Theophany Sermon: Returning to Our Baptism

Մենք պետք է վերադառնանք այդ պահին։ Մենք պետք է վերադառնանք մեր մկրտության, որովհետև դա հիմքն է մեր հոգևոր կյանքին, որովհետև ինչ որ արած ենք այս կյանքում, և կարծեմ, որ բոլորս մկրտված ենք այս տաճարի ներս այսօր, ինչ որ արած ենք, ուր որ գացինք, ուր որ հասանք այդ ճանապարհի վրա, կար մի օր, որ Հիսուսի վկայությամբ և օրինակով գիտեք, որ երկինքը բացվեցավ, պատռվեցավ, և Հայրը դուրս ելավ Սուրբ Հոգու հետ և մեզի յուրաքանչյուրիս մեկ-մեկ նայեցավ և ասավ՝ սա է իմ սիրելի զավակ։ Բոլորս ունեցած ենք այս դեպքը մեր կյանքի մեջ։ Եթե կարող ենք գտնել այդ զգացողությունը որպես կենտրոն մեր հոգևոր կյանքին, ուր որ ենք և ուր որ հասած ենք, մենք պիտի կարողանանք մեզ գտնել և վերադառնալ ճիշտ ճանապարհին դեպի հավիտենական կյանքին։

Today’s message, which we read about in the Gospel of Matthew, and which we’re going to celebrate in a short moment during the blessing of the water, is the baptism of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. This is a very crucial moment. Now, I know that in American tradition, in Western tradition, they do celebrate, of course, the baptism of Jesus Christ. Of course, they do. This has its own separate feast day. Why wouldn’t they? This is a very important moment for all of Christianity. But you could go through the entirety of the Christmas season in Western culture and not once hear about the baptism of Jesus Christ in our celebration of Christmas. It becomes kind of a secondary or obscure observation for all but the most devout of Christians in Western Christianity. But for us, we hold this event to be of equal importance to the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, such that we celebrate these events on the same day, and we make sure that we uphold both of these narratives with equal importance. Because for us, they’re not separate events, but they’re all part of the same movement, which brings about the fullness of the realization that is the Holy Trinity that we have experienced through the revelation of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through His birth, His incarnation, and ultimately His baptism.

Now, what does it say up here on top of this altar? Can anybody read it for me? Yes. “I am the light of the world.” This is what it says on top of this altar. We have to remember that there is a light in this world which we are always meant to follow. I love that this is the passage from John which is on top of this altar space. I don’t often get to look at it during the liturgy because I’m the one on the altar. But I hope that you all take time to appreciate this passage that we can ponder on throughout every liturgy in the sanctuary. There is a light in this world which is guiding us at all times. A light that is guiding us through the darkest moments of this life. Those moments when we feel like we are most apt to get lost in the world. It’s in the darkness that we get lost.

Recently, my mom came to visit us from Los Angeles, and she doesn’t do that trip very often, and she drove. And so, on her way back, it was during the day, but it was storming outside, and it was rainy, and it was dark and everything like that. And she was just really worried that she was gonna lose her way on these unfamiliar streets, and we were worried for her, right? It’s in the darkness, and it’s when there’s chaos going on that we’re very apt to get lost. And sometimes, even despite ourselves, and when we think we know the way, it’s just as easy to get lost as well.

And as I shared in my Armenian message before, I was talking about what it was like for me when I was young and I was first learning how to drive. When I was young, an age ago, there was no GPS, and there was nothing like that. This was still a time when we had to navigate by physical maps, if you could believe it or not. And my parents were so worried that wherever I was gonna go, I would get lost, and I’d never find my way home again. Because some of you may have realized that I can have a tendency at times to be less attentive than I should be. So they were sure I would get distracted or I would stop paying attention, and I was gonna end up in the middle of nowhere. And honestly, that was a very valid concern. They should have been worried. So they were constantly giving me tools. They were giving me maps and making sure I knew, “Okay, when you’re going to where you need to go, how are you gonna get there? Let’s walk through the process together.” And they were very careful in that way. And thank God I was never that lost that I couldn’t find my way home. But it was possible, I’m sure. Nevertheless, my father had a good piece of advice for me. He said, “You have to make sure, at least in this town,” right, in Los Angeles, that big, gigantic metropolitan that I grew up in. He said, “In this town, make sure there’s some place that you could always find no matter what. If there’s a place that you can find no matter what, then you’re always gonna be able to orient yourself, and you’ll always be able to find your way home.”

Here in San Francisco, when I first moved here, I found that place right away, and we all have it, at least on the days when the weather allows for it. It’s Sutro Tower. Wherever I was in the city, all I had to do was look around and try to find that big red antenna in the sky, and I knew how to make my way back to church. And if I could find my way to church, then I was gonna be okay. So as much as it’s hard to travel in this city, there was always a tool there to help me bring me back home.

In our spiritual lives, we have that same tool, a big, bright, and glorious moment in time that we can always return to, which is going to ground us and make sure that we can always find our way back to Jesus Christ. And He gave it to us through the example of His baptism that we’re celebrating today. As we read about in the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus Christ did not need to be baptized. He did not need to be cleansed of His sin because as a man, He was perfect, and He did not stray from the will of the Father. And even Saint John the Baptist begs Him, “I don’t wanna be the one to have to baptize you. You should baptize me.” And Christ is saying, “It is right that we should fulfill everything in righteousness.” Why? Because He served as the perfect example for you and for I, that in our spiritual lives, whatever we’ve done, whatever mistake that we’ve made, wherever we’ve reached in error in this life, or we’re just confused, we have a place to return to so we can find our way home, and that is our baptism.

Everybody who’s here in this room, at some point or another, whether you were a baby or an adult or somewhere in between, you were baptized, and this is the central spiritual moment of your earthly life. That moment in time when for you, just like for Jesus Christ, the heavens opened up, and the Father revealed Himself with the Holy Spirit and said, “This is my beloved child.” We all have that. We all experience that. If we can return back to that, then we can never be lost. That is the light of the world that will always allow us to find our way back home in Christ. So today, as we bless this water, let’s think upon these things, and let’s ask ourselves, what does it mean for us to return to that moment in time when our Heavenly Father looked upon us and said, “This is my beloved child.”