In the final episode of the TV Series “The Wonder Years,” Kevin, as the narrator, says this: “Things never turn out exactly the way you planned. I know they didn’t with me. Still, like my father used to say, ‘Traffic’s traffic, you go where life takes you’ and growing up happens in a heartbeat. One day you’re in diapers, the next you’re gone, but the memories of childhood stay with you for the long haul. I remember a time a place, a particular fourth of July, the things that happened in that decade of war and change. I remember a house like a lot of houses, a yard like a lot of yards, on a street like a lot of other streets. I remember how hard it was growing up among people and places I loved. Most of all, I remember how hard it was to leave. And the thing is, after all these years I still look back in wonder.” For most of us, our childhoods were like that…years full of change and wonder. But at some point, we grow up and we often seem to lose touch with that sense of wonder.

I think that faith can be very similar. When we are young in our faith journey, everything feels exciting and new. The early part of our Christian journey is full of wonder. For those of us in the Presbyterian tradition, that part of our journey probably began with baptism. It may have taken time for that journey to come to fruition…maybe years or decades…but we were set forth on the journey at the font with words such as this: “In baptism God claims us, and seals us to show that we belong to God. God frees us from sin and death, uniting us with Jesus Christ in his death and resurrection. By water and the Holy Spirit, we are made members of the church, the body of Christ, and joined to Christ’s ministry of love, peace, and justice.” In the Reformed Church in America’s baptism liturgy, the declaration of baptism says that the person baptized is “engaged to confess the faith of Christ, and to be God’s faithful servant until life’s end.” For those outside the Presbyterian or Reformed tradition, baptism might be more toward the end of that journey of wonder. As our wonder culminates in faith, we seek a sign of that new commitment. For those in other traditions than ours, baptism is that sign. In our tradition, that step is called confirmation or profession of faith. And that step, no matter what it looks like, is the result of that wondering, that searching, that waiting.

Today is the first Sunday after Epiphany, which is designated in the church calendar as Baptism of the Lord Sunday. It is the day on which we remember that Jesus himself was baptized. And it is the beginning of the culmination of many years of wondering and searching and hoping and waiting by the Jews. So, this morning, I want to talk about the wonder of Jesus’ baptism and the importance it has for our lives. In a sermon series on baptism, Pastor Stephen Whitney wrote this: “In every life there are turning points that determine the course and direction of our life. The college degree we choose and the person we marry are two of the most significant decisions we make. They change the course of our life, where we will live and what we will do with our life. For 30 years Jesus lived in Nazareth with his father Joseph and his mother Mary. The time has come for him to reveal who he is and so he makes a decision to be baptized by John as many other people were also coming to be baptized.” That moment for Jesus changed things. It is sometimes talked about as the inauguration of Jesus’ public ministry. It didn’t necessarily change who Jesus was, but it began to change how others viewed Jesus.

So, John’s baptism, Scripture tells us, was a baptism of repentance. If that’s the case, then would Jesus have needed to be baptized? The answer to that is probably NO. But Jesus chooses to anyway. Why would that be? I spent a lot of time considering this question. But the answer that Pastor Stephen Whitney gives makes the most sense to me. He writes: “Since Jesus was without sin then why did he go to be baptized? John was leading a movement of people back to God through repentance of sin and Jesus wanted to identify himself with those who were acknowledging their sins and turning back to God.” Jesus wanted to associate himself with people like us. It seems that from the beginning that was Jesus’ goal. He was born in human flesh in order to become like us. And then he was baptized in order to associate himself with sinners seeking repentance. Epiphany celebrates the wise men seeking after Jesus, but today we celebrate Jesus seeking after us.

But it also presents us with an opportunity. Jesus’ baptism was a turning point in his life as it kicked off his public ministry. As we reflect on that story, we have the opportunity to consider what new season of life we want to kick off. Last Sunday, many of you received a Star Word…one word to guide you through the year. Today, I want to challenge you to begin to consider how God may be calling you to live in this new year. Maybe that word you received has already inspired you. Maybe you need to be like the magi and do some searching. Maybe the truth has been staring you down for a long time and you just have not been able to accept it. Or maybe you have some ideas but just can’t decide which one to really pursue. Wherever you are on that, it’s ok. Today can be just the beginning of that journey of wondering and seeking.

Today, as we remember Jesus’ baptism, we can also remember our baptisms…the beginnings of our journeys of faith. That time when our wondering was just being awakened. And let’s open ourselves to a new set of wonder years. A new journey of faith. A voyage into a deeper faith…a fuller faith. This new year we’ve entered looks to be challenging. We continue to face the struggles presented by this pandemic. Our nation is deeply divided. We are grieving so many losses. We still can’t do all the things we want to do. But perhaps in the midst of all of this we have an opportunity to renew our sense of wonder. To try new things. To discover more about ourselves and about God. Our star word can present us with a jumping off point. But it will be in our seeking and our wondering that we truly draw closer to God.

Today, on this Baptism of the Lord Sunday, let’s be drawn into the wonder of all that Jesus was and is. Let us remember our own baptisms and the grace into which we all have been brought. And let us seek the Lord where he might be found.

Sister Mary McGlone wrote this about Jesus’ baptism: “This was a “Behold!” moment for Jesus himself. Whatever he had done before this, coming up from the water was his epiphany, a moment of discerning how God’s life would fill him and call him forth. Like the resurrection, the epiphany after his baptism was Jesus’ personal religious experience, a uniquely God-touched moment that would be ratified later in the transfiguration and resurrection appearances. Whatever motivated Jesus to go to John for baptism, his experience as he came up from the water affirmed the relationship he had cultivated with God and the vocation he was about to begin living in public…

Christians are not called simply to worship and believe in Jesus Christ, but to share in his intimate relationship with God. We too are invited to seek to do God’s will and to hear the response, “You are my beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” Behold! This is what we celebrate in remembering Jesus’ baptism and our own.”

May we rediscover the wonder of an intimate relationship with God made possible through Jesus Christ! May we begin a new journey of discovery and wonder as we seek the Lord where he may be found and follow whatever star might be leading us! And may we find ourselves once again in the wonder years of our faith, renewing our spirits and replenishing our joy. And may that renewed sense of wonder be a light to those around us and beacon of hope, joy, peace, and love to the world! Amen!