The rhythms of church calendar can seem a little strange. At the very end of November and most of December we were in Advent, waiting and preparing for the birth of the messiah. On Christmas Eve, we welcomed the Christ Child at the start of the 12 Days of Christmas. Then came Epiphany, when we marked the arrival of the magi to honor the infant Jesus and celebrated the light Jesus brings to all the nations. Really, we’re just a few days beyond the stories of Jesus birth and infanthood when we reach the next big milestone the church calls “The Baptism of our Lord.” All of a sudden, Jesus is grown up, finding his way into the desert where John (the Baptist) is calling people to repent and baptizing them for repentance. Gone is the little baby – Jesus is ready to begin his work.
There at the Jordan River, Jesus is among many who are baptized by John (whose role is to point to the Messiah. Mind you, Jesus is the only one whose baptism leads the heaven to open and the Holy Spirit to descend and a voice to declare, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Powerful encouragement as Jesus begins his teaching, preaching, and healing ministry and shares the good news. In the years ahead, Jesus will face a myriad of challenges; demons, mobs of people seeking healing, angry religious leaders, and insecure political rulers. The words from heaven will surely be a welcome reassurance for Jesus to recall through the challenges he encounters.
Like Jesus, we are ready to begin our work. I don’t mean the work of the semester (though that will inevitably begin this month). I mean we are ready for the work of following Jesus, sharing the good news of God’s love and justice, caring for the poor and outcast, doing what is in our power to bring the light of God to this troubled world. The heaven may not open, and we probably won’t see a dove or hear a voice, yet God claims us as God’s own. We are beloved by God, and God is well-pleased with us. God claims us and knows us, understanding fully what we are capable of and where our shortcomings are. Our life-long tasks of love, forgiveness, compassion, justice and inclusion are pleasing to God, and are part of what God will use to bring light and transformation to this struggling world.
May we hear reassurance of God’s love and pleasure as we strive to follow Jesus.
Remember that you are beloved by God.
Peace,