Baptism of our Lord

Psalm Reading for January 7, 2024 Baptism of the Lord

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 29
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a Psalm of Praise that ascribes glory and strength and holiness to Yahweh using the imagery of the storm and mighty floods to illustrate the power of God. There are three movements in this Psalm:

Attributions of glory to God, from verses 1-2
The imagery of God’s voice in the storm, verses 3-9a
The voice of the people in the temple cries out “Glory!” when they worship Yahweh, who is enthroned as their King.

God is personified as speaking through the voice of thunder, mighty waters, and the wind that has the power to break strong, tall cedars in the mountains of Lebanon into kindling. Proud oak trees are twisted by his voice. God’s voice is depicted as flashing like lightning, and shaking the desert.

What other response can the congregation have but to cry “Glory!” and worship God as Lord and King in the temple? The Psalm moves from the violence and power of the storm to the safety and peace within the temple, where they are sheltered by his strength:

Yahweh will give strength to his people.
Yahweh will bless his people with peace.

We are reminded that one of the chief deities of the Canaanite pantheon of gods is Baal Hadod, the god of the storm. The Psalmist is making it clear that only the Lord of Israel is the true God of the storm. He speaks through the storm and the lightning and the thunder and the flood, and yet he also brings peace and safety to his people from those storms.

APPLY:

Anyone who lives in the Midsouth of the United States, as I do, will be very aware of the power of thunderstorms, wind, and water. Tornadoes bring great terror, as do straight-line winds. The mighty Mississippi River forms a natural boundary in my state, and there have been times in the past that the levies did not protect the Delta from its inundations. Floods can carry away virtually everything in their path — as survivors of tsunami in the Pacific can attest.

The Psalmist is making two points for us to consider in this Psalm.

God is powerful beyond our imagining.
God’s voice is like the thunder, the lightning, the wind, the flood.

I like what the Beaver in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia says of Aslan, the Christ figure in the book:

He’s wild you know. Not like a tame lion.

We must be careful in our thinking about God that we don’t try to domesticate him, or reduce him to our “nice” categories. God is all-powerful, and we do well to fear him.

On the other hand, God does provide strength and peace to his people. God is benevolent.

To quote Lewis’ fantasy again, when Lucy asks on first hearing about this lion named Aslan whether he is safe, the Beaver answers:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver …. “Who said anything about safe? …. Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.”

As we think of Baptism of our Lord Sunday, in association with the texts for this week, we are made aware that sometimes our use of water in baptism can be over-sentimentalized. Water does give life, and cleanses — but it is also a powerful force of nature.

Baptism in the church also gives life and cleanses — but it is a powerful symbol of supernatural power as well.

RESPOND:

I can seldom resist the urge to stand and watch a thunderstorm, or to watch the Mississippi slide powerfully and swiftly by. But I don’t really want to be out in the storm or down in the river. Similarly, I acknowledge the power and glory of my God, but I am also grateful for his protection and peace.

Our Lord, you are mighty and powerful and holy. My efforts to make you ‘safe’ and ‘tame’ are futile. I cry ‘Glory!’ at your name, and give thanks that you have saved me in the midst of the storms of life. Amen.

Gospel for January 8, 2023 Baptism of the Lord

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Matthew 3:13-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

The active ministry of Jesus is inaugurated with his baptism by John. It is important to be clear about what the baptism of Jesus was not.

This was not a baptism of repentance, which is what John was preaching by the Jordan River. Jesus, we are told in Matthew’s Gospel, has been conceived by the Holy Spirit (Matthew 1:20). And we are told elsewhere in the New Testament that Jesus was sinless. Only one who is sinless is able to fulfill the promise of the Angel to Joseph, that Jesus:

shall save his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).

Nor is this the moment in which Jesus becomes the Son of God. The descent of the Spirit of God and the voice from heaven that declares Jesus is God’s beloved Son is the certification of Jesus’ status as the divine Son of God. But Jesus is the Son of God from the very beginning:

They shall call his name Immanuel;
which is, being interpreted, “God with us” (Matthew 1:23).

