First Sunday after the Epiphany 2025

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

Rev. Neli Miranda

 

Last Sunday we celebrated the Epiphany, when like the wise men from the East, we were blessed with the Divine manifestation of the birth of baby Jesus. Today, on the first Sunday after Epiphany, we discover that the infant has now grown into a 30-year-old young man devoted to God. He, together with the people, has heeded the call of John the Baptist, who calls the people to turn to God. Luke tells us today that, upon John’s proclamation, the people were filled with expectation, questioning whether John might be the expected Messiah. However, John, referring to Jesus, proclaims: “I baptize you with water, but one who is more powerful than I is coming…He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (3,16).

As John announces the Messiah’s arrival, Jesus is there among the people, anticipating the sacred moment to dedicate himself to God and begin his proclamation. So, as all the people are being baptized, Jesus is humbly walking among them to be baptized, too. Following his baptism, Luke tells us that while Jesus is praying, heaven opens up and the Holy Spirit descends upon him. He has offered his complete will to God, and his profound prayer has opened the heaven. In response, he receives Divine approval and is called the “Beloved Son”; he is invested with the Divine presence and a voice coming from heaven declares, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased” (3,21).

In his baptism, Jesus identifies with humanity; he offers himself to God as the new humanity that fulfills God’s will. Thus, in his baptism, he becomes the bridge that links heaven and earth. For this reason, he is called the Beloved Son, who surrenders his total will to God. He will now embody the glory of God, the Epiphany among the people. Jesus will baptize and immerse the people in the transformative power of the Holy Spirit and purifying fire. As of this moment, Jesus is infused with Divine power, and he initiates his mission: proclaiming God’s liberating message, healing the afflicted, liberating the oppressed, and bringing bread to the hungry. In his baptism, he emerges as the Epiphany that enlightens and illuminates the world!

Sisters and brothers, as disciples of Jesus, we have offered our lives to God in the Holy Baptism, we have received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, and we have been called children of God. In our time, we are the beloved children who embody the Epiphany when we serve God in all persons in our communities. We are the people of the Epiphany!

Every year, our Christian spirituality calls us to reaffirm our baptismal vows and offer our entire will to God. We, as the new humanity, surrender to the divine will to persevere in resisting evil, to proclaim through our words and actions the Good News of God in Jesus, to seek and serve Jesus in all persons, loving our neighbors as ourselves, to strive for justice and peace among all peoples, and to respect the dignity of every human being. We are the people of the Epiphany!

As we gather today around the baptismal font, let us rekindle the flame of our faith and renew our baptismal vows with conviction. May the Divine presence descend upon us, inspiring us to fulfill God’s will. May we all hear within our hearts the Divine voice saying, “You are my children, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Together, let us spread the light of Epiphany in our world!!

Amen.