In
baptism, we are identified by God
as belonging to a community.
Yet
baptism is not a simple tattoo, or rite or milestone: it
is a transformative experience in which God lives in us and we live
in God within a grace-filled community. That’s our indelible identity.
We become empowered by God’s grace.
We
celebrate the baptism of Jesus by John in the Jordan River.
This
celebration invites all of us to renew our own baptismal promises so
that we can live ever more transparently as disciples of Jesus, trying to do, as
best we can, what is right.
John
the Baptist is an interesting personality in the Gospels. His
vocation or calling was to
point to Jesus as the Messiah.
We might ask whether we reflect
Jesus Christ
in our relationships.
And
what is John doing? He is baptizing. Inviting people to turn
toward
God and away from selfishness.
Baptism is a
rite of initiation into a community of disciples.
As
Jesus comes up out of the waters, the
Spirit or power or energy of God overwhelms Jesus. He is indeed God's "Beloved Son," anointed to carry out his Messianic mission, drawing human beings into a filial relationship with God.
Why be baptized? To answer the question, we first have to understand who we are in
relationship to God.
The
Book of Genesis captures this graphically.
In the beginning, Genesis says, man and woman walked with God; they
had friendship with God and friendship with one another. But
somehow they lost that relationship. They
hid from God; man blamed woman; and even the earthly elements began
to work against them.
But human beings are forever searching for something greater than themselves that can give ultimate meaning and purpose to their lives. That "something" is a relationship with God.
That's why God became flesh in Jesus.
Jesus, through his horrible death and glorious resurrection re-established that relationship. Thus
baptism initiates
us into a community of disciples who have a relationship with God.
Our
God is a God of love; and our response is gratitude.
This planet, and the people on it, reflect the image of God. All
creation – God’s people especially -- is worthy of reverence.
God
deserves our time
and that’s why we take time to grow in that relationship. This
same God challenges us to support virtues.
As we reflect upon the baptism of Jesus, let us renew our own
promises, to
live godly lives as sons or daughters of God our Father.
