Jesus' Baptism- My Baptism

You know if you think about it at all, baptism is a bit bewildering. We've had all kinds of fun with the arguments over infant baptism and "Believers Baptism" and which one is the "real" one. Most of the arguments made about all this are very rational and rule based. The different traditions have their preferences at this point- although some still want to be right.

Infant Baptism

Believers Baptism

Hybrid Baptism I

Hybrid Baptism II

There is clearly more than one meaning -even in scripture.

For instance, John's baptism was a Jewish practice of ritual and moral cleansing prescribed by the Torah. For the Essenes - a Jewish sect who left us the Dead Sea Scrolls and lived near John - it was a ritual, accompanied by a "change of heart", necessary to enter their community.

Essene Baptismal Pool at Qumran

Jesus underwent John's baptism, but then never baptized himself. However, his parting words in the Great Commission were instructions to baptize in the name of the Trinity.

After he died, his followers began baptizing, presumably following his instructions  and apparently using the same method as John. (see Acts)

In Acts we find whole households being baptized- so presumably everyone of any age.

The Apostle Paul relates the meaning as representing participating in Christ's death and resurrection.

The church over time would express all of this these meanings  and practices.

If we look at the gospel accounts, we have a good idea about it's core essence. Look here at Luke's account:

 The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, “Could this John be the Messiah?”

 But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.”

After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.”

It's clear John expected that the Messiah would take this to another level.

We see this in the affirmation Jesus received of who he was- God's beloved child.

When we baptize infants, this is a powerful sense that we affirm of all of us - this too is who we are. And we have a Spirit life within us that needs to be cultivated. It's a fire to empower, a light to share, a destiny to live into.

Jesus is about to find out what this means for him. He's headed here next...

If we go with him, maybe we can find out what it means for us, too!

The Gifts of the Magi

Here they are! The exotic, flashy show-stealers of every Christmas pageant and tableau- 

The Three Wisemen!

They travel from a far, foreigners coming to pay tribute to the newborn King of the Jews. 

We know very little about them from Matthews account: don't know why they cared about a Jewish king, what motivated them to go looking for him, nor why they brought expensive gifts. The gift giving of the Magi was the early inspiration for giving gifts at Christmas- long before Santa Claus was invented.

Holy imagination has painted us a full picture of these regal visitors- and inspired other stories.

There's O'Henry's short story "The Gift of the Magi"- the tale of a young couple living on the edge, who each sells the thing of most value they have to buy a gift for the other.














There's "Amal and the Night Visitors"- the first opera written for American television, which tells the story of a poor crippled boy and his mother, who encounter the Wisemen and find both healing and a king to follow.

There's The Little Drummer Boy- a well-loved song written in America and recorded by The Trapp Family Singers in 1955. "I'll play my drum for him. Pa-rum-pa-pa-pum!"

And perhaps most poignant is Henry Van Dykes "The Story of the Other Wisemen"- the guy who missed the camel train, because he was helping those in need. Who spends thirty years seeking Jesus, giving away the gifts he had brought in the process to help people along the way. 

After thirty three years he arrives in Jerusalem in time for the crucifixion. He spends his last treasure, the pearl, to ransom a young woman from slavery. He is struck by a falling roof tile in the temple and is about to die, fearing he has failed, when he hears a voice saying, 'Verily I say unto thee, inasmuch as thou hast done it unto the least of these, thou has done it unto me." 
And he dies in a calm radiance of wonder and joy- he has found his King.


This last story seems to most compellingly answer the question: What gift would Jesus want?

So here's an idea: Since our Christmas gift-giving is inspired most by the Santa Claus model- perhaps during Epiphany we can again be inspired by the gift-giving of the Magi -those whose arrival begins the season - and these stories they have inspired.

We can let the Wisemen ride off after the Feast of Epiphany, and return home. Or perhaps we can join the search of The Other Wiseman- looking for Jesus, and helping others along the way.

What if we spent the season of Epiphany giving gifts to Jesus- "for inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these... ye have done it unto me."?