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Jesus Took the Plunge in Solidarity and Love

Writer's picture: Marissa GalvanMarissa Galvan

This was the sermon for January 12, 2025 (Baptism of the Lord).




The Fable of the Mouse and the Mountain

When I was in Puerto Rico, I visited two bookstores in search of books that are usually difficult to find in bookstores here. One of the treasures I discovered was a fable titled El ratón y la montaña (The Mouse and the Mountain or La favola del topo e della montagna). This fable originates from a letter written by Antonio Gramsci (1891–1937) to his wife, Giulia and his children. Gramsci was an Italian philosopher, linguist, journalist, writer, and politician who, while imprisoned under Benito Mussolini's regime, authored more than 30 notebooks and over 3,000 pages of history and analysis.


 

From his prison cell, Antonio Gramsci wrote numerous letters to his wife. In one of them, he included a story for her to read to their children: the tale of a mouse who drinks milk from a child's breakfast. When the child wakes up crying from hunger, the mouse feels guilty. Driven by remorse, the mouse decides to make amends for the wrong it caused due to its own needs. Through a series of conversations, the mouse embarks on a journey of reflection and action. What happens next might surprise us.

 

The mouse, speaking on behalf of the child, promises that the child will plant trees in the mountain once he grows up. This promise inspires the community to work together so that the child can have breakfast. The village, as a result, is revitalized. True to the mouse’s promise, the child grows up and plants the trees, fulfilling a pledge that transforms the community.

 

The Child That Fulfills His Father’s Promise

When I read this book, it reminded me of the passage of Luke in several unexpected ways.

  • In the story, the mouse courageously climbs the mountain, addressing not only his initial mistake but also the wider issues of war and violence. Similarly, Jesus approaches John the Baptist in humility, seeking baptism as an act of obedience and solidarity with humanity, embodying courage and purpose in the face of a broken world.

  • Gramsci's mountain symbolizes care for nature and the interconnectedness of all things, while Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River reflects life, renewal, and the unity of heaven and earth. Both narratives remind us of our place within a greater whole, calling us to reflect on our role in creation and the divine plan.


But beyond that, there's a being that is being offered as a possibility of fulfilling a promise. The mouse promises on behalf of the boy that he will plant trees when he grows up, and everyone in the village gets to work so that the boy can have breakfast. God sends his son to fulfill God's promise of a Messiah, but it is our responsibility to be Christ-like, so that the work can continue.

 

Both promises are made in dire circumstances. The mouse makes a promise in a world dominated by tyrannical power, war, suppression and violence. And Mitzi J. Smith reminds us that Jesus' baptism happens in a world where King Herod...

 

"served the interests of and at the pleasure of the Roman Empire, and where his three sons committed evil acts against his people. Many Jewish persons in Judea and Galilee had been enslaved by Rome. And some Jewish persons, including leaders, learned to profit from empire at the expense of their own people (23:1-16).”[1]

 

Still, Smith reminds us that people are living in expectation, an expectation accompanied by questions and guessing, an expectation that is a natural human reaction "given that the expectation of a future event arises in contexts of desperation and impossibility."

 

God fulfills God's promise. Last Sunday, Marcus reminded us that Epiphany is God's manifestation or self-revelation to the world in Jesus Christ. This next Sundays, including this one, will let us know what that manifestation looks like. They will answer the question of what is God's agenda and what is the way that God has chosen to fulfill this expectation in a time of desperation and impossibility. And at Jesus' baptism we need to look at what God's agenda is. What is Jesus manifesting here?

 

Divine Manifestation: We Are All Beloved

One of the most profound theological questions surrounding this passage is why Jesus seeks John’s baptism. Carol Lakey Hess frames it this way: If John’s baptism is so closely associated with judgment and repentance, why does Jesus, who is sinless, undergo it? Why does the heavenly voice declare this act of repentance to be pleasing when Luke has so clearly emphasized Jesus’ holiness?[2]

 

Lakey offers a compelling answer:


“Jesus was born from as well as into a world of systemic sin, and his baptism signals that he understood the full implications of the incarnation. He was not merely identifying with or showing solidarity with the human world; he was fully acknowledging its tragic structure”.[3]

 

The voice from heaven declares Jesus the beloved Son, demonstrating God’s unshakable solidarity with humanity. This is a divine manifestation of love and commitment. Yet, simultaneously, it serves as a protest against the brokenness of the human world—a world marred by sin, shaped by systems and structures that devalue the most vulnerable. These systems determine who is worthy and who is excluded, favoring those with wealth and power while neglecting others.

 

Mitzi J. Smith reminds us:


“God gives value, purpose, belonging, and a sense of dignity and worth to people born into social statuses relegated to the bottom of society. This divine affirmation and confirmation empowered Jesus to unapologetically speak truth to power, to stand amidst hostile crowds, and to confront religious and political leaders with conviction.”[4]

 

This same divine affirmation calls us to manifest God’s message to others. Jesus took the plunge into baptism to reveal the reality of the world we live in and to stand in solidarity with those denied God’s love. It is now our responsibility to carry forward that message of inclusion, justice, and unwavering solidarity.

 

Our Manifestation

This is our manifestation. We are called to take the plunge into solidarity and love, just as Jesus did. We must remember our baptism and actively participate in efforts that challenge isolation, fear, and systems that deny the belovedness of others.

 

Solidarity and love are not easy—they require effort and persistence, like the mouse who, realizing his wrongdoing, reaches out to a goat, the land, a fountain, a mason, and a mountain—each with their own challenges—to unite them in a shared solidarity that transforms the world. Through diligence and collaboration, the little boy fulfills the mouse’s promise. Trees grow on the mountain, animals return to the forest, the land becomes fertile again, and a once barren and broken world becomes vibrant and renewed.

 

Living in solidarity is not easy. Loving as Christ loves is not easy. Yet, God’s manifestation in Jesus Christ shows us the way forward. It gives us hope and empowers us to speak out when we encounter things that are not Christ-like. Through Jesus’ baptism, we are reminded of our own baptism and its call—to stand in solidarity, to speak love into places of rejection, and to affirm the dignity and belovedness of those cast aside as sinful or unworthy. This is how we live out our call as children of God.

 

A Baptismal Reaffirmation

We often remember our call through a reaffirmation of our baptism. While we may not be in a setting where that can be done easily, I invite you to reflect on this illustration by Agustin de la Torre. I invite you to use these words from Connections Worship Companion, Year C volume 1 to remember your baptism:



THANKSGIVING FOR BAPTISM

The Lord be with you.

And also with you.

 

Lift up your hearts.

We lift them to the Lord.

 

Let us give thanks to the Lord our God.

It is right to give our thanks and praise.

 

Holy One, our strength and might,

with joy we come to draw water

from the well of salvation—

where sin is washed away

and death is drowned in love;

where grace is overflowing

and a new creation is born.

 

In times of trouble or grief

help us to remember our baptism,

that we may trust and not be afraid.

Teach us to call upon your name

and bear witness to your work.

 

And let our lives be hymns of praise;

through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.


[1] Mitzy J. Smith, Commentary on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 in Working Preacher, January 12, 2025, Baptism of the Lord

[2] Carol Lakey Hess, “Theological Perspective on Luke 3:15–17, 21–22,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year C, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, vol. 1 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 236.

[3] Carol Lakey Hess, “Theological Perspective on Luke 3:15–17, 21–22,” in Feasting on the Word: Preaching the Revised Common Lectionary: Year C, ed. David L. Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, vol. 1 (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2009), 238.

[4] Mitzy J. Smith, Commentary on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 in Working Preacher, January 12, 2025, Baptism of the Lord

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