“Baptism of the Christ” by Daniel Bonnell
(St. George’s Cathedral, Jerusalem)
The Feast of the Baptism of the Lord - Ephesians 1:3-14
On the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord we tell the story of Jesus' baptism. In our church calendar this feast often falls near, or as in this year, on January 12th.
This is a day when I think about birth and new birth. My daughter was born on January 12th. One of her friends was baptized on January 12th for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is one of the great feast days for baptisms.
In our reading from Ephesians we hear the language of baptism: God blesses us with every spiritual blessing, adopts us as children through Jesus Christ, redeems us, lavishes the riches of God's grace upon us, marks us with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit.
But baptism also speaks to us of death. Birth and new birth are intertwined with something else being put to death. My friends at the Associated Parishes for Liturgy and Ministry posted Daniel Bonnell's painting of the "Baptism of the Christ" this week in which, at the moment of baptism, we are pointed toward Christ's sacrifice on the cross.
On this day of the celebration, take some time to contemplate Jesus', and your own, baptism.
- Marilyn Malton
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