12 January 2025 - Baptism of the Lord, Year C

Theme

This week is Baptism of the Lord Sunday. It is the day where we remember Jesus’ baptism and commemorate the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. The Gospel reading shares the story of Jesus’ baptism. The Acts reading shares a story of Peter and John going to baptize people in Samaria to receive the Holy Spirit. Isaiah’s prophecy declares that God remains with God’s people in trying times and the Psalmist invites people to worship the mighty God who rules over all people and creation.

Scriptures

Isaiah 43:1-7 - A prophecy made by *deutero-Isaiah declaring that God will be with the Israelites as they go through difficult times. Reminding them of their rescue from Egypt, Isaiah declares that God will save them once again.

Psalm 29 - A Psalm that declares the might of God. It calls people to worship and honour this mighty God who cares for and blesses God’s people. 

Acts 8:14-17 - Peter and John visit the people of Samaria, who had just accepted God’s message. They pray for the people to receive the Holy Spirit. 

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 - Jesus’ baptism. The people wonder whether John is the messiah, but John claims that while he baptizes in water, someone greater is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire. Jesus gets baptised, the Holy Spirit descends on him and a voice from heaven declares: “You are my beloved son, and you bring me great joy.”

The Context

Isaiah was written by three separate groups of people. Today’s portion comes from deutero-Isaiah (chapters 40-55), which was written during the period where the Israelites were in exile. In this light, Isaiah’s prophecy this week would have been incredibly powerful and hopeful to a people living in complete turmoil and despair during exile.

Personal Application

Jesus’ baptism inaugurated his ministry in and to the world. Although it wasn’t the beginning of Jesus’ story, in one sense it was a beginning. When we commit our lives to the way of Jesus and get baptized, we also get to experience a new beginning - a second birth. Some of us were baptized as children and as we got older and matured in our faith, we committed our lives to Christ through confirmation. These were each opportunities for us to repent of our past transgressions, commit ourselves to a new way of living and experience the life-giving gift of being a part of the global Church community.

As we read stories of other people’s baptisms and as we experience other people’s baptisms, we are reminded of our own baptism. We are reminded that we are a part of a larger story of God’s people throughout the world. We are reminded that we have been washed clean and given a new life, a fresh page to write a new story. Although we make mistakes along the way, baptism reminds us of a God who constantly forgives and offers new life. 

As we are faced with the story of Jesus’ baptism this week, let us consider our own baptism. How have our lives changed since then? How have we experienced God’s good and gracious gifts in this new story that we are writing together with God?

Communal Application

In our Acts reading, Peter and John visit a group of people in Samaria who have accepted God’s message. What we don’t get to see in this reading, is that just after this encounter, a person by the name of Simon pipes up and asks to purchase this gift of the Holy Spirit so that he too can experience it’s power. Peter rebukes Simon for thinking that God’s gift can be bought.

Much of the Church today is fascinated with the Holy Spirit. With all the current opinions on the Holy Spirit, we have seemed to have lost the mystery of the Holy Spirit as a person of the Holy Trinity. Churches will use scriptures such as the one we are faced with today to monopolize their understanding of the Holy Spirit. I don’t think that today’s scripture readings were primarily meant to be teachings about the Holy Spirit. For example, the gospel reading was intended to be a declaration of God’s approval of John the baptizer’s ministry as well as an affirmation of the person and ministry of Jesus. The Acts reading, when read as a part of the larger whole, is once again an example of the ever-expanding, inclusive movement of Jesus’ followers - Peter and John went to baptize Samaritans, people who had previously been despised and shunned as shown in Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (another subversive story in itself). This ever-expanding, inclusive way of Jesus is further seen in the following story where Phillip baptizes a an Ethiopian Eunuch, someone who had previously been understood as unclean.

How have we as a church, like Simon, tried to turn God’s gifts into something that can be manipulated or bought? There is a lot of good that can come from understanding the theology of baptism and the Holy Spirit, but when that theology prevents us from receiving and experiencing the intended gifts, that is when we run into problems.