Tim Reardon spoke to us on January 9th, the “Baptism of Our Lord Day” on the liturgical calendar, from Luke 3: 15-22.

In this passage, we meet people out in the desert, who are filled with expectations, hopes… As we come into this year, what are the things that we are expecting?

These people, inspired by John, were asking about John, “Is he the Messiah?” Why was this? His message wasn’t warm. So what were these people expecting? It was a particular vision of the world — the vision of Isaiah 40:3-5 — of mountains being brought down, valleys raised up, and people seeing the salvation of God. This vision was a redefinition of the way the world is; a vision of a world of justice and peace. However, was a threatening message, at least to Herod. John was calling out Herod’s misuse of power.

Jesus came to John with this vision as well. He comes to baptism as an act of humility, an act of surrender to the God of this new order that was being creating out in the desert, on the margins of society. In doing so, Jesus is reminded of his identity: the son of God in whom God finds happiness. He is the One whom John is talking about.

What about our baptisms? Are they still meaningful for us? In baptism we too learn who we are — baptism as children of God into Jesus. Can we still hear this call in the noise of a world that calls us to construct our own identities, to consume, to desire self-fulfillment?

By God’s grace, we hope to be a community yielded over to God. We gather as a community to seek Jesus’ path of peace together, because we too believe that the world can be different. We believe in the vision of the world Jesus carried: to love our enemies, to live as people of peace in a meaningful way in the world, committed to a way of peace and enemy love in a world of violence, bound together in the joy of God’s spirit.

Hear more in the audio below.