Baptism of the Lord

From parish.churchinwales.org.uk

Following the liturgical calendar is an important way to mark time as a community. The annual cycle of feasts and fasts prevents our days from running together and keeps other sets of events (e.g., sports seasons, school year) from dictating what we anticipate and celebrate. Observing these special days is one way that our churches make worship meaningful.

Monday (Jan 6) was Epiphany, which began a season of ordinary time that lasts until Ash Wednesday - the first day of Lent (March 5). This season after Epiphany begins and ends with special Sundays, and tomorrow kicks things off with the Baptism of the Lord. The lectionary reading from the gospels is Matthew 3:13-17.

Why did Jesus ask John to baptize him? It certainly wasn't to wash away sins. The only thing Jesus says in response to John's inquiry was that it would "fulfill all righteousness." John accepts this cryptic answer and baptizes the Lord in the Jordan River. Perhaps this passage teaches us that baptism is more about God's demonstration of grace and less about the baptized person making a decision to turn from sin. Repentance, and a person's decision to turn from sin, is indeed important. But in baptism we don't celebrate that decision. Instead we worship the God who created a way for us to be reconciled with both God and humanity -- an effort made on our behalf that we don't deserve. Jesus was baptized so that we would follow his example, and Christians have practiced this ancient rite ever since.