Tag Archives: Baptism of Our Lord

Epiphany 1A/Baptism of Our Lord

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Jan. 12, 2014

The baptism of Jesus, Russian icon, 1430-1440; the Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

The baptism of Jesus, Russian icon, 1430-1440

First Reading: Isaiah 42:1-9
The book of Isaiah actually incorporates the work of three separate prophets, modern Bible scholars tell us. The First Isaiah warned of the loss of Jerusalem and the Temple and exile in Babylon if the people didn’t follow their covenant and walk in God’s ways. In today’s reading we come to Second Isaiah. The dire predictions of First Isaiah have come to pass, and the prophet reminds the exiled community of God’s call for justice and righteousness. There is still hope – God is always with us and will send God’s servant to lead us – but God’s covenant must be fulfilled with all the nations.

Psalm: Psalm 29
Whether we huddle in the basement, listening to the radio for news, or venture out onto the porch to watch in fearful awe, we all surely know how it feels to live through a powerful thunderstorm. Lightning flames like fire. Thunder shakes everything. Giant oak trees seem to whirl, and large limbs come crashing down. We may sense God’s power in the frightening storm, but we also feel the comfort that comes with knowing God’s protection and peace.

Second Reading: Acts 10:34-43
Peter, alive with the Holy Spirit, tells the Roman centurion Cornelius, an early Gentile Christian, that God’s message through Jesus is for everyone and every nation. God’s generous gift of grace to all, without partiality, surely reflects God’s righteousness to all the nations expressed in today’s Isaiah reading. As Peter so firmly states, “All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

Gospel: Matthew 3:13-17
All four Gospels tell of Jesus coming to John the Baptist, who was baptizing crowds in the Jordan River for “repentance and the forgiveness of sins.” But then we have to wonder: Why would Jesus need to repent or be baptized? The Gospels show John pointing out that Jesus should be baptizing him, not the other way around. But Jesus insists, and John agrees. And then we see a vision of the Trinity on Jordan’s bank as Jesus, the Son, comes up from the water to see the Holy Spirit descending like a dove, while the Creator God’s booming voice declares Jesus as the beloved son.

Epiphany 1C/Baptism of Our Lord

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Thoughts on Today’s Lessons for Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013.

Baptism of Christ

Baptism of Christ

First Reading: Isaiah 43:1-7
Both our Old Testament readings invoke images of water today as we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. Isaiah prophesies that the Israelites in exile will return to Jerusalem, kept safe by God through fire and water. In Baptism we give thanks for the gift of the water over which the Holy Spirit moved in creating the world, through which God led Israel out of bondage; in which Jesus received John’s baptism, and in which we are reborn though baptism in Christ.

Psalm 29
In today’s psalm, a thundering temple hymn, the faithful sing of God’s power as seen in a great storm. Thunder and lightning, wind and noise, flashing fire and mighty winds that shake the earth and topple trees: But these are not things to fear. They are signs of the mighty power and majesty of God. As the storm comes to a close, we are left with God’s promises of strength and peace. We share in these gifts through our baptism.

Second Reading: Acts 8:14-17
The Acts of the Apostles, a sequel to Luke’s Gospel, tells the exciting story of the apostles and Paul taking the new church across the ancient Mediterranean, spreading the Good News to both Jews and Gentiles. In today’s short reading we get a glimpse of Peter and John baptizing new Christians in Samaria. Remember that the Samaritans were longtime enemies of the Jews (which is why the Good Samaritan was so surprising), but now the apostles venture boldly out, not just staying safely among “their kind.”

Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
In Luke’s account of Jesus’s baptism, he shows us images of water and fire that seem to echo what we heard in the readings from Isaiah and Psalms. The people had wondered if John the Baptist was the Messiah, but John told them no: The one who is coming – Jesus – is far more powerful than he. Then today’s reading skips three verses in which Herod put John in prison. When we return, Jesus has been baptized, the Holy Spirit appeared as a dove, and God’s voice from heaven announced that Jesus is God’s son. Let’s remember today that as baptized Christians we too are sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked as Christ’s own for ever.