John recognizes the supremacy of Jesus immediately:

John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”

However, Jesus has another agenda:

But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it now, for this is the fitting way for us to fulfill all righteousness.”

This doesn’t mean that Jesus needs to be cleansed by this baptism. What it does mean is that Jesus fulfills all the criteria of the righteous life — we know from Luke’s Gospel that Jesus was circumcised according to the Law of Moses (Luke 2:21); and we know that Jesus observed all of the required rituals of the Jews, such as the feasts of Passover, Tabernacles, and the Dedication of the Temple. And Jesus makes it clear in the Sermon on the Mount that he is the consummation and end of the Law:

Don’t think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn’t come to destroy, but to fulfill (Matthew 5:17).

And the actual baptism of Jesus is obviously unique:

Jesus, when he was baptized, went up directly from the water: and behold, the heavens were opened to him. He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him. Behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

This is a kind of coronation. All three persons of the Trinity are present: The Spirit descends like a dove to signify that God is indeed with Jesus (remember: he is called Immanuel, which means God with us). And the Father certifies his unique relationship with Jesus — Jesus is his beloved Son.

Note that the Father declares that he is well pleased in his Son. Jesus has done nothing in his ministry yet! He hasn’t healed a single person, he hasn’t fed the multitude, he hasn’t been crucified and raised to life. No, the Father is well pleased because of his unique relationship with his Son that has existed from before the beginning of time.

APPLY:

Clearly, the baptism of Jesus is not like our baptism. Jesus is righteous. We are not. Jesus is the Son of God. We are not.

And yet, Jesus submits to baptism in order to demonstrate that he identifies with us. Though he is God and though he is the Second Person of the Trinity, he has become human. His baptism demonstrates that he is one of us.

In that sense, it is a prelude to the cross, where Jesus experiences the worst aspects of the human experience — sin and death. This is Paul’s interpretation:

For him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

This is how the baptism of Jesus impacts our lives — it tells us that he has entered into our experience — completely — in order to take our unrighteousness on himself and give us his righteousness.

We are baptized because we are unrighteous and desperately need the grace of God. Jesus is also baptized because of our unrighteousness. We are adopted as children of God only because Jesus is the only begotten Son of the Father. His baptism signifies what Jesus has done for us; our baptism also signifies what Jesus has done for us, not what we have done for ourselves.

RESPOND:

Baptism is one of the most controversial issues in the Christian church. How ironic, that this sacrament (some would say ordinance), intended to be the mark of our Christian identity, should divide us. Some believe that baptism is a ritual of initiation into the Christian family, from the very beginning of our lives. Others believe that baptism is a witness to one’s faith when we are able to make that decision for ourselves.

For some, the volume of water is the issue. Should it be sprinkled, poured, or should the baptized be completely immersed?

One thing I do know — baptism is really not what we have done for ourselves. Baptism is a sign to us and to all about what God has done for us. Baptism is one of the signs telling us that we are accepted by grace.

In his baptism, Jesus has demonstrated that he has performed all that is required for our righteousness. And our righteousness is his gift to us, appropriated by faith.

Lord, you have submitted to baptism in order to identify with our humanity. You have come down to our level that you might lift us up to yours. Thank you! Amen.

PHOTO:
“Matthew 3-14” by Baptist Union of Great Britain is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for January 8, 2023 Baptism of the Lord

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 10:34-43
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This is a specimen of some of the first preaching in the early church. What is extraordinary about this is that it is one of the first sermons preached to Gentiles. Prior to this, the Gospel had been shared with disciples and the crowds that gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, to believers in their homes, to sympathetic worshipers in the temple, to hostile officials and angry mobs, almost all of whom were Jews.

Then the Gospel began to spread to Samaria, and then to an Ethiopian eunuch. Now, Peter must overcome his bigotry and exclusivity and go into the home of a Roman Gentile.

