Father Darren Collins Epiphany Sermon.
A Quiet Beginning at the Jordan
Today, we meet Jesus not in a manger, not surrounded by angels or shepherds, but standing quietly on the banks of the River Jordan.
The Christmas lights have dimmed. The shepherds have gone home. The angels have stopped singing.
And suddenly the story shifts from the wonder of his birth to the purpose of his life. And the setting could not be more ordinary.
No star.
No choir.
No gifts.
Just water, sand, and John the Baptist—wild, faithful, slightly bewildered—looking up to see Jesus walking towards him.
John hesitates.
“I need to be baptised by you… and you come to me?”
And Jesus replies with those gentle but decisive words: “Let it be so now.”
Jesus Stands With Us in Our Humanity
This is the moment.
This is where we begin.
It’s a beginning that doesn’t look dramatic.
It looks humble, it looks grounded, it looks like God stepping into the same muddy water as everyone else.
What strikes me every year is how Jesus chooses to begin.
He doesn’t start with a miracle. He doesn’t start with a sermon. He doesn’t start with a crowd.
He starts by standing with people who are searching, struggling, repenting, hoping.
He stands with the sinners, the seekers, the confused, the lost. He stands with us.
“This Is My Beloved”: The Father’s Voice
And then it happens. The heavens open.
The Spirit descends like a dove.
And a voice speaks words that echo through eternity:
“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17
Before Jesus has done anything—
before he has healed a single person,
before he has preached a single word,
before he has called a single disciple—
God delights in him.
This is the foundation of everything that follows.
This moment at the Jordan is the Gospel in miniature.
Loved Before We Achieve Anything
God’s love is not a reward. It’s the starting point.
We live in a world that constantly tells us to earn our worth.
Work harder, achieve more, prove yourself, how you’re good enough.
But at the Jordan, God says something completely different.
God says:
“You are my beloved. I delight in you.”
Not because of what you’ve achieved.
Not because of what you’ve produced.
Not because of how impressive you are.
But simply because you are God’s child.
Imagine living from that truth.
Imagine our churches shaped not by pressure, but by belovedness.
Imagine our families shaped not by perfectionism, but by grace.
Imagine our communities shaped not by competition, but by compassion.
The Baptism of Christ invites us to begin again from a place of love, not striving.
A Gentle Servant: Isaiah’s Vision
Isaiah’s prophecy today speaks of God’s servant who brings justice gently. Isaiah 42:1-9.
Not by shouting, or by breaking bruised reeds, or by snuffing out faint flames.
It’s a beautiful picture of strength expressed through tenderness.
Of justice expressed through compassion.
Of leadership expressed through humility.
Jesus’ baptism is the beginning of that mission.
Baptism as a Calling, Not Membership
And our baptism ties us to it.
We should always remember we are not baptised into a club.
We are baptised into a movement, a movement of mercy, justice, courage, and hope.
Baptism is God saying:
“You are mine. Now let’s go and make a difference.”
It’s not about having all the answers or being perfect.
It’s about being willing—
willing to love,
willing to serve,
willing to stand alongside others in their muddy waters.
Beginning Again: A New Year, A New Identity
The Baptism of Christ always comes at the start of the year, and that’s no accident.
It invites us to begin again.
Not with resolutions that fade by February,
but with a renewed sense of identity.
Living as God’s Beloved in the World
So, who are we?
We are God’s beloved, filled with the Spirit, called to serve and sent to shine light in dark places.
Whatever last year held, joy or sorrow, success or struggle,
certainty or confusion, God meets us today with the same words spoken over Jesus:
“You are my beloved. I delight in you.”
And that changes everything.
It changes how we pray, how we work, how we treat one another, how we see ourselves.
Because when we know we are loved, we can love more freely, and we can hold others more gently.
Stepping Into Our Calling With Courage
When we know we are called, we can step forward with courage.
We step into the water again, not literally, but spiritually.
We remember who we are.
We remember whose we are.
We remember that the Spirit still descends,
the heavens still open, and God still speaks.
And then we go out, into Hatfield, into our homes, our workplaces, our friendships, carrying the same Spirit that rested on Jesus.
We go out as people who know they are loved.
We go out as people who know they are called.
We go out as people who know that God delights in them.
Returning to the River When We Forget
And when we forget, because we will, we return to this moment. We return to the riverbank.
We return to the voice that speaks over us still.
The Baptism of Christ is God’s joyful announcement that the story is starting fresh.
Jesus steps into the water so we can step into our calling.
He rises from the Jordan so we can rise into new life.
He hears the Father’s delight so we can hear it too.
So today, with joy, with courage, and with hope, let us all begin again. Amen.
Find out more at a Church Near You by clicking the logo below:
