ILC Devotion 7 January 2013

Immanuel Lutheran Church Weekly Devotion

Monday 7 January 2012

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^NJB Luke 3:15-16  A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to wonder whether John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, “I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, who is more powerful than me, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”

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This coming Sunday we celebrate the baptism of our Lord. Baptism is a rather intriguing ritual and sacrament of the Church. Baptism represents a ritual cleansing, washing away of our sin. So why did Jesus seek to be baptized by John? As we read in this Gospel text for this coming Sunday, after Jesus is baptized the Holy Spirit descends upon him. God announces: “You are my Son, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.” I would imagine Jesus’ baptism as an initiation ritual - the coming out of Jesus, as he starts his ministry. It marks the beginning point of Jesus’ preaching and teaching. He is touched by God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus receives the power, gets plugged in, so to speak.

      In the birth narrative in Luke and the pre-birth activity we read about in Luke - we know Jesus is destined to be special. But as a baby Jesus does not do anything divine, he is just a baby. Luke is the only Gospel writer that has anything to say about Jesus as he grows older. In Luke 2:39-52 we read about Jesus as a 12 year old going to Jerusalem and meeting for three days with teachers discussing Holy Scripture - the Torah - and the prophets. So far Jesus is the precocious adolescent who has this thing for the study of scripture. Only after Jesus is baptized does he engage in divine activity and purposefully begin to preach and teach.

      I had the pleasure of baptizing two brothers on Christmas Eve, who were 3 and 12 years old. They both spoke for themselves declaring they were ready to be baptized. Their baptism marks a new beginning in their lives. They are named and claimed by God as children of God. They now begin their faith journey learning about and living into what it is to be a follower of Jesus. They join with us, the baptized faithful, on this journey of discipleship and discovery. This coming Sunday we will celebrate Jesus’ baptism by honoring the remembrance of our baptism. God will never forget his claim on us, as children of God. We need to be reminded at times of this claim God has on us. With the distractions of living life, we tend to forget. This is a reminder of God’s claim on us and our response to our baptism into Christ’s death and resurrection.

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We pray: We give you thanks O God, for your gift of baptism to us. You name us and claim us as your children. Forgive us when we are distracted and forgetful of your calling to us. Awaken us anew to this vocation as followers of your Son Jesus, so we may walk with him and follow him on the way. In Your Holy Name we pray. Amen.