giving and receiving affirmation, it usually comes after doing something well. In this case however, Jesus has done nothing to merit the profound words of love and respect that God grants him when he says: "With you I am well pleased." God speaks them before, to Jesus and to us. He speaks them before any action which might lead us to think that we have earned the affirmation, before any action or event that might be interpreted as cause for us to receive or not receive affirmation.
This is the cornerstone of God’s love and the gift of his grace. And it is when we come to understand that we are children of God, that we can receive this grace, this affirmation, this love that can soothe our soul and empower us for charity. This is what our baptism is all about; reminding ourselves and others that we are indeed children of God. It is about affirming the inherent good of each and every person, seeing the good in them that God does.
Since the day that Jesus was baptized at the river Jordan, baptism has become a sign and sacrament of God's unconditional love for us. In baptism, by the water of new creation, by the faith we profess, and by the action of God, we are marked as God's forever. In our baptism, as in the baptism of Jesus, we celebrate God's welcoming love, a love that comes prior to anything we may have done or will ever do.
The wonder of it all is that each day God renews his loves for us as he speaks tender words in the scriptures and the sacraments about who we are and what we can do. God's love always remains unconditional; it always affirms us, it always nurtures and encourages us to practice a similar love.
Brothers and sisters, God loves each of you, right here and right now. Turn anew to God and to his Word. Turn each day to your brothers and sisters in the faith. Turn to worship and prayer and feel within, God’s affirmation concerning you. Then show forth the love God has for you by affirming one another as God does: before being asked, before the other has done good or bad, before they deserve or do not deserve your favor and your encouragement.
And after affirming others, after creating an atmosphere of encouragement, praise, fairness, acceptance, and charity; pray and thank God, and do it all over again, knowing that this is how God greets you every day. Only good can come of it. The good that we all seek, the good that we all need.
