And so John came, baptizing in the desert region and preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. John wore clothing made of camel's hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. And this was his message: "After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit." At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased." [NIV]

We all like hard workers. Pastors like hard working confirmation students. Parents definitely like to have hard working children. Teachers like hard working students. Employers want hard working employees. Hard workers make life easier on others and on us. Things get done and done the right way. Today we learn that God the Father is a hard worker, God the Son is a hard worker, and the Holy Spirit too. Together they got things done and got them done the right way— to save us. Today, we take a special look at how they, as one God, work hard to bring us salvation through baptism.

We should be so thankful for our hardworking God because without his hard work, not one of us would have any chance to be saved. Spiritually speaking, we have left all things undone in our half- hearted ways. It has been this way for all of humanity since Eve ate from the tree and gave some for Adam to eat. Adam and Eve left all things undone. They bore children like Cain who left things undone. The unbelieving generation of Noah who died in the flood certainly left things undone. The generation of the Tower of Babel left things undone. But even well- known believers like King David left things undone. God’s prophets left things undone. John the Baptist left things undone. On and on and on! It is amazing that God would work so hard to accomplish on our behalf the very things we left undone, that is, to love Him and our neighbor perfectly.

Even more amazing— He didn’t even become bitter about it! What I mean is this. Parents, when the kids don’t clean up the house like you asked them to, what is your attitude? You know what your attitude is. It’s the kind of attitude that causes men to go bald, women to go gray, and wrinkles to form around the eyes.

But we parents leave many things undone as well for our kids. We may read to our little ones, help them with their ABCs, teach them how to throw a ball. As they grow older, we may teach them finer skills like fishing, changing the oil in the car, cooking. But how tragic that we are more devoted to teach them these things— no matter how important they are— than God’s word for their salvation. Also, we live our lives as if our kids are not watching us. Recently I expressed some anger over something that was being reported falsely on a newscast, as if my children wouldn’t pick up on this. It was my son who snapped me back to reality, when he said: “That’s OK Dad; you don’t have to be angry.” They are watching us fail them quite often, so it is no surprise if their attitude sours towards us at times.

Although God is rightfully angry at what we all leave undone— He is a holy God after all— He nevertheless came to complete everything we left unfinished, and He did so with a good attitude. He wanted to do it for us in love! This is clear in today’s Gospel lesson.

Out of Nazareth Jesus asks John the Baptist to baptize him. John, much like us when it comes to peering into the mysteriousness of God, thinks this should happen the other way around. As Matthew’s Gospel records for us: “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus assures him, saying: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Here is our hardworking Savior! He comes to leave nothing undone for us. He who is Lord over all comes to be baptized by a sinner. He does this to take his place in the position of sinners. He does not need baptism for Himself, but we need Him to be baptized to fulfill all righteousness for us.

In connection with his hard work to save us, we learn that He is not the only one working hard. After Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan, and steps out of the river, “He saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” In connection with Jesus’ baptism, we see the entire hardworking Trinity, the great three in one God, revealed. The Son being baptized, the Spirit descending upon Him to strengthen His human flesh, the Father speaking approvingly of His Son, whom He chose to be our Savior.

This cooperation should not surprise us. Even at creation we find the Spirit hovering over the waters, the voice of the Father speaking: “Let there be,” and the Son also was there creating (John 1: 1- 3, 10). We see this cooperation in relation to their creation of mankind. Speaking amongst themselves, as recorded in Genesis 1: 26: “Let US make man in OUR image.” Father, Son, and Spirit working hard for our good.

So it is at Jesus’ baptism. As the Spirit attended the Christ, and as the Father watched over his dear Son, with whom He was well pleased, Jesus would keep pleasing the Father as He completed everything to save us. In the most trying circumstances He fulfilled the spirit of perfect love the Commandments demanded of us. He faced temptation for us. He was rejected for us. He was flogged and wore a crown of thorns for us. He went to the cross and suffered to take away our sins, and did not cut short that suffering until our sins were taken away. Only then did He say, “It is finished!” Only then did He give up his spirit (John 19: 30). But our hardworking Savior did not stop there. He rose again, once for all, proving that all our sins have been cast into the depth of the sea, and that God literally sees us as having lived the perfect love He requires. The Baptism of Jesus began it all in that it marked the beginning of His public ministry. Until that point He lived unknown among the people.

Since that time His Saving Name has been proclaimed throughout the world. He is now intimately known to our believing hearts now that we have been brought to faith by the power of our own baptism in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This faith we have been given signifies the importance of our own baptism. While Jesus did not need to get baptized for His own benefit, we do need to receive baptism for ourselves. This is why Jesus commanded the church to “MAKE disciples of all nations, BAPTIZING them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to observe all that I have commanded.” Christ instituted baptism as a tool of the Holy Spirit to bring us to faith— to make us His disciples— washing away our sins and sustaining us in the faith. We need this blessing because we aren’t able to do or earn any of these things for ourselves.

Here, it is good to remember the baptism of St. Paul. Before becoming the hardest- working Apostle according to the grace God had given him, he was the church’s greatest persecutor. One day, on the road to Damascus, Jesus came to Him and said: “Saul, Saul, Why do you persecute me?” And at that, Jesus took away Paul’s sight, telling Him to go to Damascus to meet a man named Ananias. When he reached the house where Ananias was staying, he was welcomed in. Ananias then said to Paul: “The God of our fathers has chosen you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear words from his mouth. You will be his witness to all men of what you have seen and heard. And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name” (Acts 22: 14- 16).

In this the Trinity worked hard for Paul, bringing him faith and the forgiveness of sins through baptism, the one baptism we all share as Christians. And we do share it, for we are not baptized in the name of any denomination, but in “the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” As we confess in the Nicene Creed: “I believe in ONE baptism for the forgiveness of sins.” This blessing we live in every day as it serves as a pipeline for the Holy Spirit, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, to bring us the salvation our hard- working Savior accomplished for us with His holy sweat and blood. All this we remember when Jesus Himself was baptized to begin his public ministry to save us! SOLI DEO GLORIA

DEAR LORD. FROM THE HEART WE THANK YOU FOR THE HARD WORK YOU ACCOMPLISHED TO RESCUE US FROM SIN. DEAR FATHER, YOU SENT YOUR ONLY BELOVED SON. DEAR SON OF GOD, YOU LIVED, DIED, AND ROSE AGAIN TO SET US FREE. DEAR HOLY SPIRIT, YOU HAVE BROUGHT US TO FAITH THROUGH BAPTISM TO RECEIVE THE FORGIVENESS AND SALVATION CHRIST WON FOR US. WE PRAY FOR THE SALVATION OF MANY MORE. AMEN.

[NIV] New International Version used throughout.