And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.'”
Matthew 3:16-17
Greetings Beloved of God!
The first time we meet Jesus as an adult in the Gospel of Matthew is during his baptism, which is right before the Spirit drives him into the wilderness to be tested before he begins his ministry. Jesus’ ministry is going to be marked with powerful teachings, miraculous healings, and eager disciples, but it will also be marked with strong opposition, rejection, and self-doubt. We often think of Jesus as God who is immune to petty human feelings, but if Jesus was indeed human then he must have felt these experiences as we would – with great joy and deep heartbreak. His mission was not easy by any definition and was not successful by human definition, so I imagine he had times in which he felt very discouraged. What kept him going?
Perhaps, when most discouraged, Jesus – like us – clung to his “mountaintop moments” in which he felt God’s presence with him. And this is the ultimate “mountaintop moment.” It was not big or fancy but it was real and profound. During his baptism God’s Spirit came upon him and God proclaimed to him and to the world that he is God’s beloved Son with whom God is well-pleased. This identity that leads to full reliance on God is then tested three times in the wilderness during which Jesus must choose whether to cling to his identity as child of God or to leave it behind for what seems like an easier path. He chooses God and then begins on the mission God calls him to. It’s not an easy mission but now he has strength for the journey because he is empowered by the Holy Spirit, claimed as God’s own child, and called to change the world.
We often imagine this story is unique to Jesus’ experience with God, but it is not. You see, Christ comes to share this journey with us. We are invited into this journey through the gift of baptism. Even though God is with all people, it is in our baptism that we experience God’s Spirit claiming us in a new way and God’s voice saying to us, “you are a beloved child of God and with you God is well-pleased.” Regardless of what the world might tell you and what you might tell yourself, you are not defined by your brokenness, weakness, insecurities, and failings. You are defined by your identity as God’s child. That identity is going to be tested, so pray that God give you the strength to surrender to God who clings to you. And remember that this identity comes with a call. It is a call to allow God to work through you to change the world each and every day – in big and small ways – so that it become more just, more loving, more hope-filled, more joy-filled, and ultimately more like the Kingdom of God.
How might your life change if you put this picture on your mirror and began and ended each day remembering your baptism – as Luther suggested – and marking yourself with the sign of the cross in water and saying aloud the words, “you are a beloved child of God; with you God is well-pleased; God uses you to change the world?” How might the world change if we each did this? Perhaps give it a try for a couple of months or more. What do you have to lose?
God bless you on your journey and God bless the world through you as well!
Pr. Adrienne