Baptism of the Lord

The Christmas season ends with the celebration of the baptism of Jesus.  From the infant Jesus born at Bethlehem, adored by shepherds and magi, we move to the adult Jesus, who has come down from Nazareth to be baptized.  Christmas ends with this event that begins the ministry of Jesus; that moves the church back into what we call ordinary time.

This feast speaks to us as a people that have been baptized in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  It serves to remind us of the significance of our own baptism: that even though we are sometimes bruised by life, even though we might even be crushed or broken, still, we will never be excluded from the household of God.  To each of us God has said, at the moment of our baptism: “You are my beloved child.”  As we bring the Christmas season to a close, let us remember the true gift of Christmas: the life we have been given in Christ.

Baptism also draws us into the continuing ministry of Christ.  As the great African American preacher Howard Thurman has reminded us: “When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with their flocks, the work of Christmas begins: To find the lost, to heal the broken, to feed the hungry, to release the prisoner, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among the people, to make music in the heart.”

We continue to remember our call to walk the way of Jesus because bad things do happen; people do get crushed and are excluded and feel unloved.  The baptism of Jesus reminds us that we are not meant to sit at home while the world destroys itself.  There is work for each of us to do as long as we can move, as long as our hearts can beat, as long as our spirits can reach beyond ourselves.  If the Spirit can tear the heavens apart, then it can certainly find a way to penetrate through the hardness of human hearts and transform them into hearts of peace.

Now, more than ever, our world needs a people dedicated to peacemaking.  Violence cannot be overcome with violence.  Now, more than ever, we need to be a force for peace in our world.  Then, and only then, will we be able to hear in our hearts: “You are my beloved son, my beloved daughter; with you I am well pleased.”  Christmas is over.  It is time to get back to work.

Paul A. Magnano

Pastor