Such exciting readings on this Sunday, when we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. We feel the hope of these readings from Isaiah to Luke. Isaiah talks about a servant who will bring true justice to the nations. Peter says that he sees how God shows no partiality, implying that we should do the same. And then Jesus is baptized by John and affirmed by God. These scriptures are full of anticipation. Just like us. After all, it’s a new year. Anything’s possible. What will this year bring? What will happen in our life? It’s a time of promise. A new beginning.

In our First Reading, Isaiah tells us that Jesus will be a servant who will bring true justice to the nations. A servant? How is that possible? Not a king or a ruler. We should take notice. This is an upending of a system and the whisper of something very different. Perhaps that’s why Isaiah calls it true justice. True justice feels different, like something that will endure. True justice has integrity. We might ask: how can true justice happen when most of our current leaders simply want the power for themselves? No talk of servants here. Sadly, being Christian doesn’t always mean following Jesus.

In our second reading, Peter offers deeper insight, his own personal “ah ha.” He says that he begins to see how true it is that God shows no partiality. All are accepted by God. It’s a celebration. It’s also very radical. God, who made us, loves us equally. Any parent gets this. I have four children. Each one is unique and has qualities that I’ve learned to appreciate. And I love them for who they are as equally as I know how. I try to show them how much they mean to me by responding with glee whenever I see them or hear their voice. I think that’s how God would do it, right? No partiality. 

Then, we come to our gospel where John is center stage. The people must’ve been excited. John was performing a spiritual cleansing of people, to prepare them for the coming Messiah. This ritual would’ve been familiar to the Jewish people. Only later did we call it baptism in the 14th Century. The Jewish people practiced spiritual cleansing with water in a Mikvah, or a ritual bath or water. The Jordan River was seen as a source of life for these people, so it lent itself to John’s practice. Many wondered if John was the one, the promised Messiah who would save them from themselves.  

Suddenly, Jesus arrives on the scene and asks to be baptized. John hesitates (not in Luke’s version, but in Matthew’s). Did he wonder if Jesus was truly the one, or does he wonder if he, John, should be doing this at all? Did he suffer from what we now call imposter syndrome? Am I worthy enough? He had no idea such an act would open up the heavens. Once he baptized Jesus, heaven and earth collided. Heaven, which we trust is another dimension somewhere out there, suddenly becomes present. Here and now. The whole Trinity shows up. God, the voice that affirms Jesus and the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove) and Jesus. What a thrilling, unexpected occasion. For those who wonder, this is a momentous event. It’s the beginning of Jesus’s ministry, a ministry that will last a mere three years. But from these three years, the world will be changed. Jesus will introduce a new way of being human.

As we face the beginning of a New Year, let us be mindful of how Jesus wants to be an integral part of our lives. Just as Jesus invites us to follow him, may we join hands with all others to walk together as the Family of God. This will challenge our need to be the one in charge, the one who thinks they are better than others, and instead invite us to calmly respond with the awareness that we are one. Jesus leads the way as a servant-partner. May we become co-creators of true justice in our world as baptized believers. Happy New Year.

1. How can you integrate an awareness of Jesus in your daily life?
2. Water is the symbol of baptism. Share the many uses of water in your life. What would you do without water?  
3. How do we spark mutuality in spaces that are off-limits to othered individuals?

In Iowa City, we have a singing group called The Quire. It’s comprised of LGBTQ+ people and allies who sing songs of challenge and inclusion. We’ve hosted them in our space as a way of reaching out to a group that may often feel marginalized, especially by churches. They taught us one of their songs. Its lyrics are a significant anthem for all of us: We are standing in the memory of those who have fallen, those who have fallen. We are standing in the memory of those who have fallen, standing for the courage to be who we are. 

Here’s one of their concerts with many other songs to inspire: The Quire of Eastern Iowa: Protest, Power, & Remembrance.