On Christmas Eve, one of the things I talked about in my sermon was how Joseph made Jesus his own by naming him. I reminded people that Joseph was not Jesus' father. Mary's pregnancy took Joseph so much by surprise that he figured the best thing he could do was to quietly divorce Mary and break off his engagement. As he was about to do that, an angel came to him in a dream, saying, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Joseph did just that. He took Mary as his wife and, after the child was born, Joseph named him Jesus.

On Christmas Eve, I reminded people that, in the ancient world, there were no such things as paternity tests or DNA samples. While it was fairly obvious which woman was a child's mother (hint: it's the one who gave birth ), a child's father was not so easy to prove.

The solution was naming. If a man named a child, that child was his, no matter what and no matter who the biological father might be. By naming him, the father was declaring, “He's mine!”

On Christmas Eve, the point in sharing all this was to say that Joseph's story provides us with one way of making Jesus our own. Even though we may feel--like Joseph--that there is no natural connection between Jesus and ourselves, in the end it doesn't matter. If we claim him as our own--if we name him as belonging to us--he is ours and we are his.

Today, on the Baptism of Our Lord, we'll build on that message. Although there are many things that are happening during the baptism of our Lord, one thing that is happening--one important thing that is happening--is God's naming of Jesus as his son. Joseph mades Jesus his own at Jesus’ birth; now, in a very important way (and at a very important time) God is making public what we’ve known (and others have suspected) all along. “After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: ‘You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.’” Among the many things happening at Jesus’ baptism, God was claiming Jesus as his own.

People in the ancient world would have understood this. Several years earlier--in 44 BC--history was made when Gaius Julius claimed his brother's grandson as his own and adopted him. The nephew was no child--he was already 19 years old--and, most especially, he was no orphan. At the time he was adopted, both of his parents were alive and well.

But still, history was made in 44 BC when Gaius Julius--better known to us as Julius Caesar--named and adopted his 19 year old great-nephew as his own. The nephew is better known to us as Caesar Augustus, the first emperor of Rome.

This is the other thing, you see, about naming and claiming (or adoption) in the ancient world. Not only did it help settle questions of paternity--who would be a child's father--it also settled questions of power and authority.

Wealthy families in the ancient world tried to limit the number of children they had. Too many children meant too many ways their wealth or property had to be divided. But, sometimes, that meant that they ran out of living children! In that case--just like arranged marriages--there would be “arranged adoptions” between one family and the next.

That's what Julius Caesar was doing. Nearing the end of his reign without a living heir, Caesar created his heir by naming and claiming his brother's grandson as his son. And thus history was made.

But even more important history was made at the Baptism of Our Lord! “After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: ‘You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.’” What Joseph was doing when Jesus was born, God was now very publicly revealing to everyone who cared enough to pay attention. God was settling all questions about power and authority. “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”

I’d like you to think about your baptism now and what that means. Is it just possible that God is doing in our baptisms exactly what God did in Jesus’ baptism? In other words, is it possible--is it just possible--that in our baptism God is naming and claiming us as his own?

You see, it doesn’t matter how old we are. It doesn’t matter if we’re not orphans and that our biological parents are still alive. In baptism God does for us what God did for Jesus.

To the outside world it may look like, I don’t know, a handful of people are gathering around a font in Southampton, Pennsylvania, while a congregation looks on. It may look like luke-warm tap water is poured into a bowl while a pastor prays the same words, time and time again.

“In the waters of the Jordan your Son was baptized by John and anointed with the Spirit. By the baptism of his own death and resurrection your beloved Son has set us free from the bondage to sin and death and has opened the way to the joy and freedom of everlasting life." And then, referring to what’s about to happen: “Pour out your Holy Spirit, so that those who are here baptized may be given new life. Wash away the sin of all those who are cleansed by this water and bring them forth as inheritors of your glorious kingdom.”

That’s what baptism looks like to the outside world. But to the eyes of faith, something far more interesting and profound is taking place. In every baptism, God is promising to do for us what God did for Jesus at his baptism. God is naming and claiming us as his own.

It doesn’t matter how old we are. It doesn’t matter that we’re not orphans and that our biological parents are still alive. In baptism God names and claims us as his own.

God adopts us! Look carefully! The sky is opening and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, is coming down on us.

Listen carefully! For, along with the Spirit, a voice is saying--is saying to you right now--“You are my child, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”

And, like Jesus, that baptism lasts forever! We may be good children of God; we may be bad. We may relish these weekly Sunday dinners together or we may chafe at them. We might be proud of our family or embarrassed by them.

Some of us might even run away from home or get lost. Some of us might feel as if no one in the family cares about us or even notices us. That’s tragic. But nothing can take our membership in the family of God away from us! We didn’t create it and we can’t destroy it.

Today might be a good day to evaluate your role and participation in the family of God. Are you satisfied with your role and position in the family? Does the family need you somewhere or have you noticed someone, something, or somewhere that needs your attention?

How are your relationships with your brothers and sisters in Christ? Are you keeping in touch? Is it time to reach out to someone? Are there relationships that need to be repaired? Are there new members of the family that you can reach out and welcome? Most importantly of all, are there people you know that God would like to bring into the family that you could welcome and invite?

What God did for Jesus at his baptism, God also does for each of us. God names and claims us as his own, adopting us into his very own family. “You are my child, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”

Who are we to quibble with God? Let us live--as Jesus lived--as God’s beloved, pride of his life. In Jesus’ name. Amen!