Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,
Today, the grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us at the banks of the Jordan—not by foot, but by faith—to behold a mystery hidden from ages and now revealed in glory. Today the Lord is baptized, not to be cleansed, but to cleanse the waters; not to receive the Spirit, but to manifest Him; not to repent, but to redeem.
“Today the nature of the waters is sanctified, and the Jordan is parted, seeing the Master washed within it.”
Thus we sing, and therefore we believe.
He who clothes Himself with light as with a garment now clothes Himself in the humility of a servant. He who measured the waters in the hollow of His hand descends into the river formed by His own command. The sinless One stands among sinners; the Judge bows His head before the Forerunner; the Creator enters His creation—not in thunder, but in meekness.
And in this descent, the heavens are opened.
Not as they were opened to Ezekiel in fear, nor to Isaiah in trembling, but opened now in love. For today, the Holy Trinity is made manifest:
The Father’s voice thunders from heaven, bearing witness: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
The Son stands in the Jordan, obedient even unto this act of humility.
And the Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove—not as a symbol only, but as a seal upon the waters and upon all who will be born again through them.
This, beloved, is why this feast is called Theophany—the manifestation of God.
Not God hidden in fire or cloud, but God revealed in communion.
Not God distant, but God drawing near.
Not God known only by prophecy, but God revealed in Person.
Saint Gregory the Theologian tells us: “Christ is illumined; let us shine forth with Him. Christ is baptized; let us descend with Him, that we may also rise with Him.”
For the baptism of Christ is not merely His story—it is the beginning of ours.
When the Lord entered the Jordan, He did not leave it as He found it. The waters, once symbols of chaos and death, become fountains of life. The river that once turned back for Joshua now receives the true Joshua, who will lead all mankind—not into an earthly land, but into the Kingdom of Heaven.
And so today, every river, every sea, every spring is blessed—not because water needed God, but because we need sanctified water. We need healing in soul and body. We need the breaking of bonds, visible and invisible. We need the reminder that creation itself is not abandoned, but redeemed.
But hear this well, beloved:
Theophany is not only about what happened then, but about what must happen now.
The same Spirit who descended upon Christ seeks to dwell in us.
The same voice that proclaimed the Son calls us to become sons and daughters by grace.
The same waters that were sanctified call us to live as a baptized people—not returning to Egypt, not lingering in the wilderness of sin, but walking forward in repentance and light.
For what good is holy water, if the heart remains unwashed?
What profit is illumination, if we choose the shadows?
What blessing is baptism, if Christ is not enthroned in our lives?
Today, the heavens are still open.
Today, the Jordan still flows.
Today, the Father still speaks, the Son still saves, and the Spirit still sanctifies.
Let us therefore draw near—not casually, but with awe.
Let us receive the Great Blessing—not as a custom, but as a covenant.
Let us live as those who have seen the Light, tasted the Water of Life, and heard the voice of the Father.
And as we go forth from this feast, may the grace revealed today be revealed again in us:
in mercy instead of judgment,
in humility instead of pride,
in holiness instead of compromise.
For Christ has appeared.
The Trinity has been revealed.
The waters have been sanctified.
And the world is no longer the same.
To Christ our true God, who for our sake was baptized in the Jordan, together with His eternal Father and the all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, be glory, honor, and worship, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