Truly, the command and the promise of Jesus to the disciples just prior to his ascension is beginning to come to pass:

“…you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

This is the context: Peter has gone toward the Mediterranean coast of Judea, preaching and healing in Lydda and Joppa. He was a guest of Simon the Tanner in Joppa when a strange vision from God appeared to him, which gives him the message:

“What God has made clean, you must not call profane” (Acts 10:15).

At that very moment, messengers from the Centurion Cornelius (stationed with the Italian Cohort of the Roman Legions thirty miles to the north in Caesarea), arrive at Simon’s house asking for Peter. Cornelius has sent his messengers because he also has experienced a vision in which an angel has instructed him to reach out to Peter.

Based on his own vision, Peter accompanies them back to Caesarea, to the house of Cornelius, which is the setting of this message.

The message is an important example of Peter’s preaching:

It illustrates that the Gospel is beginning to spread to the Gentiles.
It includes the essential kerygma of the early church, which is the basic proclamation of the Gospel.
It reemphasizes the commission to take the message to the world.
Peter makes clear that this Gospel is the fulfillment of the revelation of God to the Jews in the Hebrew Bible.

Peter confesses that he himself has undergone a kind of “conversion” when it comes to being open to non-Jews. He sees now that God’s covenant is not exclusive but inclusive, even of the Gentiles:

I truly understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.

However, Peter quickly adds that this Gospel has come first to Israel:

You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ—he is Lord of all.

Notice that Peter makes clear that the Lordship of Jesus is universal:

He is Lord of all.

Then Peter focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus, of which Peter and his fellow disciples were all witnesses:

That message spread throughout Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John announced: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; how he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he did both in Judea and in Jerusalem.

As we observe Baptism of the Lord Sunday, we note that Peter is interpreting the baptism that Jesus received from John. John’s baptism was the outward sign that Jesus had been anointed with the Holy Spirit and power. The baptism in the Jordan was the inauguration of Jesus’ ministry.

But at the heart of Peter’s message is the cross and the resurrection:

They put him to death by hanging him on a tree; but God raised him on the third day and allowed him to appear, not to all the people but to us who were chosen by God as witnesses, and who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead.

Note Peter’s distinction. Not everyone saw the risen Christ, but those who had been chosen by God as witnesses. Because they were witnesses, they had been given an apostolic authority and commission to preach the Gospel:

He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one ordained by God as judge of the living and the dead.

Peter closes by reminding his Gentile audience again that this message about Jesus that is now offered to them was revealed first to the Hebrew prophets. The universal message of the Gospel is the forgiveness of sins through Christ:

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.

APPLY:

Because of the passage of time and the differences in modern culture, we can sometimes forget just how radical it was that Peter consented to go to the home of a Gentile — who also happened to be a member of the hated Roman army!

Imagine being called upon to go to the home of a military officer in communist North Korea, or a member of the radical Islamic group ISIS, and we may catch a glimpse of how difficult this was for Peter.

However, God’s vision to Peter was very clear — God has no partiality, and anyone who has faith in the crucified and risen Christ will be forgiven, no matter what their race, ethnicity, or culture.

The message of Jesus Christ is eternal and universal— his offer of salvation is offered to all who are willing to repent and turn to him in faith.

RESPOND:

When I preach the Gospel, it is vital to me that I include a few key ingredients that seem to me to be embedded also in Peter’s message.

It is important to me that I let people know how Christ has impacted my own life. Peter does that.

But even more important, Peter proclaims the forgiveness of sins and faith in Jesus Christ, crucified and risen from the dead. I really strive to make sure that the message of Christ is conveyed in every sermon I preach no matter what my text may be and how many other issues I may address.

John Wesley once wrote:

We are not ourselves clear before God, unless we proclaim him [Christ] in all his offices.

Although this seems like an old-fashioned way to speak, Wesley really is on to something. Wesley also says that it is by faith that we:

receive Christ; that we receive him in all his offices, as our Prophet, Priest, and King. It is by this that he is “made of God unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption.”

What this means to me is that Jesus guides us into all truth as the Prophet who is our source of wisdom — that’s why we read the whole Bible, because it reveals the whole counsel of God. As our Priest, Jesus reconciles us to God through his sacrificial death on the cross, and continues even now to pray for us as our High Priest. And as King, Jesus is the risen Christ who rules over us forever, fulfilling his law of love in us as he restores his image in us and brings in his everlasting Kingdom.

