BAPTIZED AND BELOVED

GOSPEL — MATTHEW 3:13-17
Baptism of Our Lord

​It was a relatively common scene: a first-century Palestinian man waiting on the banks of the Jordan River for his turn to be baptized. And yet there was something different about this time, this place, this man. This time God would enter into the waters of God’s own creation.

This story gives us a glimpse of how God enters fully into this life with us. God enters into our earthbound, created existence of river banks and dusty earth, rushing water and cloud-spotted skies. Jesus enters into our time-bound realities of life and death too, not shying away from the hard parts of being human. In these mysterious waters of baptism, Jesus immerses himself in pain and sin, sickness and death. And then Jesus emerges from the depths into new life—a life rooted in his identity as the Beloved One, the one sent by God to bring all of creation into renewed relationship with God and one another.

Jesus’ baptism is just the beginning of his earthly ministry. From here, he will enter the wilderness, call his disciples, preach and teach and heal. He will disrupt the status quo, scandalize the authorities, and challenge his most loyal followers in his mission to offer the world a glimpse of the kingdom of God.

At its core, this is an Epiphany story. It reveals to us who Jesus is: Beloved. Sent by God. The one in whom God is pleased from the very beginning. The one in whom God is made known to the world. And this story reveals to us something else as well. It has the power to remind us who we are, as we too are swept up in these life-giving waters. We too emerge as a new creation made whole in Christ. May we hear God’s words to us too: “This is my child the beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

From sundaysandseasons.com.
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