It strikes me as interesting how the readings assigned for this Sunday link the story of the baptism of Jesus with a passage from Isaiah that Jesus reads to begin his ministry in his home synagogue. His comment about the passage almost gets him killed by the hometown crowd. (Glad you folks are a little more laid back than that.) Below are portions of the two readings followed by a couple of questions for your comment.
Mt 3:16-17 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.”
Isaiah 42:1-7 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice. He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coast lands wait for his teaching.
Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it: I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations, 7to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
So, I am curious about what baptism means to each of you and what do you think it should mean to us as a congregation? Please comment and around mid-week I will write a little more.