Lord, help me to clarify the message you have revealed to us so that I can claim it by faith and, like Peter, do the very best I can to proclaim the Gospel so that others might also come to Christ and be strengthened in faith. Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Peter Baptizing the Centurion Cornelius” by Francesco Trevisani is in the Public Domain.

Psalm Reading for January 8, 2023 Baptism of the Lord

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 29
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Attributions of glory to God, from verses 1-2
The imagery of God’s voice in the storm, verses 3-9a
The voice of the people in the temple cry out “Glory!” when they worship Yahweh, who is enthroned as their King.

Yahweh will give strength to his people.
Yahweh will bless his people with peace.

APPLY:

The Psalmist is making two points for us to consider in this Psalm.

God is powerful beyond our imagining.
God’s voice is like the thunder, the lightning, the wind, the flood.

I like what the Beaver in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia says of Aslan, the Christ figure in the book:

He’s wild you know. Not like a tame lion.

We must be careful in our thinking about God that we don’t try to domesticate him, or reduce him to our “nice” categories. God is all-powerful, and we do well to fear him.

On the other hand, God does provide strength and peace to his people. God is benevolent.

To quote Lewis’ fantasy again, when Lucy asks on first hearing about this lion named Aslan whether he is safe, the Beaver answers:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver …. “Who said anything about safe? …. Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.”

Baptism in the church also gives life and cleanses — but it is a powerful symbol of supernatural power as well.

RESPOND:

Old Testament for January 8, 2023 Baptism of the Lord

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 42:1-9
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Our Old Testament passage is one of four Servant Songs that have been identified in Isaiah. The four Servant Songs are found in Isaiah 42:1-4; Isaiah 49:1-6; Isaiah 50:4-9; and Isaiah 52:13 – 53:13.

The first logical question to ask is, ‘just who is the Servant?’ Like other questions pertaining to interpretation, the answer depends on who you ask. The Jewish scholar would likely answer that the Servant is the nation of Israel itself, or at the very least a prophet of Israel. The apostles and the early church fathers, however, saw unmistakable cues that indicated the Servant to be Jesus the Messiah.

This passage in particular bears a Messianic tone. The servant is the servant of Yahweh, his chosen. Certainly this does describe the unique relationship between Yahweh and Israel, as we see from the beginning when he revealed himself to Moses:

For you are a holy people to Yahweh your God. Yahweh your God has chosen you to be a people for his own possession, above all peoples who are on the face of the earth (Deuteronomy 7:6).

Again, we may have to take a both/and approach as we interpret this passage. From a Christian perspective, there is a particularity to the personal references about the servant. For example, Yahweh says here that the servant is:

my chosen, in whom my soul delights—
I have put my Spirit on him.

This language is echoed when Jesus is baptized by John in the Jordan River, and a voice from heaven declares:

This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased (Matthew 3:17).

From a Christian perspective, this declaration is not only about the servanthood of Jesus, but also his unique relationship to God the Father as the beloved Son.

And in the baptism account, we also have the confirmation of the coming of the Spirit on this servant/Son:

He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming on him (Matthew 3:16).

However, this Servant Song from Isaiah is not merely a coronation. Isaiah describes both the message and the method of this Messiah:

He will bring justice to the nations.
He will not shout,
nor raise his voice,
nor cause it to be heard in the street.
He won’t break a bruised reed.
He won’t quench a dimly burning wick.
He will faithfully bring justice.
He will not fail nor be discouraged,
until he has set justice in the earth,
and the islands will wait for his law.

The ultimate goal of this Servant is justice — which in Hebrew is more than a legal concept. Justice (Hebrew mishpat) describes the impact of God’s uniquely righteous judgment, and also the righteous order or custom of life that results from God’s reign.

However, the Servant¸ as the mediator of this new reign, will not do so with spectacular fanfare and violence, but with quiet gentleness:

He won’t break a bruised reed.
He won’t quench a dimly burning wick.

