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MUDDY IS THE ONLY WAY WE COME

1/11/2026

Baptism of the Lord, January 11, 2026
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell

Mark 1:4-11

John the baptizer appeared in the wilderness, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. And the whole Judean region and all the people of Jerusalem were going out to him and were baptized by him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins. Now John was clothed with camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. He proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the strap of his sandals. I have baptized you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Hindsight, they say, is 20/20.  And if that is true, then our celebrations of Christmas benefit from 2000 years of hindsight.  And that means that there is no mystery left in it.  We know who this child was and we know what this child would grow up to be.

But have you ever wondered when Jesus himself actually knew any of that?  When did he first suspect that maybe he wasn’t just the son of a carpenter?  Had his mother ever told him any of the strange stories that surrounded his conception and birth?  Did he suspect he was different when he was 12 and winning debates with religion scholars?  Or did he have a vision?  Or did he hear a voice?  Did this understanding come to him all at once or slowly over time?

“In those days,” Mark writes, “Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.”  And that, some scholars say, is the precise moment when Jesus finally got it!  They point out that not only did Jesus hear the voice of God telling him: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  But, they say, it was immediately after this event that Jesus moved with purpose and determination into his public ministry.  It was his baptism that clarified everything.

And if that is true, just what was it about that event that was so clarifying?  Was it something as obvious as hearing the voice of God?  Or was it something John the Baptist said?  Or is it possible that the location itself was key to unlocking this mystery?

Some years ago, I received a phone call from a parishioner who had abruptly disappeared from my life.  That disappearance had perplexed me and hurt my feelings.  So, when I got this call after so much time had passes, I was taken aback.  After a few moments of polite and uncomfortable pleasantries, this person said: “I’m calling to apologize for the way I behaved.  I know now that it was hurtful.  And I am truly sorry.”  Well, I was touched by his apology, but also perplexed.  What had prompted him to pick up the phone after all this time and to say such things?  And then it struck me that maybe my old friend was in recovery and that he was making amends as one of his twelve steps.

Over the years, I have known a number of people in recovery and, while the details of their stories are different, the turning point is often the same.  They speak of hitting rock bottom and of going so low that the only way left to go is up.  And so, with the help of the program and sponsors and a lot of hard work, they move with purpose toward a new life.

Which brings me back to the baptism of Jesus, and why this event might have been the turning point that set him on the course toward his new life.

The Jordan River flows into the Dead Sea, that briny place where nothing can live.  And the spot where the river empties into the sea is literally the lowest place on the planet.  It is 1407 feet below sea level.  It’s a bottom place and once you leave there, the only direction left to go is up.  And so, I wonder, was there something about being at the bottom of the world that clarified Jesus’s mission and prepared him to save those of us so often on the bottom?

Sometimes we end up there by choices we make.  But sometimes we end up at the bottom through no choice of our own.  We get sick.  The company downsizes.  A lover betrays us.  A gunman walks into school.  A country tetters on the edge of lawlessness.  And suddenly it’s the very bottom of the world.

But even though the bottom is a place we do not seek; even though we would prefer to be anywhere else, there is something about the bottom of the world that is clarifying.  And if we are willing, it can even be transformative.

So, there Jesus was at the bottom of the world, coming up out of the water, when all of a sudden, he saw the heavens torn apart, and the Spirit descending like a dove, and a voice from heaven announced, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”  And even though Jesus was, in that moment, as far down as a human can go, was suddenly on top of the world.

Many years ago, my mentor in ministry, the Rev. George Bailey, and his wife Betty invited me to spend some time with them on Cape Cod, where they had a small cottage in Wellfleet.  I had never been to the Cape before, so I gladly accepted.

And I really needed the break, because this invitation came during a very turbulent time in my young adult life.  I had just relocated to New Jersey to begin my doctoral studies and to work in a new church.  It should have been a very exciting time, but instead I was plagued with doubts about my faith.  I was haunted by the thought that I was wasting my life in the ministry.  And I struggled to accept myself as God had made me.  I was about as low as I had ever been.

But I trusted George.  And I had a sense that if I talked to him, it would be clarifying.  And so, after a few days on the Cape, I asked him if we could speak alone.  And he suggested we take a walk.

We ended up on a beautiful stretch of beach on the bluest day in May you can imagine.  There wasn’t another person in sight.  It was just me and George and all my fears.

We sat on a piece of driftwood and a deep silence ensued.  Finally, I screwed up my courage and told him my story – all of it.  I told him about the dark nights of the soul, and the plaguing doubts, and the deep fear.  And when I was all done; when I said all I wanted to say, it was silent again – neither looking at the other – eyes out to sea.

And then, the most marvelous thing happened.  George put his arm around my shoulder and simply said: “I’m so proud of you.”  -- It was a transformative moment I shall never forget.  Because the heaven opened and grace came pouring down and I could breathe again.

I had no idea what the future would hold, but I understood that I was loved and accepted by George, and for me, that meant I was loved and accepted by God.  And my life has never, ever been the same.

“And a voice came from heaven,” Mark writes, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

We all know the muddy bottom of life.  Some of you might be there now.  Maybe you wonder what you’re even doing in church, with the mud of doubt and fear and anger clinging to your hair and clothes and soul.  But here’s the thing: muddy is the only way we come.  And God, who loves us body and soul, loves us, mud and all.  And by his grace, he washes us clean, and calls us beloved, and sends us on our way.

Thanks be to God.  Amen.

