Baptism of Our Lord

Sunday, January 10, 2010
Baptism of Our Lord

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
The Baptism of Our Lord cannot help but recall our own and all baptismal blessings. We recall and celebrate our adoption as daughters and sons, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and the promised company of almighty God when we "pass through the waters ... the rivers ... fire." On this day the heavens open again, for this assembly, and we receive the gift of the beloved Son of God in bread and wine

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

Almighty God, you anointed Jesus at his baptism with the Holy Spirit and revealed him as your beloved Son. Keep all who are born of water and the Spirit faithful in your service, that we may rejoice to be called children of God, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Isaiah 43:1–7

Near the end of Israel's exile in Babylon, God promises to bring them home. They need no longer be afraid, because the one who formed, created, and called them by name now redeems them from all their enemies. God declares them precious and honored, and God loves them.

But now thus says the LORD,
he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
²When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
³For I am the LORD your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
⁴Because you are precious in my sight,
and honored, and I love you,
I give people in return for you,
nations in exchange for your life.
⁵Do not fear, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
⁶I will say to the north, "Give them up,"
and to the south, "Do not withhold;
bring my sons from far away
and my daughters from the end of the earth —
⁷everyone who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made."

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 29

The voice of the LORD is upon the waters. (Ps. 29:3)

¹Ascribe to the ^| LORD, you gods,

ascribe to the LORD glo- ^| ry and strength.

²Ascribe to the LORD the glory ^| due God's name;

worship the LORD in the beau- ^| ty of holiness.

³The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of ^| glory thunders;

the LORD is upon the ^| mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the LORD is a pow- ^| erful voice;

the voice of the LORD is a ^| voice of splendor.

⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the ^| cedar trees;

the LORD breaks the ce- ^| dars of Lebanon;

⁶the LORD makes Lebanon skip ^| like a calf,

and Mount Hermon like a ^| young wild ox.

⁷The voice ^| of the LORD

bursts forth in ^| lightning flashes.

⁸The voice of the LORD ^| shakes the wilderness;

the LORD shakes the wilder- ^| ness of Kadesh.

⁹The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe and strips the ^| forests bare.

And in the temple of the LORD all are ^| crying, "Glory!"

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned a- ^| bove the flood;

the LORD sits enthroned as king for- ^| evermore.

¹¹O LORD, give strength ^| to your people;

give them, O LORD, the bless- ^| ings of peace.

Second Reading

Acts 8:14–17

Peter and John are sent to support the new Christians in Samaria, a group that was recently baptized after hearing the good news of Christ through the preaching of Philip. Here the Samaritans receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in the laying on of hands.

¹⁴Now when the apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them. ¹⁵The two went down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit ¹⁶(for as yet the Spirit had not come upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). ¹⁷Then Peter and John laid their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Gospel

Luke 3:15–17, 21–22

The reading opens with questions about the identity of the Messiah. John the Baptist insists that he is not the Messiah; instead he points ahead to one who is coming. And whether the voice of God was heard by all or only by Jesus, God settles the matter: Jesus is God's beloved Son.

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased."

Reflection

Oh, such a short reading on the baptism of Jesus. It was a significant event, it was recorded by all four gospel writers, but Luke covers it in less than one verse! Why was he so brief? Early in his gospel (Luke 1:3), he says that he has carefully investigated everything from the beginning. His account is exact in historical detail, yet so many details are left out of this event. Perhaps for Luke, the fact that Jesus was baptized is more important than the detail surrounding why he was baptized or of how he was baptized. Luke goes on to say that once the baptism had occurred, heaven was opened, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus, and God identified Jesus as his son and told him that he was pleased with him. For me, that makes the baptism of Jesus a significant event more than the fact that Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all recorded it. For in this short verse, Luke gives us a glimpse of the Trinity. All three members are present at the same time and interacting with one another. Oh, how I wish Luke had spent a little more ink and parchment on this event.

Prayer

We believe in one God, the Father, the maker of all that is, both seen and unseen.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified.

We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sin.

Quote

… wherever anybody is being baptized according to Christ’s command we should be confidently convinced that God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is present there, and that there is pure delight, pleasure, and joy in heaven over the fact that sin is forgiven, the heavens opened forever, and that now there is no more wrath but only grace unalloyed. Martin Luther, vol. 51