We’re returning to the Narrative Lectionary for the remainder of the winter and spring, following along with our young people in Church School. We’ll spend the seasons of Epiphany and Lent in the Gospel of Luke, catching glimpses of God as revealed through Jesus, his ministry of healing, and his journey to the cross.
My friends, we’ve made it! We’ve heard the angels, followed the star, worshiped the Christ child, and gone home by another way with the Magi. Advent welcomed in the new liturgical year, Christmas welcomed the newborn Prince of Peace, and January ushered in the new calendar year- it’s a season of beginnings all around! Fitting, then, that this Sunday’s Bible story marks the last act of preparation for the beginning of Jesus’ ministry: his baptism.
If you joined us on December 15th, you may remember how John (the Baptizer, not the Gospel-writer), sent to “prepare the way of the Lord,” preached that Baptism is just the beginning of a new life in God’s service; the real crux of the matter (pun somewhat intended) is the fruit we bear: the actions we take and the way we live out our values. It’s fitting, then, that Jesus sets the example for us by himself getting baptized along with the crowds, claiming his identity as God’s beloved Son before turning the focus of his ministry to cultivating “good fruits” from God’s people in the here and now.
Join us in worship this Sunday in the Sanctuary and on YouTube to sing, pray, and ponder together what Jesus’ baptism means for us today.
In faith,
Amy
image credit: “Jesus’ Baptism,” by artist Laura James.
