07 January 2024 - Baptism of the Lord

Theme

This week is Baptism of the Lord Sunday where the lectionary invites us to reflect on Jesus’ baptism at the hands of John. The readings this week encourage us to reflect on the role of the Holy Spirit in the lives of believers and in the world. In Mark, the Spirit descends on Jesus and assures him of God’s approval. In Acts, we see the disciples are empowered by the Holy Spirit in their own baptism. In the Psalm and in Genesis, we are reminded that God’s Spirit is continuously creating and is present in all of God’s Creation.

Scripture Readings

  • Mark 1: 4-11 - John the Baptist appears in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. John was wild and unkempt, but attracted many people to get baptized by him. He declared to prepare the way for one more powerful than him who would baptize with the Holy Spirit. Jesus came and got baptized by John. Jesus saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove, also hearing a voice claiming that “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
  • Acts 19:1-7 - Paul asks some disciples if they received the Holy Spirit when they believed, but they had never heard of the Holy Spirit, claiming they had only received John’s baptism. Paul explained that John’s baptism was one of repentance and prepared for the one coming after him, Jesus. They were then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. As Paul lay hands on them, they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
  • Psalm 29 - A Psalm inviting people to give God the praise that God deserves. It reminds God’s people that God rules over all of heaven and earth.
  • Genesis 1:1-5 - The first creation account in the bible. Before the earth was formed, God was hovering over the waters. God said let there be light and created day and night.

The Context

This week is the first Sunday in the Season after Epiphany, after the Epiphany of Christ (appearance of Christ to the Magi gentles) is celebrated on the 6th of January every year. Each year, this Sunday is honoured by reflecting on Jesus’ baptism, the moment where many people would point to being the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. This is appropriate because for the rest of the year, we will be reflecting on Jesus’ ministry, life, death and resurrection as portrayed by the Gospel of Mark.

Personal Application

This week, we are invited to reflect on Jesus’ baptism and the significance that it had for Jesus’ ministry and for those of us who have undergone our own baptisms.

Many have wondered about whether Jesus needed to get baptised at all if baptism is understood as a sign of repentance and the traditional understanding of Jesus being without sin is true. In Acts, Paul helps us understand that while John’s baptism was indeed focused on repentance and forgiveness of sins, the baptism that Jesus offers and Christians receive is more encompassing than that. When we are baptised in the name of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are symbolising the infilling of God’s Spirit and its significance in a new believer’s life. While repentance and forgiveness are certainly still an essential part of a new believer’s conversion and life of faith, it is just as important to recognise God’s Spirit residing in and guiding them throughout the course of their life.

Think back to your own baptism. Do you remember how it felt to own up to your own frailness and accept God’s forgiveness? Did you experience an assurance of God’s approval of you as Jesus did? How have you experienced God’s Spirit at work in your life since your baptism?

Communal Application

The challenge that arises from this passage for those of us who are living in community with other believers, is to recognise God’s Spirit at work in each other. It is often easy for us to notice people’s faults and shortcomings. We are quick to tell people what they need to repent of, but we are slow to recognise the areas of their lives where God’s Spirit is clearly working. This could be in a kind word they said, an act of service they did, or even just the recognition that the Spirit is present within them, even when they may be experiencing or displaying brokenness of various kinds.

This challenge extends further into acknowledging the Holy Spirit’s presence not only in other people, but in the entirety of God’s Creation as well. Where might we experience God’s Spirit in nature? As Genesis declares, God’s Spirit hovers over the waters.

Once we begin to notice God’s Spirit in other people and in all of God’s Creation, we will find it easier to notice God’s Spirit at work in every aspect of our lives and the world. Perhaps then we can even begin to wonder where is God’s Spirit at work in the deep tragedies in the world - the wars, the poverty, the natural disasters. These are not easy questions to answer, but if we believe that God’s Spirit is all-present and always at work in the world, they are important questions to consider.

How does the idea of God’s Spirit entering humanity and creation make you see the world (and other people) differently? Do you think that God’s Spirit is only at work in those who have been baptised? What about Jesus’ promise to be found in “the least of these?” Perhaps the significance of the descending of the Holy Spirit at a person’s baptism is less about the Spirit suddenly coming to them and more about the person becoming more aware of God’s Spirit that has always been present with them and becoming more intentional about listening to and following God’s Spirit.

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