These metaphors suggest gentle mercy toward those who are weak and nearly extinguished.

But the Servant will also be tenacious in accomplishing Yahweh’s purposes:

He will not fail nor be discouraged,
until he has set justice in the earth

And we must also note that the Servant’s justice and judgement and reign will not be restricted to Israel, but inclusive of the nations (the Gentiles) and the far-flung world — the earth, and the islands.

In the latter half of this oracle from Isaiah, there is a shift in perspective. Yahweh is no longer speaking of the Servant; now he speaks to the Servant.

Yahweh declares his sovereignty over all the earth and the heavens as Creator and Sustainer of all things:

Thus says God Yahweh,
he who created the heavens and stretched them out,
he who spread out the earth and that which comes out of it,
he who gives breath to its people and spirit to those who walk in it.

It is this God who now instructs the Servant as to his job description on earth:

“I, Yahweh, have called you in righteousness,
and will hold your hand,
and will keep you,
and make you a covenant for the people,
as a light for the nations;
to open the blind eyes,
to bring the prisoners out of the dungeon,
and those who sit in darkness out of the prison.

The Servant’s character is grounded in God’s righteousness. This righteousness is defined by some Biblical commentators as God’s “steadfast and consistent purpose” (cf. Interpreter’s Bible, p. 468). And God’s “purpose” is further clarified by the remainder of this verse —

The Servant himself is to be a covenant for the people, establishing a corporate relationship between God and his people in himself!
The Servant is a light for the nations. This metaphor connects directly with the language used to describe Jesus in the New Testament. Jesus himself says:

I am the light of the world. He who follows me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the light of life (John 8:12).

And Jesus also fulfills, both literally and metaphorically, the promises of this Messianic Servant to bring sight to the blind, and to release prisoners from the darkness of the dungeon of sin and death.

Yahweh asserts his authority to fulfill all of these promises, grounded in his name and his glory:

I am Yahweh.
That is my name.
I will not give my glory to another,
nor my praise to engraved images.

These claims can be traced all the way back to Exodus 3, when Yahweh reveals his holy name to Moses in the famous Tetragrammaton (the four letters of YHWH), as I Am That I Am. We also see a connection to the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20:

You shall not make for yourselves an idol, nor any image of anything that is in the heavens above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth (Exodus 20:4).

You shall not take the name of Yahweh your God in vain, for Yahweh will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain (Exodus 20:7).

Finally, based on Yahweh’s sovereign authority and reign, he understands completely both past and future events:

Behold, the former things have happened,
and I declare new things.
I tell you about them before they come up.

APPLY:

First of all, this oracle from Isaiah doesn’t apply to us. It is not centered on us or on our well-being. However, it is focused on the one who has been called “The Man for others” by none other than Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

The focus is on the Servant/Son of God, who comes to us in humility and gentle strength, who takes care not to break the bruised reed or extinguish the sputtering wick.

Nevertheless, because this Servant/Son is the “Man for others,” his coming does apply to us. He comes to bring justice; a righteousness that comes from God, not from ourselves. It a gift of grace. And he brings light and sight and liberation from our prisons.

The only person who can possibly be conceived to fulfill these promises is Jesus.

RESPOND:

Jesus is not my servant. Jesus is the servant and the Son of his Father. This is confirmed by Paul in his famous passage from Philippians:

Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, didn’t consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross. Therefore God also highly exalted him, and gave to him the name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, those on earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:5-11).

Jesus, who is equal with God, nevertheless becomes human and submits to the consequences of human frailty — death. But his self-abasement leads paradoxically to his exaltation above all things, in heaven and on earth and under the earth.

So, this Servant/Son identifies with us, and through his identification delivers us from death. He is superlatively worthy of our worship!

Lord, you have fulfilled your promise, that in the Servant we would be delivered. And I trust you will fulfill your promises for “justice to the nations.” Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Isaiah 42” uses the following images: “sunset” by Dan Zelazo is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license. “The Baptism of Christ” by José Ferraz de Almeida Júnior is in the public domain.

