Origin Stories [Epiphany 1B: Baptism of Our Lord]
The Rev. Jeremiah Williamson
Genesis 1:1-5 & Mark 1:4-11
Origin Stories
There is just something about the
beginning of a story. My son, Oscar, has
a book called Marvel Super Heroes
Storybook Collection. The book is
comprised of twenty super hero origin stories.
Every story is a beginning. There
is the story of Peter Parker and the Hall of Science and the radioactive spider
bite that imbued him with his spidey senses.
There is the story of Bruce Banner becoming the Incredible Hulk after
being exposed to gamma rays. There is
the story of how Norrin is transformed into the Silver Surfer by Galactus,
devourer of worlds.
The stories, these origin stories,
are great stories. They are stories of
outcasts and underdogs entrusted with great power and, therefore, great
responsibility. They are stories of
unlikely courage and strength. They are
modern myths that give us creative lenses through which to view ourselves and
the world.
And even though the stories are
compelling without qualification, they gain their significance because there is
more to the story. The origin story is
just the beginning. The rest of the
story is why we care about the origin story.
We care about it because it is not also the final chapter. For example, if Ant-Man had been stepped on
and squished the very first time he shrunk his full-grown human body... Well, the story would not be a super hero
origin story; it would, instead, be a weird story of the wacky death of a mad
scientist. The story is in Oscar's super
hero book because there is more to the story – there are battles won, battles
lost, lives saved, crimes prevented, heartbreak, and redemption. It is in retrospect that an event becomes an
origin story.
“In the beginning...” An origin story. THE origin story. And why is this story, this creation story at
the beginning of Genesis, THE origin story?
Because God did not stop at Day One.
We read and tell the story of creation, this story of a God who ordered
a universe from chaos, because there is more to the story. There is a Day Two. There are days three through seven. The story goes on. There are battles won, battles lost, lives
saved, tragedies averted, heartbreak, and redemption. And the God of Creation was, and is, present
for it all – all of the ups and downs of human history. The story of God did not stop in Genesis
one. It continued. It is still happening.
It was this origin story, from
Genesis, that for centuries has been a source of strength and inspiration and
wonder. This story was told when life
was overwhelming, when exile seemed it would never end, when chaos threatened
to swallow the people alive. They went
back to the origin story to remember, to remember that their God was still
powerful, to remember that their God could still bring order to the chaos of
life. Because that is what God
does. And that is what God has done
since the very beginning.
The God who created the heavens and
the earth did not quit, did not stop, did not leave. That same God still hears the prayers of the
people. The God who said, “Let there be
light” is still making light of the darkness in our world. The God who was in the beginning will be with
us at the end. But it all started, “In
the beginning...”
The beginning: “In those days Jesus
came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized...” It is Mark's way of doing an origin
story. Unlike Matthew and Luke, who both
begin with Jesus' birth, Mark's Gospel begins Jesus' story in the waters of
baptism – in the Gospel story we heard today.
And like all origin stories, this story matters because the Jesus story
does not end in the River Jordan.
The story goes on. Jesus left the water; he left the water to
begin his public ministry. There are
healings, and parables, and miracles. There
are lives changed and lives saved. There
is the devastation of the cross. There
is the hopelessness of the grave. There
is the victory of the Resurrection.
There is the living Christ still present in the hearts and lives of
those who love him.
But first there is this origin
story. A story of water. Spirit.
And a voice. God's voice, saying
to Jesus: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” It is everything Jesus needed to carry out
the work which God had given him to do.
The baptismal event, this origin story, became Jesus' message, his
ministry, his life. What God told Jesus,
Jesus told others: God loves you.
Your origin story is not unlike
Jesus' origin story in today's Gospel reading.
Sure, the heavens were not torn apart as you came out of the water. And probably there were no doves. But the message is the same. The message is that you are accepted; you are
loved. And because you are loved by God,
you can live the rest of your story.
Baptism is your origin story.
Each of us who have been plunged into the sacred waters, were reborn
there, born of that first love, created anew by the Creator. And in that primary event, we are blessed by
God with everything we need to carry out the work God has given us to do.
But your story does not end with
your baptism. That is your origin
story. After baptism, there is work to
do. Your baptism, your origin story, is
meant to become your message, your ministry, your life. What God told you, you are called to tell
others: God loves you. David Lose says,
“This is why I think baptism is so incredibly important, because it offers us
the acceptance... of the Creator of the Cosmos and thereby empowers us to
accept others in turn. Baptism reminds us that wherever we may go and whatever
we may do or have done to us, yet God continues to love us, accept us, and hold
onto us.”[1] That is why we remember our origin story,
that is why we remember our baptism. So
that we can live the rest of the story.
God loves you, accepts you, is
holding on to you. That is written into
the beginning of your story. That is
your starting point. That is everything
you need. So, live the rest of the
story. Your origin story is amazing: reborn
in the water, sealed by the Holy Spirit, marked as Christ’s own forever. Live a life that is worthy of that origin
story. Live a life that leads others to
the waters of baptism, to that place where they can find what you already found:
a new beginning.
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