Image from gracecolumbia.com
Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’ (Matthew 3:13-17)
If you've ever traveled to a strange place where perhaps the language was different, or a place where customs were not like ours, and you saw someone from home or who dressed or talked like they were from home, how did you feel? Years ago, we traveled to the recently opened Epcot kingdom at Disney World and the first pavilion we visited was the one sponsored by Mexico. They had a fast food cafe by the entrance and I ordered in Spanish. The young woman behind the counter was ecstatic as she had recently arrived to the US and no one had spoken to her en español. She couldn't do enough for us and our youngest was still a baby and she handed us an order of mini-sopapillas for her stating, "Gratis pa la niña." Imagine seeing the savior of the world present Himself to be baptized like us who stand in need of God's forgiveness and washing of our sins. You can see the reaction in John's question. Jesus' response is His need to be identified with us; understanding and getting involved in our situation. And then to hear God's voice speak from the heavens stating, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with Whom I am well pleased."
Such is God's love in your life. No matter how mundane or how troubled it may seem, God is right there with you, identifying with you and your circumstances. God relates to you and reaches out to you, for God wants your life to be blessed with the knowledge of His love. This is Good News for a New Year; God with us. God loving us. God caring for us. And we loving God and caring for God's children.
PRAYER: Loving God, speak to me and my situation. Help me be guided and blessed by You to be witnesses to You. As this New Year begins, let it be one in which You become more and more real to me in such a way that I can share You with others. I pray in the name of He who is my Lord and Savior, Jesus the Christ, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
