January 13, 2014

Matthew 3:13  Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

In the church calendar there is a yearly period of “Ordinary Time” (as it is called) between Epiphany and Lent that ends with remembering an incident Jesus had on a mountain, Transfiguration Sunday, and begins with his baptism by John in the Jordan river, fittingly entitled Baptism of the Lord. Many a profound thought has been preached and written about Jesus’ baptism but this year I am struck by the obvious observation that everything, even Jesus’ ministry, begins at a particular place at a particular time. Even with the extraordinary nature of the events as they are related in the passage, I wonder how many people actually realized the impact of what was happening on the day it occurred. That’s the way it is sometimes, we can’t see what God is doing when it is just beginning. It takes time for things to unfold and the willingness for us to keep watching and waiting and listening. Is there something God may be starting with you this year, this week?