The Baptism of the Lord

Our readings for Baptism of the Lord Sunday are:

1. Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11
   
2. Psalms 104: 1b-2, 3-4, 24-25, 27-28, 29-30
3. Titus 2: 11-14, 3: 4-7
   
4. Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22
   

• Finding comfort
  
• God offers His people comfort in the knowledge that He has forgiven us our many and various sins if we ask for and receive that forgiveness.  But that can be hard to do.
• How do you know when you have fallen into sin?
• How do you prepare yourself for that revelation, that is, what do you do to make yourself open to God's prompting?
• Once you've asked for forgiveness, do you ever have trouble really believing that you are forgiven?
  

• Give us this day
  
• Food insecurity is a terrible thing.  Long Beach State has a locally sponsored pantry for students suffering from food insecurity.  We all long to be secure, to know where our next meal is coming from, where we will sleep at night, how we will clothe ourselves, but sometimes, the pursuit of that security can become an end it itself.
• What are some things that you do because you trust in God to provide for you?
• What do you think the phrase: "The Lord helps those who help themselves" really means?
• How does that phrase square with trusting God in all things?
  

• Revelation
  
• The fact that the Baptism of our Lord is part of the Christmas season may be a bit counter-intuitive.  But this feast can be seen as an extension of Epiphany - Jesus's revelation to the Gentiles.  And the Baptism of our Lord points to a larger, ongoing epiphany that continues today, in and through all of us.
• Who is someone who has revealed God to you in some way?
• Is that revelation something that you necessarily can put into words?
• Have you ever shared with that person how they have changed your life?
• How might you be changing the lives of others?
  

• When did Jesus' ministry start?
  
• Typically, we say that Jesus's public ministry started at His baptism.  Certainly the Synoptic Gospels recount His ministry in a way that supports that timeline.  But what of His growing up years?
• Do you think it is ever to early to be the Presence of God to others?
• Is it ever too late in life to be that Presence of God to others?
• What are some of the things that you did or participated in as a young person that prepared you for ministry later in life?
• If you had the chance to live your life over again, what might you have done differently during those early years?
  

• Preparation for Reconciliation
• When was the last time that I turned to God for forgiveness?
• Where might God be calling me to greater trust?
• How might God be revealing Himself through me today?
• Where is God looking to build on the life that I have led in my life today?
  

What are You Doing Here?

I will never see these waters with the same eyes again.
This stretch of the Jordan has always called to me.
The sighing of the wind as it walks the ancient dunes,
The clear, uncluttered sunlight as it warms the air,
All speaks to me as no other place can.
This is truly one of the thin places on earth.
Where the veil between the earthly and the divine is so very sheer.

I feel their wandering, these children of Israel.
Looking, seeking, searching, longing for peace.
And not finding it, no matter where they look.
Until they come here, and share this grainy tabernacle,
Listen to the sermons of the wind and flowing water,
Turn their fevered gaze inward,
And find the God who made them, there all along.

They come looking for a new start.
They seek a way out of meaninglessness,
From the darkness into the light.
That their hearts may once again find their way home.
That they may find their true place in God's eternal orchestra.
That they may truly believe and live, and breathe
That their God loves them beyond all telling.

My Lord, what are you doing here?
John, my cousin, my herald, my inspiration, 
Let me ask the same question of you.
I am only here doing Your bidding, preparing Your way.
Helping Your people become ready for You.
Surely You have no need for a baptism of repentance.
Then, between us, let this be a baptism of consecration.

I come today to sum up my life to this moment
To thank our Father for all the graces that He has showered upon me
To ponder what my flesh has learned, and is teaching me
And from all of that, find my way forward to my unfolding destiny.
And I ask you, cousin, brother, and son
To be Abba's minister
And by this sacrament, make a sacrament of me for all generations.

 That I, Abba, and the Spirit might do the same for all of you.

Shalom!