Gospel for January 9, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

In some Christian traditions, this passage focusing on the baptism of Jesus is known as a “Theophany,” i.e., a manifestation of God’s glory and presence.

There are two sections in today’s Scripture reading. The first section is a kind of preface to the baptism of Jesus. The second section describes the baptism of Jesus.

In the preface to the baptism of Jesus, Luke describes the ministry of John the Baptist. John humbly defers to the one who is coming, who is more powerful than John himself.

He clearly differentiates between himself and the Messiah.

John’s baptism is a baptism by water. Elsewhere, John’s baptism is defined as:

a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins (Luke 3:3).

Repentance is seen as a necessary step in the spiritual process of salvation. John declares that the Messiah will soon bring the next step — a baptism of power and purification:

He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

John sees the ministry of the Messiah as the beginning of the judgment — the separation of the just and the unjust:

His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.

But in the following verses we have a paradox. The powerful one who is coming, the Messiah, the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire, who will judge and separate the just from the unjust, presents himself to John to be baptized like any other sinner!

But what happens during his baptism demonstrates that Jesus is not a sinner in need of absolution:

. . . when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

This is a true theophany. The full Triune nature of God is present. The Holy Spirit descends upon the Son, indicating God’s presence. And the voice from heaven is the voice of the Father, declaring Jesus’ unique relationship as the Son of God.

Jesus is uniquely the Beloved. This is language reminiscent of the descriptions of Jesus in the Gospel of John:

It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known (John 1:18).

The true nature of Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah, the Second Person of the Trinity, is made manifest in this passage.

And the Father’s statement — with you I am well pleased — is a clear statement that this baptism and the theophany acknowledge the established identity of Jesus. Jesus isn’t being “adopted” as Son of God — God is already well pleased with the Son who has coexisted with him in the unity of the Trinity from eternity.

APPLY:

A theophany is a little like what happens when we open and close blinds in a window. When the blinds open and close, they don’t change the brilliance of the Sun. That light remains a constant. But opening the blinds means that the person on the inside can see the light.

When this theophany occurs in Luke’s Gospel it doesn’t change the nature of God. God remains the same. But we begin to catch a glimpse of the nature of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

All three Persons of the Godhead are manifest in this passage — as Jesus is baptized, the Holy Spirit descends, and the Father acknowledges that Jesus is his Beloved Son.

The act of baptism by John is like the opening of the blinds. As opening the blinds reveals the Sun, so baptism reveals the Son.

Likewise, in a narrower sense, our baptism reveals our relationship with God as his adopted children. As an Orthodox priest recently said:

we become by grace what Jesus is by nature.

RESPOND:

What really matters to me is that when I was baptized, and when I came to faith in Christ, my life was “hidden” in his life; I was identified with Christ:

So if you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, then you also will be revealed with him in glory (Colossians 3:1-3).

So, as Jesus has been baptized to reveal that he is the Son of God, which is confirmed in his life, death and resurrection, so when I have been baptized I have been revealed as a child of God, and now am able to live my life in him and to be raised to life in the resurrection.

Our Lord, your baptism reveals who you are as Son of God. May my own baptism reveal who I am as a child of God! Amen.

PHOTO:
“Light is a constant” uses this untitled photo by woodleywonderworks which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.

Reading from Acts for January 9, 2022

This window with the symbols of baptism and the Holy Spirit is from St Dominic’s church in Washington DC. [photo by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P.]

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Acts 8:14-17
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage describes the very early days of Christianity when the Gospel was just beginning to transition from a Jewish sect into a world “movement.” In a sense, this is the beginning of the fulfillment of Jesus’ mission plan, as he instructed the disciples just prior to his ascension into heaven:

” . . . you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).

Jesus had certainly had an impact in Samaria prior to his death and resurrection, as he passed through that territory.

Later, Philip had been the pioneer in preaching the Gospel in Samaria. The Philip described in Acts 8 is likely Philip the deacon and evangelist, not the Philip that was one of the twelve disciples.

