Word to the Wise
Sunday, January 10, 2010 - The Baptism of the Lord
[Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16, 21-22]After all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, 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 beloved Son; with whom I am well pleased."
The "overture" (Infancy Narrative) is ended and we have been acquainted with the main themes of the gospel. Now the curtain rises on the life and ministry of Jesus. It begins with Jesus as an adult First-century Jewish male follower of the prophetic preacher, John the Baptist! However, Luke is leaving nothing to chance in his account. He follows up on his respect for John the Baptist but makes it clear that the story is about Jesus, and more than that, about God's overall plan which is guided by the Holy Spirit! The words from heaven are almost a complete quote from Isaiah 42:1. For many of us, this is where the challenge begins. Now that the Christmas season is over, the crib set has been stored away again (there's no law against leaving it up all year), and school is back in session, we "get on with our lives" and probably presume that Jesus "gets on" with his! We sort of keep track on Sundays! Other things move to the front burner in our lives (like Mardi Gras in New Orleans) till Ash Wednesday at least! The challenge is not to let go of the story that began with the Advent/Christmas/Epiphany overture! The overture is not the opera/musical! In fact, it is better not to count on the Sunday "glimpse" but read the whole Gospel of Luke (We're in Cycle C now.) to get the "big picture" so that we can enjoy the "bit by bit" way the lectionary unfolds the whole story Sunday by Sunday (or day by day!). It's like reading the program before the lights go down. Jesus may be the main character, but all of us are in the show because we are disciples. AMEN
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