Psalm 29/Luke. 3:15-17, 21-22

For Baptism of the Lord Sunday we read Psalm 29 and Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. 

Water imagery comprises both readings. For the Psalm, consider that, in ancient Near Eastern cosmology, “the waters” (v. 3) and “the flood” (v. 10), were regarded as the chaotic cosmos out of which planet earth was drawn. “The firmament” was a bubble surrounding earth, beyond which all water roiling water. When the Great Flood occurred (see Genesis 6-9), God simply poked holes in the firmament.

We might think of our present times as chaotic waters and roiling floods. Read the Psalm prayerfully, as a gift of hope in God’s abundant strength.

The baptism of Jesus is recorded in all three Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke). Whenever something appears in three or four Gospels, we know it is important.

Note how the story begins in verse 15. What expectations might have filled people’s hearts and minds? What are your greatest expectations today?

Baptism is both a cleansing and a sealing. We are cleansed from sin and sealed in God’s eternal promise to love us. Why would Jesus need to be baptized?

Reflect on your own baptism (if you are baptized). How does it feel to hear God’s voice, “Thou art my beloved; with you I am well-pleased”?