There are two key issues to take into consideration:

First, we must bear in mind the severe prejudice that the Jews typically held toward the Samaritans.

Some Jews even considered the Samaritans to be “unclean” and to be avoided at all costs. But Jesus by his teachings [the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10] and actions [the woman at the well in John 4] began to break down the walls of separation.

In today’s lectionary reading of Acts 8, the Jewish disciples of Jesus continue his work as they proclaim the Gospel in Samaria.

Second, we get the sense that though Philip has introduced the Samaritans to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, he hasn’t completed the work of discipleship.

This is the concern of the apostles at Jerusalem, who are responsible for maintaining the correct teaching of the Gospel. They want to be sure that as the doctrine of Christ is spread that it is accurate.

Therefore:

when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.

Curiously, there seemed at this time to be a two-stage process of initiation into the faith. While the Samaritans seem to have believed and been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus, there was still something missing:

Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

This seems to be a confirmation of the prophecy of John the Baptist, who says of Jesus:

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Luke 3:16).

In order to experience the fullness of the new life in Christ, it appears to be necessary that the Samaritans experience the Holy Spirit as well.

APPLY:

It is important to remember that this passage describes early doctrinal development in the church that is based primarily on the experience of the early Christians.

It seems conceivable that a person might become a believer in Christ as the risen Lord, and even to be baptized in his name, and yet still have room for a deepening experience when that person subsequently receives the Holy Spirit.

This leaves open the possibility of spiritual growth and maturity — what many Christians describe as sanctification.

Some Christian denominations may become quite technical about this experience, describing it as “the second blessing,” or “the second baptism,” or “baptism with the Holy Spirit.”

But simply put, it suggests that there is room for growth in the normal Christian experience.

RESPOND:

Baptism can be among the most controversial doctrines in the Christian church today. Some churches practice the baptism of infants, as a sign that they are included in God’s love and grace from the beginning. Others insist on “believer’s baptism,” which means that baptism is only legitimate based on the decision of the believer. Others would say that until there are clear outward signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit (for example, the gifts of the Spirit), there is no true baptism.

I know a youth minister in a church which practices infant baptism. About the time members in his youth group get into high school, they are beginning to ask questions about their faith and especially whether their baptism is legitimate. His answer is worth considering — The baptism that really matters is the baptism of the heart.

Our Lord, I do crave all the blessings and the power that you offer. I claim the baptism I received as a child, and pray that you will continuously fill me with your Holy Spirit. Amen.

PHOTOS:
"Baptism and the Holy Spirit" by Fr. Lawrence Lew, O.P. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.

Psalm Reading for January 9, 2022

A Royal Navy search and rescue Sea King helicopter comes to the aid of the French Fishing vessel Alf (LS683637) during a storm in Irish Sea.

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Psalm 29
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

Attributions of glory to God, from verses 1-2
The imagery of God’s voice in the storm, verses 3-9a
The voice of the people in the temple cry out “Glory!” when they worship Yahweh, who is enthroned as their King.

Yahweh will give strength to his people.
Yahweh will bless his people with peace.

APPLY:

The Psalmist is making two points for us to consider in this Psalm.

God is powerful beyond our imagining.
God’s voice is like the thunder, the lightning, the wind, the flood.

I like what the Beaver in C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia says of Aslan, the Christ figure in the book:

He’s wild you know. Not like a tame lion.

We must be careful in our thinking about God that we don’t try to domesticate him, or reduce him to our “nice” categories. God is all-powerful, and we do well to fear him.

On the other hand, God does provide strength and peace to his people. God is benevolent.

To quote Lewis’ fantasy again, when Lucy asks on first hearing about this lion named Aslan whether he is safe, the Beaver answers:

“Safe?” said Mr. Beaver …. “Who said anything about safe? …. Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King I tell you.”

Baptism in the church also gives life and cleanses — but it is a powerful symbol of supernatural power as well.

RESPOND:

PHOTOS:
“Royal Navy Sea King Helicopter Comes to the Aid of French Fishing Vessel ‘Alf’ in the Irish Sea” by Defence Images is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic license.

