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BAPTISM OF THE LORD

SCRIPTURE READING:
GENESIS 1:1-5
ACTS 19:1-7
MARK 1:4 -11

SUNDAY REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is “Baptism of the Lord”. Baptism is a sacrament and a Christian religious rite of sprinkling water onto a person’s forehead or of immersing them in water, symbolizing purification or regeneration and admission to the Christian Church. We shall reflect on the following points
1. The Baptism of the Lord revealed to us the only means to please God.
2. The Baptism of the Lord represents a new birth that brings transformation into the life of a believer.

Beloved in the Lord, on the day Jesus was baptised, there was a revelation of how humanity can please God and be saved. “At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. ¹⁰ Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. ¹¹ And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:9-11). In other words, there is no other way to please God than to listen to Jesus, have faith in Him and follow His perfect examples. Again, we shall always experience the glory of the Lord in our lives through the power of the Holy Spirit when we have a personal relationship with Jesus. It is for this reason Paul said to the disciples he met at Ephesus “….John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all. (Acts 19:4-7) Jesus Himself greatly assures us in John 3:16-17, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (John 3:16-17). Beloved in the Lord, our self-righteousness and good works can not please God enough. It is only in Christ we please God, ‘‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’’ (Acts 17:28). Let us remember we can not please God with an unrepentant heart and superficial religious rituals. Again, many of us erroneously believe that we can please God by simply going to church regularly and discharging our financial stewardship. Dear friend, apart from doing all other things to prove our faithfulness to God, He reminds us during the transfiguration of Jesus that “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” (Luke 9:35). Have we eternally submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ? Are we guided daily by Jesus’ teachings and perfect examples or do we only connect with Him on Sundays? Beloved in the Lord, God is pleased with us and the Holy Spirit dwells in us only when we continue to walk with Jesus in total humility and obedience to His Word through faith in all spheres of our lives. Walking in with Jesus is a daily affair, it is not only limited to Sunday or some special days in the Christian Calendar such as Christmas and Easter.

Secondly, the baptism of the Lord brings new birth or transformation into the believer’s life through the power of the Holy Spirit. Just as we are told in Genesis 1:2-3, “the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. ³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light“, a sinner’s life is likewise formless, empty, dark and hopeless but through the baptism of the Lord, we experience the life-giving and transformational light of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we experience Jesus Christ as our light and Salvation. We can safely say that the world was infected with sin, hence became formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the world but God sent His son into the world so that anyone who believes in Him shall experience a new birth and the transformational power of the Holy Spirit. It is for this reason Jesus commanded us, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:18-20). If we have not yet experience the new birth of the Holy Spirit then it means that even after our baptism we have still not repented or believed in our Lord Jesus Christ. It is impossible for a person to repent and be baptised in the name of the Triune God and still remain in his or her old nature. It is for this reason that Jesus proclaims to us “The time has come…The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1:15). We experience re-birth, regeneration or spiritual transformation through repentance, baptism, faith and obedience to Jesus Christ. Many of us have been baptised but our main challenge is inconsistency in our faith and obedience to the Lord. We need the Holy Spirit to keep us consistent in our new birth and transformation. It is for this reason, John the Baptist assured his audience “I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.” (Mark 1:8) In fulfilment of this assurance, Jesus said to His disciples ““All this I have spoken while still with you. ²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:25-26). The Church experienced the fulfilment of this promise on the day of Pentecost in Act Act 2:1-4. Beloved in the Lord, we belong to the dispensation of the Baptism of the Lord which is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, we have no reason to still live in darkness. Let us repent and experience the Holy Spirit and be transformed from a state of formlessness, emptiness, darkness and hopelessness to a state of rebirth or regeneration through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In summary we have deliberated on the theme “The Baptism of the Lord” We have discovered that the baptism of the Lord revealed to us the only means to please God. Again, the Baptism of the Lord represents a new birth that brings transformation into the life of a believer. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us to please God through Jesus Christ and also remain transformed and empowered during and after our baptism. Amen.