9 January 2023
The Baptism of the Lord
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” beautiful words spoken from heaven by the Father claiming Jesus as his son. It can be so thrilling to hear the words, “you are mine” coming from the mouth of someone we love. The words take on a special significance when spoken in public, when one is claimed in front of others. Through our baptism, we become members of the body of Christ and the same words that came from heaven are true for us: “This is my beloved son,” “This is my beloved daughter.”
In our daily lives, there are voices that wish to identify us. There’s the voice of pride that says, “You are superior.” The voice of discouragement that says, “You are no good.” The voice of past mistakes that says, “No one will ever love you or forgive you because of this.” The voice of future difficulties that says, “You will not be able to accomplish this.” The list can go on and on. But all these voices have something in common: they do not claim, support, or sustain us. They accuse, they judge, they leave us to believe we are on our own.
As we learn to become more aware of the voices that speak to us, let us seek out the tender voice of truth that claims us as his own.