Isaiah 42:1-9    OT p. 636 or 889

[1] Here is my servant,
whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.

[2] He will not cry or lift up his voice,
or make it heard in the street;

[3] a bruised reed he will not break,
and a dimly burning wick he will not quench;
he will faithfully bring forth justice.

[4] He will not grow faint or be crushed
until he has established justice in the earth;
and the coastlands wait for his teaching.

[5] Thus says God, the Lord,
who created the heavens and stretched them out,
who spread out the earth and what comes from it,
who gives breath to the people upon it
and spirit to those who walk in it:

[6] I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness,
I have taken you by the hand and kept you;
I have given you as a covenant to the people,
a light to the nations,

[7] to open the eyes that are blind,
to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon,
from the prison those who sit in darkness.

[8] I am the Lord, that is my name;
my glory I give to no other,
nor my praise to idols.

[9] See, the former things have come to pass,
and new things I now declare;
before they spring forth,
I tell you of them.

[NRSV]

Matthew 3:13-17    NT p. 3 or 1180

[13] Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.

[14] John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

[15] But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness." Then he consented.

[16] And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him.

[17] And a voice from heaven said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

[NRSV]

INTRODUCTION:

There was a little town in West Texas that had their only oil well catch fire. They worked like Trojans to put out the fire but every effort to put it out failed. They didn't have enough money to bring in Red Adair and his team of professionals. So, in desperation they offered $5,000 to anyone who could put out the fire.

Immediately an unpretentious young farm hand from one of the biggest families in the county applied for the job and promised to make his attempt early the very next morning.

Nearly everybody in town turned out the next morning. Most of them had money invested in the well. They all watched as the young man was seen coming over the hill in his old beat-up truck. The truck was completely covered with every relative the boy had. They were even hanging onto the fenders and standing on the running boards. As the truck came down hill, it began to pick up speed and didn't stop until it hit the oil rig itself. In a flash, every man, woman and child jumped off and began stomping and stamping frantically, as though their very lives depended on it. And just a few seconds later, the fire was out.

The crowd from town went crazy! They cheered the boy and his family. The young man's shoes were still smoking when the Mayor ran over and began pumping the young man's hand and congratulating him. As the Mayor presented the young man with the check, he asked him what he intended to do with the money.

"Well," replied the young man, "first thing I'm going to do, is fix the brakes on that old truck."

I guess everybody else who had attempted to put out the fire, just didn't have the same kind of motivation as that young man and his family. We all need some sort of motivation don't we? No matter what it is we need motivation. That's why advertising is so successful. We all operate or are motivated by something or someone or some desire.

I. WHAT IT MEANS:

A. This morning we've come to celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. We remember that day long ago when Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River. Jesus was one of a multitude of people from all over who made their way out to the wilderness to see and hear John's simple message: "Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."

Curiosity motivated a lot of those people. So did the desire for spiritual renewal. But what motivated Jesus to be baptized?

Jesus didn't need to be baptized, especially by John who was baptizing as a way of cleansing people's sins. Jesus didn't need to have his sins forgiven. Jesus was the Son of God, without sin. And yet, he submitted to be baptized by John. Why? What was his motivation?

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan, He identified, totally and completely, with us! Jesus wanted to see the same thing that other people saw when they came up out of the water. And because Jesus was baptized by John, we have that common bond with him. And because of that, God understands what it's like to be human. So, there on the banks of the Jordan, Jesus identified with us.

When we're baptized, something wonderful happens to us. When we are baptized, our lives are changed. By water and the word we begin to live the death and resurrection of Jesus in our own lives. It's that simple and obvious; and yet that strange and complex.

William Willimon in his book, Remember Who You Are, writes: "Through baptism, a Christian first and finally learns who he or she is. It is the rite of identity. Baptism asserts rather than argues, it proclaims rather than explains, it commands rather than describes. When you ask in desperation, 'Who in God's name, am I?' baptism will have you feel the water dripping from your head... and say, 'You are, in God's name, ROYALTY, God's own, claimed and ordained for serious and joyful business." (2)

Just as Jesus identified with us when he was baptized, when we're baptized, we identify ourselves with Jesus. We publicly declare our intention to strive to be like Jesus and follow God's will for our lives.

That's a very serious public announcement. It's filled with joy and celebration. From that point on, we see things differently than before. We look with different eyes. We see other people differently than before. We look through the eyes of faith and the eyes of Jesus. Our baptism enables and empowers us to do the things Jesus wants us to do.

