The Baptism of the Lord

Our readings for the Baptism of the Lord are:

1. Isaiah 42: 1-4, 6-7
2. Psalms 29: 1-2, 3-4, 9-10
3. Acts 10: 34-38
4. Matthew 3: 15-16, 21-22

• Gentle victory
• The word victory conjures up military, or at best athletic images in our minds.  But other victories at at least possible: trust victorious over fear, justice victorious over oppression, kindness victorious over hatred.
• Have you witnessed any of that latter sort of victories in your own life?
• In a military setting, once the conflict is over, the combatants negotiate a treaty which hopefully safeguards the new order, and prevents a recurrence of battle.  In these other victories, are there treaties signed?
• Why or why not?

• Awesome God
• Kings and queens go to some lengths to assert their awesomeness.  Grand palaces give testimony to the wealth of their nation, standing armies are a tribute to their might, some of the more enlightened might point to the arts as testimony of their culture.
• If you wanted to prove to someone that our God is awesome, what would you point out to them?
• Why do you think it is that God demonstrates His awesomeness the way that He does?
• What does that say about God's values?
• Where do your values/instincts differ from Gods?

• A piece of God's peace
• Think of some time recently when you were not at peace.
• What contributed to that restlessness?
• Does everything have to go right in your life for you to be at peace?
• What is the source of true peace in our lives?
• How do we tap into that source more deeply?

• I'm just a pointer
• In liturgical theology the Church speaks of symbols and signs.  Symbols merely serve to remind us of spiritual realities.  The crucifix, icons, the stations of the cross all point to deeper realities beyond the physical.  Signs go deeper.  They convey what they signify.  The sacraments and their material aspects are signs.  For instance, matrimony, properly celebrated, merely starts at the wedding.  The ongoing celebration of that sacrament in the love between the couple shared with the community conveys what it signifies, the very love of God for all of humankind.
• John is an icon of humility, emphatically telling the crowds that he was just a means to an end, and so it is with the rest of us.
• Have you ever had to remind someone that it is not you, but Christ within you accomplishing something?
• How can we practice humility more deliberately?

• Preparation for Reconciliation:

1. How am I working to bring about justice and peace around me?
2. Where does my life demonstrate God's awesome nature?
3. Where do I go to find peace?
4. How can I be more transparent to let God shine through me?

Shalom!