The Baptism of the Lord

Jan 13 2025

Born to Serve

A favorite plot is the rags-to-riches story, the adversity-to-triumph story, the weakling-who-becomes-strong story. It touches on our hope for personal transformation, for a change for the better. We find it in fairy tales like Cinderella, in novels like David Copperfield, and in movies like Star Wars.

This is not, however, the plot we get in the Jesus story. Jesus, who starts out in Bethlehem wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, then grows up not to become the Messiah that Israel had hoped for—the strong warrior king who would restore the nation of Israel to the glory it had under King David. Instead, he grows up to become one who suffers for our sakes, who empties himself, who con

siders himself a servant—and calls on all who follow him to do the same. On this final Sunday of the Christmas season, the Church celebrates the baptism of Jesus, an event that identifies him as the servant described by Isaiah, who comes in gentleness, breaking no bruised reed, quenching no smoldering wick. No shouting, no crying out, no making his voice heard in the streets. Rather, he will open eyes and hearts, release from confinement, and deliver from the dungeon’s darkness.

The agenda was fairly simple, as Peter points out when preaching in the house of the Roman centurion Cornelius: Jesus went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil. He came not to be served but to serve. And this is what he asks of us.

Consider/Discuss

Why do we end the Christmas season with the celebration of Jesus’ baptism?
Do you think of your baptism as committing you to a life of service?

Responding to the Word

At our baptism, we became God’s adopted sons and daughters. We pray to God as beloved sons and daughters, asking that God will be “well pleased” with us, and that God will direct us in the way of serving the needs of others so that we may “do good” and bring healing to a wounded world.

Jan 13 2025

Scripture Study for

The reading from Isaiah is the first of four passages traditionally known as the “servant songs.” Most significant in this description of the servant is his endowment with God’s own spirit. Earlier Israelite leaders—the judges, kings, and prophets—were thought to have been seized by the spirit, thus empowering them to act within the community in some unique fashion. The servant will exercise justice, but not the harsh, exacting kind. Instead, it will be gentle and understanding, willing to wait for the establishment of God’s universal rule. This justice will not compound the distress of an already suffering people. Rather, it will be a source of consolation.

Acts of the Apostles describes a scene that took place in the house of Cornelius, a newly converted Roman centurion. Normally, an observant Jew like Peter would not enter the home of a Gentile. The first words of his discourse (“I see that God shows no partiality”) indicate that he was not always open to association with Gentiles as he is now (Acts 10:34). It was a newly gained insight about God that changed his view of those who did not have Jewish ancestry. Peter came to see that God shows no partiality, and Christ is Lord of all. The message of peace given initially to Israel now includes the Gentiles as well.

The Gospel reading opens with a statement about Jesus’ leaving the familiarity and security of his home in Galilee and journeying to the Jordan River where John was baptizing. There is no description of the actual baptism, but we do have an account of what happened afterwards: the heavens opened and the Spirit of God descended. The Trinitarian scene is completed with the voice from heaven identifying Jesus as “Son.” The words spoken combine an allusion to the “servant of the Lord” (see Isaiah 42:1) and the enthronement of the messianic king. He will accomplish this as “servant of the Lord.”

Jan 08 2025

The Spirit Breaks In, Expanding Our Vision

Imagine that you are a seagull casually flying in from the Mediterranean, hovering for a spell above the Jordan River. It is a beautifully hot day and the wind floats you aloft. All is good. All is peaceful.

Suddenly the heavens open. Power fills the sky. You can feel the air vibrate. The Spirit breaks in. A dove descends. The God of glory thunders, the voice of the Lord over the waters: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

You’re knocked off guard, for you haven’t seen pictures of a furry man pouring water over a guy with his head bowed, a little bird fluttering overhead; you haven’t heard this baptism of Jesus story before. This Spirit of God is not like any other dove that you have ever seen. This is not like any other day. What is going on?

Below you, people walk with their heads bowed, trudging in the dirt, tired by their humdrum existence. You want to caw out, “Looooook, loooook, looook, looook! Come and soar with me! The Spirit of God is here!” The voice of the Lord is power. The voice of the Lord is splendor. You are roused with courage, feeling that you could keep flying even through the worst of thunderstorms.