B. One of the things Jesus did was Jesus talked a lot about money. Sixteen of the thirty-eight parables were concerned with how to handle money and possessions. In the Gospels, an amazing one out of ten verses (288 in all) deal directly with the subject of money. The Bible offers 500 verses on prayer, less than 500 verses on faith, but more than 2,000 verses on money and possessions. (3)

Since Jesus and the Bible talk so much about money, it must be an important matter. Money and possessions are important issues in the Kingdom of God. Our baptism enables us and empowers us to do the things Jesus would want us to do with our financial and physical resources; with our money and our possessions.

A certain man had a late conversion in life and asked to be baptized by immersion. Since Methodists accept all forms of baptism, the Pastor arranged to use the baptistry in the local Baptist Church. After coming up out of the water, the man's eyes got real big and he said, "Good grief, preacher, I forgot to take my wallet out of my pocket. It's dripping wet."

"Praise the Lord," exclaimed the preacher. "We could stand a few more baptized wallets around here."

It's said that when Emperor Constantine was converted he insisted that all of his troops accept Christ and be baptized along with him. And so they did. In one mass baptism, everyone of Constantine's troops were baptized. But they weren't totally immersed, they held aloft their sword arm. They withheld that from God so their killing wouldn't displease him. And they pledged it to their beloved Emperor Constantine.

When we are baptized, whether it be through sprinkling, pouring or immersion, all of us is baptized. Not just a part of us. It's sort of like the old Willie Nelson song, "All Of Me, why not take all of me."

In baptism we surrender "everything" to Christ. Like the hymn says: "I surrender all."

We are no longer our own but His. That includes every aspect of our lives, including our wallets. Everything belongs to God.

II. OUR NEED FOR FUNDS:

A. How many of you have ever been to the Circus? We live to close to the metroplex to have the small one ring circuses like Carson & Barnes come to town. They don't like to compete with Ringling Brothers. Those one ring circuses are great.

What you don't know is that Mike and Kay Laws, Mary and I all went to one of the small town circuses a couple of months ago. During the performance there was a circus strong man who made his living by displaying astonishing feats of physical strength. His show concluded with a simple, but impressive, demonstration of his ability to squeeze an orange dry!

After completing his act, he challenged the audience to produce any one who could extract even one more drop of juice from the crushed fruit.

Well, believe it or not, Kay Laws accepted that challenge and volunteered. The crowd, of course, just laughed. She looked so tiny compared to that strong man. Undaunted, though, Kay stepped into the ring and took from the strong man what appeared to be nothing more than a shriveled up piece of rind. Then, bracing herself, she slowly and firmly compressed her right hand.

Every eye in the tent was on her. The atmosphere was electric! A moment or two passed, and then, to everyone's amazement, and especially the strong man's, not one but several drops of orange juice formed and dripped to the floor. As the cheers subsided, the strong man asked Kay to come to the microphone. He asked her name, and then asked her to tell the crowd how she had managed to squeeze more out of that orange.

Kay said, "Oh, there was nothing to it." And then, with a grin, she added: "I happen to be the financial secretary of the Joshua Methodist Church!"

As funny as that is, there have been times when that's exactly what Kay has had to do to make ends meet this past year. She has become very adept at squeezing as much out of the offering plate as possible. But she only squeezes so hard for one reason, she is being a good steward and helping to empower and enable the ministry of this Church. The ministry to which we have been called by the Son of God.

B. Some people think of tithing and offerings as a goodness tax. Or as an obligation. But our gifts through the tithes and offerings enable us to fulfill the dreams of this Church.

Our budget isn't just a financial statement of what we need to raise. I have always believed that a Church Budget is a ministry dream sheet. The dreams and ideas for ministry that we as a congregation have and the concern for others that we share is reflected in the budget and the line item figures of that budget.

A budget is a hard thing to develop. It's hard to put a dollar figure upon the work of salvation. It's hard to put a dollar value on a changed life or a renewed life.

Stop and think about it. What price are we willing to pay for our children to grow up knowing and loving Christ and the Church? What price are we willing to pay so our youth grow up in a safe environment with the values they need to face the future of adulthood? What price are we willing to pay for programs and ministries that change lives and fill people with hope and purpose?

It's hard to put a dollar value on Christian values and Christian education. It's hard to put a dollar value on hope and salvation, but we try. And it's reflected in that ominous little piece of paper known as the church budget.

But the budget is nothing more than a piece of paper giving wings to your ideas and dreams. Your tithes and offerings are what give flight to those wings.

III. GIVING OUR ALL:

I don't think it's hard to give. Giving has always been easy for me. Deciding what to give: to whom and when has always been my problem. There are so many other things that cry for our attention.

