Reflection for the website 12th January 2025 – The Baptism of Christ
‘Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and 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.”’ Luke 3:21-22
On this first Sunday after the Epiphany each year, we celebrate the Baptism of Christ, commemorating an event which marked the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and which continued to reveal more about his divine nature. And also an occasion which gives us the opportunity to reflect upon our own baptisms, even if we can’t actually remember them, and on whether we’re living out our baptismal callings as fully as we’re able to.
The verses above, from the account of Jesus’ baptism in the Gospel of Luke, tell us about what happened immediately after Jesus had been baptised. The first thing we’re told is that, immediately after he’d been baptised, Jesus was praying. And it’s while he’s at prayer that the dramatic events start to happen – the descent of the Holy Spirit in visible form, followed by God’s voice speaking to Jesus to confirm their special relationship.
The coming down of the Holy Spirit onto Jesus gives a very striking sign to those present that the expected Messiah has arrived. This visible manifestation of the Spirit at Jesus’ baptism indicates that he’s moving into a new phase of his earthly life, in which his special status is publicly acknowledged, and in which he is anointed and empowered by the Spirit for his coming ministry. Having received the Spirit after his baptism, Jesus then hears God’s own voice, speaking to him to confirm his unique status:
“you are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”
Having responded to God’s call in prayer, then having been given the anointing and empowering of the Holy Spirit, Jesus now hears this wonderful confirmation and reassurance from God himself – that he is God’s Son, and that he has God’s love and approval now, at the start of his public ministry, before he has accomplished what he was sent to do.
We too, because of Jesus’ death and resurrection, and the action of the Holy Spirit in our baptisms, have become adopted as sons and daughters of God, and so with Christ, can address God as “abba”, “daddy”, and have Jesus as our brother and friend, to walk alongside us in our lives. But just as for Jesus, being the sons and daughters of God brings responsibilities, and demands a response from us. God’s freely given love for us calls us to love others in turn, and to participate in God’s work of love in the world.
This prayer from the Church in Wales expresses our thanks for Jesus’ baptism and asks God to help us live up to his baptismal calling to us:
Lord Jesus,
we give thanks for your humility
when you asked John to baptise you in the Jordan River.
We rejoice that the Spirit came to you, gentle as a dove,
and the Father delighted in you as his beloved Son.
Wade with us into the waters of our daily life
as we resolve again to live by the promises made at our baptism.
Hold us tight in case we slip and fall,
and renew in us God’s life in the Holy Spirit.
Lead us deeper into the love of the Father,
so we may always know that we are beloved children
and the apple of God’s eye. Amen.