Who are these two men? One stays by the water. The other turns toward the desert, where he will remain for forty days. The dove disappears to lead the man to the desert, that power remains with the man who walks away. Who could this be? Wherever he goes, you want to go. Wherever he stops, you want to stop. Life is richer in his presence. The air still vibrates. The splendor has not gone away. Something just feels fitting and right and abundant. What was crooked is now straight. All is good. All is warm. God is here!

Consider/Discuss

How often do we take the story of the inbreaking of the Spirit at the baptism of the Lord for granted, as though we have seen it before? How often do we take the inbreaking of the Spirit in our own lives for granted—a nice story, but not very real?
The next time you hear a seagull crying or a bird calling, look up. Look around. The Spirit of God is here. The God of Glory Thunders. The God of splendor whispers. Do we have ears to hear?

Living and Praying with the Word

O Jesus, give us a heart for you. Spirit of God, fill us to the max! Help us to soar and to dance above the humdrum of life, to be empowered anew. You have done something fresh. Break into our lives as well. Thank you for your glory!

Jan 08 2025

Scripture Study for

In the Isaian passage, God presents an unnamed servant: chosen, upheld, and pleasing to God, who has endowed the servant with the divine spirit. This enables him to serve God faithfully. The nature of his service is to bring forth justice, not just to Israel, as one might expect, but also to the nations, establishing justice “on the earth.” The Hebrew word for justice, mishpat, here refers to the restoration of God’s order. This “victory for justice” will not be accomplished through physical or military force. Instead the servant will bring the nations into covenantal relationship with God, opening up the path for God’s light and healing.

Cornelius is a Roman centurion who, as a “devout and God-fearing” man (Acts 10:2), has always treated the Jews with respect. Just before the present scene, Peter has received a vision in which he is commanded to eat “profane and unclean” food (10:9–16), which he interprets to mean that the mission of Christ is to be extended to the Gentiles. Thus, we hear him say today that God shows no partiality regarding nationality. While it is true that Jesus himself was sent to the Israelites, he is Lord of all, and thus the healing ministry begun in him is now extended beyond the bounds of ethnic Israel to encompass all those who believe in him and accept the offer of forgiveness of sins (10:43).

Matthew notes that Jesus went to John in the wilderness specifically to be baptized. In response to John’s question, Jesus does not suggest that he needs to receive John’s baptism for repentance (3:11), but “to fulfill all righteousness.” Righteousness here means doing God’s will, and it has been suggested that by being baptized, Jesus is placing himself in solidarity with the sinners he will save. In any case, the baptism is the occasion for a confirmation of his identity as God’s Son and the empowerment for his mission by the Holy Spirit, who will immediately lead him into the wilderness.

Dec 13 2024

Baptized for Mission

For many people, the end of the Christmas season carries a touch of sadness. Joy gives way to January. The liturgy, however, turns our attention to the work that lies at the heart of the mystery of the Incarnation. This feast of the Lord’s baptism is the final feast of the Christmas season, serving as a bridge from Christmastime to Ordinary Time. It presents Jesus as God’s “beloved Son.” His baptism placed Jesus on the road of his mission: to reveal the Father and to begin to bring about the kingdom of God in the world.

Our first reading helps us understand Jesus’ mission in light of an unknown Old Testament figure called the Servant. The book of the prophet Isaiah contains four poems called the Servant Songs: 42:1–7; 49:1–7; 50:4–11; 52:13–53:12. These songs speak of a servant on whom God has poured God’s spirit to be God’s agent in the world and bring justice to the nations. The Christian community hears these songs in light of Jesus. St. Paul likewise quoted an early hymn (Philippians 2:5–11), singing of Jesus as one who emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, becoming obedient even unto death on a cross.

Our baptism brought us into the Body of Christ, setting us on the path of continuing Jesus’ mission. When the Holy Spirit came upon us, we became God’s beloved children in Christ and the mission of Christ, which is the mission of the church, became our mission.

Consider/Discuss

Do you connect your baptism with your work in the world?
What can you do, as part of the church, to bring God’s justice to the world?

Responding to the Word

Good Father, you have sent the Holy Spirit upon your people to serve the world by working to bring about the victory of justice. Give us the strength to persevere in this work and do not allow our zeal to break any bruised reed or quench any smoldering wick. Let us do our work in gentleness, kindness, and peace.