You know, . . . it’s rather instructive to pay attention to Saint Matthew’s use of tense at the beginning of his Gospel.  . . . When the text starts, Matthew uses the past tense.  He writes (in Chapter 1, beginning at verse 18), “Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way . . .”  And then Matthew begins Chapter 2 by saying, “Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem . . .”  Past tense is used again.  … But Chapter 3 begins in a different way.  . . . The original Greek text reads that Saint Matthew writes, “In those days comes John the Baptist . . .,” and a little further on is today’s Gospel Lesson.  . . . The Greek text (not the English translation which intentionally mistranslates the Greek in order to keep in the past what is presumed to be a past event); . . . today’s Gospel Lesson, as Saint Matthew wrote it, reads:  “Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John.”  . . . “In those days comes John the Baptist . . . Then Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to John.”  … It is all in the present tense.  Having dispensed with the historical background, Matthew now moves on to tell you what is presently happening.  You are right there; so that it is all taking place before your very eyes.

    And so, there is John the Baptist, standing in the River Jordan, clothed in a rough camel’s hair garment with a leather strap around his waist.  His voice booms across the water, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!”  . . . And all his arguments are very compelling.  Here you are, an ordinary person:  honest and hard working, trying to shed a little brightness in your corner of the world among those you love; you try to get along with everyone; you don’t cheat or steal; . . . and yet, try as you might, your goodness won’t take:  the streets are filled with bribery, theft, extortion, drugs, murder, and rudeness.  . . . John may be right.  Things could just be so bad that God will come and put a stop to them.  . . . So, what would it hurt to go and be baptized by John.  You have a few sins it would be good to be rid of.  It wouldn’t hurt to show God you’re on His side.

    So, here you are, standing in the Jordan River, shoulder to shoulder with every sort of person you can imagine . . . and just ahead of you is a skinny fellow from up North, to judge by what he’s wearing.  . . . And when John gets to him, . . . he stops in mid-sentence . . . and falls silent.  All you can hear is the rush of the water ‘round your knees.  . . . And John the Baptist says to the skinny fellow, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”  To which the skinny fellow replies, “I don’t understand what you mean, cousin.  God appointed you to baptize; let’s obey God and not improvise.”  . . . And John nods somewhat dumbly, and the skinny fellow kneels down in the water, and John says the words of forgiveness and pours water over him . . . and a dove of light descends from the sky and a voice from heaven says, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

    Now, of course, the skinny fellow is Jesus Who has just come from Galilee, and you are in time to see His baptism.  . . . And to tell the truth, I don’t know if anyone other than Jesus saw the dove or heard the voice (I rather think not), . . . but Saint Matthew wants you to know what happened, because it’s important.

    John the Baptist, somehow, recognizes Jesus to be the One he has been preparing everyone to receive!  And, although commissioned by God to baptize everyone for the repentance of sin, . . . John offers to make an exception for Jesus.  But Jesus says, “Let it be so now; it is more fitting for us to obey God rather than to follow our own lights.”  . . . That is not exactly a take-charge, burn-the-stinkers-with-unquenchable-fire remark for a kick-butt saviour to make, now, is it?  Certainly not the kind of response John’s preaching led us to expect.  It certainly isn’t what John expected!  . . . That’s because we think of God on the one hand; . . . and then we think of the rules God makes up to govern us!  But Jesus says that God and the Law do not exist apart from one another.  The Law is an articulation of the heart of God, . . . and so, to fulfill the heart’s desire of God, Jesus says, . . . He and John must do exactly as God’s Word declares must be done.  Jesus, Who is Emmanuel, God with us, Incarnate of the Virgin Mary, . . . Jesus must obey His own rules.  Jesus doesn’t say, as some people in these present times, “Oh well, I don’t have to be baptized by John, because that rule was made up by stuffy, ancient, controlling men who didn’t have any regard for my personhood!”  Jesus doesn’t say, as some people in these present times, “I don’t have to be baptized by John, because how could a loving God require us to grovel around in the water as if we were mere amphibians!”  . . . No, instead, God, being clothed in our humanity, does exactly what is required of humanity.  . . . God Himself repents.  . . . The Word of God given to John to proclaim is that humanity must “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, . . . and Jesus, Who is the Incarnate Word of God, . . . Jesus must obey God’s call, which is His own.  . . . Because when it happens -- when John washes the flesh of Jesus and pronounces the assurance of God’s forgiveness, . . . Jesus rises up from the water as humanity embraced by God; . . . Jesus rises up from the water, and the Kingdom of Heaven stands before us (!):  the Heavens open, the Holy Spirit descends; and the heavenly Father declares that what Jesus is … God is:  “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

    And this is why Saint Matthew wants you to know what God the Father says to Jesus the Son at His Baptism by John.  The Kingdom of Heaven is not a far-off someplace, hidden in a distant time; which you must die in order to see.  The Kingdom of Heaven is Jesus.  . . . Because, you see, in that instant when John’s hand was upon Jesus . . . the promise of God’s salvation and its fulfillment met face to face.  From that moment onward . . . to this very moment . . . Baptism ceased to prepare for holiness, and has become the sign that holiness comes to us!  This is so because your Baptism is the Baptism of Jesus.  The promise which John preached has been fulfilled, and so, has come to its end.  All Baptism after the Baptism of our Lord is reception of what is promised:  it is the reception of Jesus, … and of His Holy Spirit.

    So, at your Baptism you and Jesus became united one to the other:  your flesh -- your humanity -- is exactly the same flesh -- the same humanity -- as that of Jesus; and the Holy Spirit of Jesus is exactly the same Holy Spirit bestowed upon you in fulfillment of God’s promise.  Therefore, you and Jesus are of the same family, tribe, and nation:  you are the heavenly Father’s son . . . you are the heavenly Father’s daughter . . . by adoption and by grace; . . . you didn’t earn it; God just did it because He loves you.

    And this is why, having dispensed with the historical background, Saint Matthew moves on, in the Gospel appointed for today, to tell you what is presently happening:  Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan; . . . Jesus comes to the place of Baptism; . . . and you are a holy place of Baptism to which Jesus comes.  And wherever two or three of you are gathered together in the Holy Name of Jesus, there is a holy place of Baptism as well:  a holy place of Baptism to which Jesus comes!

    And this is why the Baptism of our Lord is celebrated on the First Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany; . . . because it is not an historical event that took place once upon a time; . . . it is an Epiphany:  a manifestation of the presence and the power of God.  It is what each of you are.  It is what the Sacrament of Holy Baptism makes of you.  Outwardly, you were laved with water, . . . but truly and eternally . . . you are the place where Jesus is; you are a gateway into the Kingdom of Heaven, . . . and you are a portal through which the graces of that eternal realm are poured out upon the world . . . so that the world might know and never forget  Jesus.  Today is a celebration of your life’s work to embrace and to manifest the holiness which God has bestowed upon you.

    Therefore, on this day I call upon you to renew the covenant with God wherein you became this wonderful thing.  I call upon you, now, to renew your intention to be an open gate into the Kingdom of Heaven.  The form for renewal of your baptismal vows is found on page 292 in The Book of Common Prayer.