In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Brothers and sisters,
We celebrate Theophany, the appearing of God, – this is what this word means in Greek. By this name we understand not Christ’s Nativity, but His Baptism, because Jesus Christ appeared to people and began His public ministry after His baptism in the Jordan, from the hands of St John the Baptist.
Christ’s appearing to people was preceded by the preaching of St John the Baptist, as it was proclaimed by the prophets Isaiah and Malachi: “Behold, I send My messenger before Your face, who will prepare Your way. The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight’.” (Mark 1:2-3)
St John went out preaching in the desert of Jordan and baptising those who came to him. “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matth. 3:2) – This is how the Evangelists describe the message of his preaching.
It is remarkable that the Lord Jesus Christ started His ministry with exactly the same message: “From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matth. 4:17)
What is the kingdom of heaven, and how did it draw near to us?
The kingdom of heaven is the union and peace with God, which Jesus Christ brought on earth. The kingdom of heaven is Christ Himself, God incarnate, the Son of God and the Son of Man, uniting in His Person the Divine and human natures.
“The kingdom of God is… righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” – says the Apostle (Rom. 14,17).
The door into this kingdom of Grace lies through the sacrament of baptism. In the sacraments of baptism and chrismation a man is regenerated, born again, as the Lord says to Nicodemus: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God… Unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit”. (John 3)
Just as an infant is born from its mother’s womb to live in this material world, so in the baptismal font one is born to live in Christ.
“But to all who received Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God”. (John 1:12-13)
The gift of the Holy Spirit, which is given to those who have been baptized, is the seed of new life in Christ. This seed of God’s grace in the soul is our most precious treasure. It directs, secretly and openly, every man to salvation, leads him out of the depths of sin and guides him to repentance.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” The kingdom of heaven is at hand, it is very close to us, to our soul. But our sins separate it from us, as does our lack of faith and preoccupation with worldly matters. Only repentance can destroy this wall.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” The Lord Jesus Christ began His preaching with a call to repentance. Here we can see that repentance is the core of the Gospel teaching. Repentance should be the content of the life and prayer of a Christian. Prayer devoid of the spirit of repentance is not accepted before God.
“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” Only repentance can bring us peace with God and our conscience, and lead us into the heavenly kingdom.
Amen.