Old Testament for January 9, 2022

START WITH SCRIPTURE:
Isaiah 43:1-7
CLICK HERE TO READ SCRIPTURE ON BIBLEGATEWAY.COM

OBSERVE:

This passage is a word of hope to Israel in a time of duress. But for the modern reader, it does pose a few questions.

The references that Isaiah makes in this passage seem to relate to a time after Judah has been conquered by the Babylonians, and are in exile.

Many Old Testament scholars believe that this passage was written by an author they call “Second Isaiah,” who was writing these oracles after the exile of Judah following the fall of Jerusalem in 586 B.C. They believe that this prophet wrote Isaiah 40-55, based on the descriptions of the exile and the hope for a return.

But the original Isaiah lived and wrote beginning about 740 B.C., two centuries prior to the exile.

This isn’t the place for a debate about the claims of modern scholarship and the conflict with traditional views of Scripture. However, we might want to pose one question to consider — if we presuppose that God is capable of communicating future events by means of oracles to a prophet, is it conceivable that the same Isaiah who wrote the first 39 chapters also wrote Isaiah 40-55, as well as Isaiah 56-66? Disbelief in such predictions of the future presupposes that prophecies about the future are impossible — which undermines the very foundation of belief in a supernatural God.

The modern scholar might respond this way — what difference does it make who wrote the oracles, and when? What matters is the content of the oracles, they might say.

As an analogy, the modern scholar might argue that it doesn’t matter whether the plays attributed to Shakespeare were really written by him, or by Christopher Marlowe or someone else. What really matters is the substance of the plays themselves.

The reader must decide these issues for him/herself. As we read today’s Scripture, what ultimately matters is that the Lord is reaffirming his promises to his people.

The people of Israel have been brought into existence by the Lord, beginning with the origin stories of the patriarchs like Jacob in Genesis.

What is most significant about this is the personal nature of the relationship between the Lord and his people:

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.

In the Hebrew world-view, naming conveys a personal sense of identity and recognition. Israel’s identity is closely related to their intimate relationship with their God.

And the Lord promises protection from all threats:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.

There is a sense of national exceptionalism in this passage, meaning that Israel is uniquely special to the Lord. Egypt and Ethiopia and Seba are given in ransom for the children of Israel. Israel is precious in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord declares:

I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.

And, once again, we see the theme of the return from exile:

Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, “Give them up,”
and to the south, “Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth—
everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”

One thing is quite true — whenever the prophecy was made, and whoever made it, it did come to pass. Cyrus, the king of Persia, passed an edict in 538 B.C., permitting the Jews to return from their exile.

APPLY:

This seems a curious passage for the lectionary Scripture on Baptism of Our Lord Sunday in the liturgical year.

Water and fire here are not symbols of cleansing and purification — they are perils through which Israel must pass:

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.

This is a caution to us that we shouldn’t sanitize baptism too much. It isn’t merely applying a little water to the head of an infant for the pleasure of adoring family members. Baptism is a sign of death — death to sin that we might be raised to life.

The same water that can cleanse us can also drown us! Ironically, God delivers us from the threat through the threat.

RESPOND:

I read these words from Isaiah and they remind me of one of my favorite hymns — How Firm a Foundation.

These verses seem to be a direct parallel:

When through the deep waters I call thee to go,
The rivers of woe shall not thee overflow;
For I will be with thee, thy troubles to bless,
And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress.

When through fiery trials thy pathways shall lie,
My grace, all sufficient, shall be thy supply;
The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design
Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine.

It strikes me that we are not guaranteed that there will be no deep waters, rivers of woe, or fiery trials. Those experiences will come in our lives. However, we are assured that God will use those experiences to sanctify and purify us.

Lord, I am aware that my baptism is not a magical talisman that protects me from the perils of life. It is my reminder that you will be with me no matter what happens, and that ultimately you will bring me home. Thank you for your promises! Amen.

PHOTOS:
“Isaiah 43:1a-2a” by Sapphire Dream Photography is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 Generic license.