Dancing with the River: A Sermon on Baptism and New Beginnings

On the first Sunday of a new year, I invited us to think less about controlling our circumstances and more about our posture within them. Ecclesiastes tells us life changes—birth and death, mourning and dancing—and we don’t get to schedule those seasons. But we do choose how we meet them: with resistance or with a willingness to “dance” in trust. That posture comes into focus as we step into the waters with Jesus at the Jordan.

Matthew’s story begins with John, the one who prepares the way. John knows he is the lesser, so he hesitates when Jesus asks for baptism. Yet Jesus insists: “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness.” He steps into sinner’s waters not because he needs forgiveness, but because he is Emmanuel—God with us—choosing solidarity. The greater submits to the lesser, giving us a picture of a new beginning that starts not with fanfare but with humility.

Baptism is surrender before it is celebration. We go under the water to lay down fear, control, sin, and self-sufficiency, trusting that resurrection life meets us on the other side. Paul calls it being buried and raised with Christ; the early church dramatized this by stripping off old garments and rising to be clothed with compassion, kindness, humility, and love. Newness is God’s gift, and it often flows through the doorway of letting go.

As Jesus rises from the water, the Spirit descends like a dove—a deliberate echo of Genesis 1, where the Spirit hovered over the deep. God is launching new creation, a public unveiling of the Beloved Son. Isaiah’s Servant comes into view—a gentle, unstoppable justice-bearer—whose path runs through wilderness, rejection, table fellowship with the wrong people, and finally the cross. He goes everywhere we could go, so that nowhere we go is God-forsaken.

Because of this, we can dance. We can choose trust over rigidity, not by pretending life is easy, but by knowing Jesus has already walked the path ahead of us. So I invited us to respond: name what we’re carrying; consider the waters—enter them for the first time or renew our surrender; and practice one concrete act of humble service this week. In my mind’s eye, Jesus turns from the river, Spirit still glistening on him, smiles at the crowd, and says, “Come on in.”

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Choose a posture of holy acceptance. Acceptance isn’t passivity; it’s the courage to meet reality with open hands rather than clenched fists. Resistance isolates us inside our own plans, while acceptance keeps us attuned to God’s presence within change. Holy acceptance lets us keep step with the Spirit’s rhythm rather than our fear’s pace. It is how mourning can learn to dance.
• 2. Baptism is Jesus’ solidarity with us. Jesus enters waters meant for sinners to stand with us, not above us. The greater submits to the lesser, announcing that no human place is beneath God’s presence. Solidarity is not symbolic pity; it is embodied nearness that dignifies our shame and heals our estrangement. Because he entered our depths, none of our depths can finally drown us.
• 3. New beginnings arrive by surrender. Kingdom newness doesn’t begin with fireworks but with a funeral for our pride and control. Romans 6 pictures this as burial and resurrection—real letting go that makes space for real life. Surrender is costly: we release our insistence on outcomes, timing, and image. Yet it is precisely there that the Spirit breathes.
• 4. The Spirit inaugurates new creation now. The dove at the Jordan echoes the Spirit at creation, signaling God’s active reordering of the world. That same Spirit hovers over our chaos, not just our clarity. New creation often starts at the margins—wilderness places, hidden obediences, small seeds. Watch there, and you’ll learn how God turns things right-side up.
• 5. Imitate Christ’s humility through service. Philippians 2 calls us to the mind of Christ—a downward movement for another’s good. Humility is not self-hatred; it is clear-eyed attention to the needs around us. Choose one person to serve in a concrete, unglamorous way this week. Small acts, practiced steadily, shape a life that looks like Jesus.

Bible reading

- Matthew 3:13–17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Observation questions (3–4)

- What specific actions and words does John use when Jesus comes to be baptized, and what do those actions reveal about how John sees Jesus?

- When Jesus says, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to fulfill all righteousness," what happens next in the scene? Which elements (water, Spirit, voice) follow and in what order?

- How is the Spirit described as coming upon Jesus? What Old Testament image does that description bring to mind within the story?

- How does Matthew record the heavenly voice, and what is the immediate effect of that public declaration on the scene at the river?

Interpretation questions (3–4)

- What might it mean, theologically and practically, that the greater (Jesus) submits to the lesser (John) in this moment? What does that say about the nature of God's kingdom?

- How should one understand Jesus’ phrase about fulfilling "all righteousness"? In what ways could this explain why Jesus, sinless, participates in a rite of repentance?

- What is the significance of the Spirit's descent "like a dove" in terms of new creation and present hope? How does that change the group’s sense of where God is active now?

- Why would Matthew frame God's announcement as "This is my Son, the Beloved" (a public declaration) rather than a private affirmation? What does that publicness suggest about the invitation being offered to those watching?

Application questions (5–7)

- Name one burden, fear, or bit of control you are carrying right now. What would it look like to "lay that down" this week in a specific, observable way (a conversation, a confession, a practical step)?

- If baptism symbolizes surrender before celebration, what is one small thing you can surrender this month that you normally protect or manage tightly (time, a relationship outcome, an image)? Describe one concrete action you will take to practice that surrender.

- Who is one person in your life you can serve this week in a low‑glory way (an unpaid, unnoticed, practical help)? What exactly will you do, and when will you do it?

- The sermon invites choosing a posture of holy acceptance rather than resistance. Identify a current season in your life (loss, waiting, joy, transition). What specific habit or phrase could you use this week to remind yourself to "dance" with this season instead of fighting it?

- Where in your neighborhood, workplace, or family might the Spirit already be "hovering" at the margins—wilderness places, small seeds, hidden obediences? Name one such place and one small way you can pay attention to or join what God seems to be doing there this week.

- If renewing baptismal surrender is meaningful to you, what tangible next step will you take in the next 30 days (talk with a pastor, sign up for a baptism class, publicly renew vows, etc.)? Who will you ask to hold you accountable?