[RCL] Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Paul said to the disciples in Ephesus: ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?’ They replied, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’ Then he said, ‘Into what then were you baptized?’ They answered, ‘Into John’s baptism’” (Acts…

[RCL] Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; Mark 1:4-11 Each of the four Gospels begins in their own unique manner. Matthew, for example, embarks from the very first verse on a lengthy genealogy of Jesus, tracing his Jewish lineage all the way back to Abraham. Luke, by contrast, begins with an introduction that reads like…

Today, we commemorate the baptism of Jesus by his cousin John in the River Jordan. Now, John’s that guy we’ve been hearing a lot about lately (since the beginning of Advent), and after today, he will drop into the background. You see, we no longer need that voice crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way…

In today’s gospel reading, we hear God saying to Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” Mark’s account of the baptism of Jesus is short, sweet and to the point. It marks the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry, but first our Lord must go through baptism and face 40…

“In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” It is the narrative simplicity of this verse from the first chapter of Mark that stuns at first reading. John the Baptizer had been working hard on the banks of the river, calling people to repentance and proclaiming…

Today we celebrate a rite of passage: the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River, the river that held so much significance for generations of ancestors before him. Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John. It was a baptism of repentance, an act of humility and the receiving of a name – the death to…

“The voice of the Lord is upon the waters… the Lord is upon the mighty waters.”– Psalm 29 There is a temptation to say too much about this Feast of our Lord’s Baptism and the lessons before us. The texts speak mightily for themselves: The spirit-wind of God and God’s voice is upon the mighty…

One of the odd things about the Church Calendar is that the baby Jesus grows up very fast after his birth on December 25, his circumcision into the Covenant on January 1, and the visit of the Wise Men to the stable in Bethlehem on January 6, the Epiphany. Here we are just a few…

Today’s Gospel is a feast of improbable and colorful images. There is a certified and certifiable wildman named John the Baptist. This John is perhaps the most colorful personality in all of Holy Scripture. Then there is a truly strange event. John baptizes Jesus, who does not need to be baptized. Finally, there is a…