As we continue to think about our congregation’s theme for this year, “Many members. One body united in Christ.”, the Baptism of our Lord provides us with a good opportunity to think about the root of our unity as a body. That unity doesn’t actually begin with us. It begins, as all things do in the Church, in Christ. We can only be one with one another because the Son of God made Himself one with us. He did this first by taking up our flesh in His incarnation and then by taking up our cause in His Baptism. In the waters of the Jordan River, Jesus took up His place “with all the people”. That is, Jesus was publicly revealed as the Christ, the one anointed by God to bear the sins of the world. Jesus was the one upon whom God the Father set His seal, the Holy Spirit, promising that all who were found in Him through faith would share in the salvation He promised, being reconciled to God. In Jesus, God dwelt among sinners so that sinners might eternally dwell with God. All of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death. Baptism unites us to Jesus making His death to sin, our death, and His resurrection, our resurrection. Because He lives, we also live. Being thus joined to Him in Holy Baptism, we are then joined to all who have likewise been baptized into this one Lord and confess together the one faith in Him. We do not have a different Lord. Neither do we have a different faith. In this we are made one – one with God and one with one another. Thus our Lord bids us as one body, confessing one faith to gather around our one Lord. And wherever two or three are so gathered in Jesus’ Name around the gifts of His kingdom, Jesus is there in their midst bestowing life and salvation. God grant that we, His dear children through Baptism and thus brothers and sisters in Him, might eagerly gather together rejoicing in this unity with God and with one another now and for all eternity. I look forward to seeing you this coming Lord’s Day.
Pastor Ulmer