“He Will Baptize You with The Holy Spirit” by Wayne Miller
The Baptism of the Lord
Thus, says the Lord: / Here is my servant whom I uphold, / my chosen one with whom I am pleased, / upon whom I have put my Spirit; / he shall bring forth justice to the nations, / not crying out, not shouting, / not making his voice heard in the street. / A bruised reed he shall not break, / and a smoldering wick he shall not quench, / until he establishes justice on the earth; / the coastlands will wait for his teaching.
I, the Lord, have called you for the victory of justice, / I have grasped you by the hand; / I formed you, and set you / as a covenant of the people, / a light for the nations, / to open the eyes of the blind, / to bring out prisoners from confinement, / and from the dungeon, those who live in darkness. (Isaiah 42:1-4, 6-7)
Give the Lord glory and honor. The Lord will bless his people with peace. (Psalm 29)
Peter proceeded to speak to those gathered in the house of Cornelius, saying: “In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation, whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him. You know the word that he sent to the Israelites as he proclaimed peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all, what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that John preached, how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing all those oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.” (Acts of the Apostles 10:34-38)
John the Baptist proclaimed: “One mightier than I is coming after me. I am not worthy to stoop and loosen the thongs of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized in the Jordan by John. On coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit, like a dove, descending upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, “You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:7-11)
Piety
I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.†
I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him, all things were made. For us, men and for our Salvation, he came down from heaven, and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.†
For our sake, he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried, and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.†
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.†
I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified, who has spoken through the prophets.†
I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.†
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the world to come. Amen.†
Study
I’ve often pondered over what Jesus did, but nothing has seemed more incongruous to me than why He needed John’s baptism. Our God, incarnate among us with utter purity and selfless accepting Love for all – why could He have possibly needed reconciliation?
All my life, I’ve known the GOD Jesus and anguished that I could never be that perfect or loving or forgiving. Notwithstanding my Catholic upbringing that Jesus was wholly God and wholly Man, it took a long time to discover the MAN Jesus, the perfect mentor guiding me through the tangles and troubles of this earthly sojourn. He is the Loving Patient Brother always there with wisdom for any situation, with peace for my heart no matter the surrounding chaos and clamor. I have spent most of my life studying His human life, seeking to understand his actions and the motivation behind them.
I’ve heard that my Salvation is the result of Jesus’ murder on the Cross, appeasing, and re-establishing the broken relationship between God and me. Yet, the Jesus I know tells me repeatedly of the unbroken, unearned, and unending Love that the Father has for me, even amid my worst sinful moments. Jesus’ horrendous death doesn’t make sense to me as the necessary transaction to placate His Father’s need for retribution. I believe that my Salvation’s seminal moment came not as Jesus expired on the Cross, but in his conscious human decision to submit Himself to the torture that lay ahead. It was His YES, proving once and for all that the Way to the Father is utter trust in the Father’s Presence, in every great and small death that we face in our lives.
So, what does all this have to do with Jesus’ Baptism? I’m circling back around to the YES Jesus was proclaiming that day at the Jordan. I believe that Jesus did not take any sin of His own into that water. But in that very human moment, three years before the Cross, before all His healings and teachings and miracles, His YES to God and all of us was His Choice to take upon himself every sin ever committed since Adam, and every sin that I and everyone else until the end of time will commit. I believe that moment in the Jordan is what we proclaim every
time we close our Nicene Creed:
“…I confess ONE BAPTISM – Jesus’ Baptism – for the forgiveness of my sins!”
It is a powerful, empowering message whenever I pray it.
I sincerely appreciate the Sacramental grace of my baptism and the grace that flows through all of us from that precious Sacrament. But, to me, the Source of that Grace will forever be the courageous “YES!” that Jesus spoke to our Father as He took all my evil and washed it clean in those muddy waters. That is forgiveness and an undeniable call to strive with all my human energies and understanding to LIVE like Jesus. It is so much more urgent a call than the call to DIE like Jesus.
Jesus, the Father, and Their Precious Spirit live within me every moment, supporting and encouraging me in the thousand “Yes” opportunities that occur every day. I am not freed from my sins; I am empowered with all the strength and wisdom I will ever need to overcome them and be His vessel of Love in my world.
Action
How do I love with Jesus Baptismal Yes?
I get up every morning and extend my hand and heart to the Lord, asking Him for His Eyes and Ears and Heart and tender Voice; to see everyone I meet the Way that He sees and Loves them.
For me and my house, we shall worship the Lord – and show up faithfully at Group Reunion to encourage and be encouraged by my brothers and sisters!
Make a Friend! Be a Friend! Bring Christ to your Friend! And celebrate the miracle of Salvation, redemption, and foolish empowerment that occurs when we follow the Lord’s Yes.
I don’t know how well I will do. However, “Yes” firmly perches on my tongue and powers me with the Joy of knowing that, in the waters of the Jordan River, Jesus long ago secured my Salvation.
De Colores!
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