RBWords

     The feast of the Baptism of the Lord (with all those choices for a first scripture) marks the end of the Christmas/Epiphany season liturgically.  In the gospels, this event marks Jesus' public debut, the beginning of his ministry.  The early Christian community, which includes the evangelists, did not have a New Testament to quote.  They had the traditions and stories of Jesus' origins and ministry and they had the Old Testament writings, especially the psalms, the prophets and the law.  It is to these that they turned for understanding about Jesus and his teachings and deeds.  

     The prophet Isaiah was a particularly important resource.  His visions about a "suffering servant" seemed to be a foretelling of Jesus' life and ministry.  On Good Friday, one of those visions is read at the service and it has an almost eerie quality in its description of the suffering servant.  The Christian community found other references as well.  The quotation from the Gospel According to Mark for today's scriptures seems "borrowed" from Isaiah.  A similar echo occurs in the accounts of the transfiguration [Mark 9, Matthew 17, Luke 9] when a heavenly voice identifies Jesus as "the chosen Son."

     Liturgically we begin to tell the story of Jesus' ministry, leading up to Lent and ultimately to Easter.  We bring with us all the events and stories of Jesus' birth and origins, which give depth to our understanding.  The Gospel According to Luke tells us that Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry and he seems to appear suddenly as a disciple of John the Baptist.  The gospels show the concern that John the Baptist would not overshadow Jesus but be the herald of his coming.  We hear the same voices in the scriptures and now take our places as disciples to learn once more what Jesus can teach us and do for us so that we can do the same for others.  AMEN