Christ challenges us in our giving. He doesn't want anything less than our all. He doesn't want us to hold anything or any part of ourselves back. When we don't hold back, we're blessed beyond compare. For we are blessed with a new sense of self worth and a new sense of purpose when we give. When we give unselfishly because of our love for God, then even the smallest gift becomes a giant blessing.

A few years ago, at the National Conference On Preaching at First United Methodist in Houston, Dr. William Hinson told us that when he was 18 and an associate pastor going to school, he was preaching his second sermon as the associate. There on the front row of the church was a 10 year old little boy who was swinging his feet like a lot of little boys do. Dr. Hinson said he was so nervous about preaching that he got distracted by the boys legs and lost track of what he was saying. He really botched it up and had to pretty much just say amen and say the benediction.

As he was standing there in his embarrassment, this 10 year old boy came up to him and asked him if he wanted to come home for lunch. Dr. Hinson said he thought to himself, "Yes, the boy owed him that much."

Dr. Hinson went home with the boy and his family and had a wonderful lunch. About two weeks later, when he was off at school, Dr. Hinson said he got a letter from that young man and enclosed (in pennies, nickels and dimes) was fifty-seven cents, all of the profit he had made from his egg money. The note said that this young boy wanted to help Pastor Bill become a better preacher. Bill said there was no way he could keep the money and he called the boy's father to tell him so.

The boy's father told him that he couldn't send the money back. The boy had never worked so hard or taken care of his chickens so well. If Bill was to send that money back the boy would be broken hearted. So, with a lump in his throat and a deep case of humble, he kept that $.57.

As the months went by, there were many of those letters with egg money. As the years went by and college turned to Seminary, there were even more. Dr. Hinson said, there were times when he wanted to quit and then he would get one of those letters from this boy who was going to extremes to support him in his study for ministry and he would be humbled by the very thought of it.

That young boy, now grown into a man, flew out in his private plane, to hear one of Dr. Hinson's sermons, to see if his investment had paid off. And this same man has helped a number of others as they struggled and studied for the ministry, all with chicken and egg money.

It's a wonderment, but at that early age of 10, that boy knew something or discovered something we all need to learn, the joy of giving and helping. (4) Remember the joy of the Rising Star Project? Remember the joy or knowing we have helped a family in need in our Congregation? You may not feel it as intensely, but our weekly giving engenders that same sense of joy, the joy of ministry in God's name.

CONCLUSION:

Trying to spark the giving at his church, one year a pastor took some rather drastic action to get a more generous response from the congregation at stewardship time. He called in an electrician and had the pews wired. The next day, when the collection time came, the pastor announced to the congregation that "Hereafter all pledges will be made publicly in the worship service."

Then he added, "All those who will pledge fifty dollars a week, stand" Right at that moment the switch was thrown that sent the juice through the wires in the pews. The response was immediate, about half of the congregation jumped to their feet.

Then the pastor said "All those who will pledge one hundred and fifty dollars a week please stand." And the electrician raised the voltage and a second, stronger shock-wave caused more people to jump out of their seats.

The whole process was repeated several more times. Each time the amount was raised and so was the voltage. The ushers had to work frantically to get all the names and pledges written down. After the service was over, the preacher and members of the finance committee were busy adding up the totals and congratulating themselves on the great success of the campaign, until the head usher came up and announced that four parishioners had stubbornly remained glued to their seats and had been electrocuted.

Now I know there isn't anyone here who doesn't give to the work and ministry of this Church in some way or another. But our savior may be challenging each of us to give more, to do more, to be more. Jesus may be challenging us to give our all to him.

The finance committee doesn't want you to have to check the seats every Sunday to see if they're wired. Instead, let your love for God, God's loves for you and your baptism be the motivation behind your giving. Remember the Biblical standard. Remember the tithe.

Pray and ask God to guide you in your giving. Give your all to God and joyously remember your baptism.

LET US PRAY:

Father in heaven,
At the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan
You proclaimed him your beloved Son
And anointed him with the Holy Spirit.
Grant that all who are baptized into his name
May keep the covenant they have made,
And boldly confess him as Lord and Savior,
Who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns,
One God, in glory everlasting.
AMEN.

1. Parables, Etc

2. William H. Willimon, Remember Who You Are, (The Upper Room, Nashville, TN, pp. 27-28)

3. Howard L. Dayton, Jr. Leadership-Vol. 2, #2.

4. Dr. William Hinson, National Conference On Preaching IV sponsored by Preaching Magazine, February 1992, Houston, Texas.