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STAR SIGNS

1/4/2026

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Epiphany Sunday, January 4, 2026
First Congregational Church of Cheshire
© the Rev. Dr. James Campbell

Matthew 2:1-12

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’” Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

I was a shy little kid, and so, it was completely against type when I decided to try out for a solo in my Middle School’s Musical Extravaganza.  Well, I didn’t get the solo, but I did make it into the chorus… as did everyone else in the class.  Even so, it was thrilling to stand on the risers in that gymnasium, wearing my red plaid bell bottoms, and swaying to the music as we sang: “When the moon is in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligns with Mars, then peace will guide the planets, and love will steer the stars.  This is the dawning of the Age of Aquarius!”

Oh, I loved that song.  But looking back, I can hardly believe that my parents allowed me to sing it.  You see, like some of you, I was raised to believe that astrology was the devil’s work.  And I believed that until I was 26 and studying in Israel.

We had traveled to an excavation site in Galilee where they were unearthing the remains of a first century synagogue – one, we were told, that Jesus might have visited.  In the middle of that synagogue was a beautiful mosaic floor.  Of course, after being buried for so long, it was dusty and faded.  So, our guide took some water and splashed it on those tiles to reveal their beauty.   And the world stopped spinning on its axis.  Because right there, in the center of a Jewish place of worship, were the twelve signs of the Zodiac.

And right here, in the middle of our Christmas story, in this center of Christian worship, astrology takes center stage.  Because in Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus, it’s not angels appearing to shepherds in the fields that announce the birth of the Savior.  Instead, it is a star rising in the east that astrologers interpreted as a portent of an important birth.

Astrologers… and pagans.  The wise men were likely members of a priestly class of Zoroastrianism, an ancient monotheistic faith, that is older than Judaism.  And Zoroastrianism was and is heavily influenced by astrology – the belief that heavenly bodies influence earthly events.

So, when such a brilliant star appeared in the East, the wise men were certain that it was a sign.  And so, they set out to discover who this important person might be.  They took the long and arduous journey from modern-day Iran all the way to Jerusalem.

But here’s the thing: they weren’t exactly sure what they were looking for.  So, they did the only sensible thing they could think of.  They asked the current king where a royal birth had taken place.

But they had no idea who they were talking to.  You see, Herod was a toady little man, who was so easily threatened that he had once ordered the assassination of members of his own family who got in the way of his ego.  And so, when he heard about a potential pretender to his throne, he knew he had to get rid of him.

And so, like all toady little men, he pretended to be something that he wasn’t in order to get what he wanted.  Herod called all of his religious scholars together and asked them where the Messiah was to be born.  “In Bethlehem,” they told him, “for so it has been written by the prophets.”  So, Herod feigned interest in this child and made the wise men promise to come back and tell him where to find him, so that he too might pay him homage... on the end of a sword.

And you know the rest of the story.  The wise men set out for Bethlehem and that strange star went before them.  And it came to rest over the place where the Child was.  Upon entering the house, these three strangers knelt down and presented gifts fit for a king: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  But having been warned in a dream about what Herod really wanted, they took another road home.

Joseph had a dream too, in which he was warned about Herod’s plans.  And so, Joseph took his family and ran for their lives.  Theirs is a story as old as the human race – desperate people crossing international borders, depending upon the kindness of strangers in a strange land.

Well, when Herod realized that he had been outfoxed by foreigners, he was possessed.  And so, he ordered the murder of every male child two years old and under, in Bethlehem and vicinity.  If he couldn’t kill this one boy, he would kill all the boys.  We call this horrible event the Slaughter of the Innocents.

And that, dear friends, is how Matthew ends his Christmas story.  It not exactly a Hallmark movie, but it certainly rings true for the way the world still works.  But so do the actions of the wise ones.  They show us how to live in a world of slaughtered innocence.  So, remembering them, let me offer three brief thoughts for your consideration as we embark upon this Year of our Lord, 2026.

First of all, these wise ones remind us that doing the right thing is often not doing the easiest thing.  After traveling about 900 miles over the span of months, and having paid homage to Jesus, they were no doubt eager to go home.  The easiest thing to do would have been to turn their camels around and head back the way they came.  But that convenience would come at a horrible human cost.  And so, they inconvenienced themselves and took another way.  In doing so, they broke the king’s command. But they understood that to obey would make them complicit in the violence of the world.  And so, they resisted.

And so must we.  I think it would do us well to regularly remember that resisting evil is at the very heart of our baptismal vows.  To be a Christian is to resist evil and oppression wherever we find it.  And sometimes, they only way to do that is to take an unknown path, and disobey.

Second, this story is a vivid reminder that God often appears in unlikely people and places.  Think about it.  These wise men are heroes of our faith.   And yet, they do not share our faith.  They practiced a strange religion and wore strange clothes and spoke a strange language.   And yet, we know about Jesus, because of them.

Matthew’s not-so-subtle message here is that when looking for the light, make friends with everyone.  And don’t be surprised to find God in the most unlikely places.  For our God is a trickster, who wears the most brilliant disguises.

And finally, when fear and dread lower your heads, make it a spiritual discipline to look up.  Keeping your head down is easy to do because the overwhelming darkness of the world can make us frightened and lonely and feeling helpless.  But it is in the darkest night, that the stars are their most brilliant.  And so, we must lift our eyes to the hills from where our help comes.  Our help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth, and all those brilliant stars.

I don’t propose to know what this new year will hold for any of us.  But come what may, remember this: resisting evil is always holy.  Extending your hand to strangers is a sacrament.  And God is still in his heaven.  So, lift up your heads!

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MUDDY IS THE ONLY WAY WE COME

STAR SIGNS

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