Sermon for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
January 11, 2026
St Barnabas’ Anglican Church
Beloved in Christ,
With the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, which the Church celebrates today, we officially bring the Christmas season to a close. Many of us have already begun packing away the decorations, but liturgically we have remained in Christmas until this very moment. Before we move fully into Ordinary Time, let us pause and notice how beautifully Christmas and this feast belong together.
What is Christmas about, if not God becoming a baby—entering our humanity completely? And what do we see at the Jordan? That same Jesus, now grown, stepping into the water of a sinner’s baptism. The manger and the river proclaim one message: God has come to stand in our place.
John’s baptism was something entirely new. Gentile converts to Judaism were baptised because they were regarded as unclean. The children of Israel, however, understood themselves as already clean—chosen and holy by God’s covenant call.
Yet here is John, the son of a priest, who by right should be serving in the Temple in Jerusalem. Instead, he is in the wilderness, dressed like Elijah, proclaiming to his own people: “You too are unclean. You too need repentance. Without this turning, the Messiah cannot come.” Crowds come, confess their sins, and are baptised. Only the proud—some Pharisees and Sadducees—stand back and argue.
Then comes the truly scandalous moment. Jesus, the sinless One, presents himself for baptism. John protests: “I need to be baptised by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus answers, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to fulfil all righteousness.”
Jesus has no sin to repent of. There can be only one reason: he chooses to stand in our place. What he begins in the Jordan—identifying with sinners—he will finish on the cross.
As he comes up from the water, the heavens are torn open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and the Father’s voice declares:“You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
These words are spoken before any miracle, any teaching, any act of obedience beyond this humble substitution. Pure gift.
Because Jesus stands in our place, the Father is speaking those same words over us—over every sinner he represents, over you and me. “You are my beloved child; with you I am well pleased.”
This is why Martin Luther and our own Thomas Cranmer treasured this scene. Here is justification by faith alone: we are declared righteous and beloved not by our works or goodness, but because Jesus has taken our place and given us his—the great and holy exchange.
Yet how often we live under the devil’s lie: “I am not enough. I must do more to earn God’s love.” That lie wounds children and derails whole lives. But the voice from heaven speaks the healing truth: You are already beloved. The Father is already pleased.
Imagine waking each morning not with a frantic to-do list to become acceptable, but with the simple reality of who you already are in Christ—washed, forgiven, delighted in.
If you knew your retirement was fully funded, a harsh word from your boss would lose its power. So it is with the gospel. When the Father’s delight is already yours in Jesus, the world’s contempt and the devil’s accusations lose their sting.
The Pharisees could not receive John’s baptism because they refused to admit they needed it. Pride blocks grace; humility receives it.
So return in your heart today to the font. Hear the Father’s voice spoken over Jesus—and over you. And step into this new season carrying the truth that changes everything:
Thanks be to God—I am baptised. I am his beloved child. With me, because of Jesus, the Father is well pleased.
Amen.
Fr. Wojtek Kuzma