Devotion - Wednesday, April 25

To a greater or lesser degree, each of the accounts of Jesus' baptism refer to the awkwardness of John being the one who baptizes Jesus.  The baptism over which John officiated is a baptism of repentance.  In what way did Jesus need to "turn his life around"?  What were the sins of which he was guilty?

Today's Gospel text is Matthew 3:13-17.  When John protests, Jesus says to him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."

I want to say a few things about sacraments, taking a start from Jesus' comments here.

A belief in a sacrament is an acknowledgement that there are things which God does which we cannot understand.  We don't know how it is that God forgives us of our sins or claims us as children as a result of the water and the Word.  But as we live our lives, remembering our baptism, we come to understand the significance of that unqualified acceptance of us.  Knowing that God has reached out to us, without any merit on our part, affirms in us our understanding of what it means to not only obey God but to love God.

Neither do we understand how a small piece of bread and a sip of wine can fill us so completely; how such a small portion can give us the strength to live our week, grant us the confidence to face whatever may come our way. But this is exactly what happens, as we return time and time again for the weekly Eucharist.

Jesus commands John to proceed with the baptism.  "For this it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness."  Following Jesus' command, John sets in motion the remainder of the story of salvation.

Jesus commands us - go and baptize; take and eat.  As we follow this command, our lives unfold and take on significance and find their meaning.  How?  Who knows.  But we obey.  And our obedience positions us to receive the outpouring of God's grace.