The Baptism of the Lord (11.01.15)

Scripture tells us that when Jesus was baptised by John, the heavens opened and the Spirit came down like a dove to rest on Him, and the Father’s voice resounded:

“This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him”

We might ask why should this particular event be highlighted so in our salvation history. Surely the whole earthly life of Jesus from his birth, His hidden life of 30 years, His public life and His ignominious death on a Cross are each in themselves shining examples for us to follow … but the Father singles out His Baptism to shout out from the heavens for all to hear and take notice….

Why did Jesus make that long three day journey from His native Galilee, to join the crowds flocking to join in the procession of sinners – and He the sinless One – in response to John’s call to immerse themselves in the river Jordon and be given a new beginning, a new life!

Baptism marks a significant time for Jesus personally.  This is His call to mission now that His waiting time is over. Through the person of Jesus in His public life, God will reach out to people in a new way.  Whatever Jesus does will be accomplished by the power of God’s Spirit in Him. This is the significance of His Baptism.

The Spirit that empowered Jesus to make His new beginning is the same Spirit that empowered us in our Baptism. Few of us can remember that moment.  Most of us were carried as infants in arms by our parents or god-parents. Our name was given to us, our commitment was spoken for us,  our future was promised to God.

We spend our lives catching up with our beginning –struggling to make good the large promises made on our behalf. What started at our christening needs to be validated by our personal decisions each day of our lives from then on. This then is the significance of our Baptism.

For Christ, Baptism was a turning point in His ministry.

For us, Baptism is like a seed planted in our hearts, which nurtured can and will blossom into Christ-like living. We will be faced with challenging choices at every stage – whether to go our own way, the way of self-promotion and worldly values , or the way of Christ, considering the welfare of others  first. We pray constantly for the courage and the strength to persevere in our right choices, and to try and correct the wrong ones we make through our human frailty.

We are empowered by the Spirit every time we turn in prayer to invoke  – perhaps in the words of the chant: –

“Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me -melt me, mould  me, fill me, use me.
  Spirit of the Living God fall afresh on me”.

With God’s Spirit on our side then, who can be against us!