Beloved Baptism

The baptism of Jesus symbolized a new beginning. The world was forever changed and it was about to get a big dose of God for the next three years of ministry. But this baptism is so much more than a baptism; it is the blessing of a father and the pronouncement of Jesus as a child of God.

When thinking about Jesus’ baptism, I have always wondered about this comment of a dove. This God-like Spirit. Honestly, I think it is strange. I believe this could be a reference to another popular story in the Bible – Noah. This dove symbolizes what was once chaos is now orderly. A new beginning is emerging. God is at work in the world and that which was chaotic is now being put to order.

The baptism of Jesus fits this theme. A new order is at hand. The old way of doing life is radically changing. A new way of life is here.

This is the same for you and for me. What was once a chaotic time in our lives is now being put to order. When we emerge out of the baptismal waters as full believers and followers of Jesus Christ, something mystical happens to us. You better believe God is still working in this world and striving to create a clean, orderly, more distinct you. God is opening the heavens and pouring out blessings for you that are just like Jesus’. God looks at you and says, “You are my beloved in whom I am well pleased.”

The challenge for us today is to claim that belovedness. Author Henri Nouwen writes,

The feeling of being blessed is not, it seems to me, the feeling that we generally have about ourselves. You have lived many hard moments in your life, moments in which you felt more cursed than blessed. And I can say the same. In fact, I suspect that many people suffer from a deep sense of being cursed.

All of us feel at times we are victims of a world we cannot change. It is so much easier for me to claim the negativity in my life and declare that I am cursed (or this world is cursed) then claiming my belovedness. Just look at the state of the world. Look at world hunger, dying homeless men, women and children; look at the destruction in the world with broken relationships, the contrasting culture of sin, poor health and the list goes on and on. Where in this broken world is there a blessing?

Even on a personal level, our inner voice screams at us by telling us that we too are evil, not worthy, wretched, rotten, worthless, useless, and doomed to sickness and death.

Despite all these things, I still believe God is calling us Beloved children. We have simply lost the ability to receive the blessing. To receive the blessing we must cultivate a spirit of prayer and presence. We must remain connected to our God. We must pray as believers and followers. We must sit and listen to God. The irony is that God is moving and redeeming this world but we miss it by not looking inside ourselves and cultivating a centeredness that accepts God’s love on a personal level. We are not cursed – We are loved. We are not wretched – We are blessed. We are not useless – We are pivotal for this redeeming process. God needs us. God wants us. God loves us. God is the source of our belovedness.

Reflect on your own baptism. How have you changed since that glorious day? How has God taken you from a chaotic state to a more orderly presence?