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13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” 15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented. 16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:13-17 New International Version of The Bible)
Happy New Year, dear Friend! I pray this New Year is the year for many things for you, especially that which you have been praying! May you be blessed, and may you be a blessing to others. I ask for prayers for my neighbor, Mr. Hector Cruz, who underwent serious surgery in San Antonio at the VA Hospital. Hector suffered from Diverticulosis and had several pouches removed and his recovery has been rough thus far. Pray for his comfort and healing. Pray for one another; pray for your family, your church family, your pastor(s), yourselves and for the needs of the world.
This coming Sunday the Church will celebrate Epiphany Sunday. It is also known as Theophany, and it is a celebration of God manifesting as the baby Jesus and revealing Himself to the world. The holiday also marks the day the Magi, or the three kings, visited the baby Jesus in Bethlehem. Jesus' baptism is also celebrated during Epiphany. The holiday is also sometimes known as Three Kings Day. In our part of the world, the still largely huge crowds at shopping centers of Hispanic shoppers marks those who give gifts on Three Kings Day or Dia de Los Reyes Magos. You might know that children leave their shoes outside their doors and the three kings leave gifts inside them, or in the case of spoling parents, on top of the shoes. This passage is about Jesus' baptism.
The passage begins with Jesus approaching the Jordan River where the crowds grathered to present themselves to be baptized, or washed clearn of their sins, by John the Baptist. His message calling people to repent hit them right where they needed, their heart, and so they did what John was recommending. They would enter the river, be dunked by John, the rise up out of the water, as a symbolic show of what had happened - they entered the water as sinful people, were "buried" in the cleansing waters, then raised to new life out of the water. The act was for sinful people, and here is Jesus presenting Himself to be baptized, thus John's attempt to stop Him. His response to Jesus, "I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?" Jesus knew the plan and replies, "Let it be so for now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." That convinced John to proceed. Jesus wanted to fully identify with all of humanity, though without sin, but He wanted us to know that He is always with us. He understands our temptations, but does not Himself get tempted.
Jesus enters the water and as He emerges out of the water, the heavens opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending ike a dove and it landed on Him. Then a voice from Heaven was heard saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased." This was a public declaration from God to humanity as to Who Jesus was, and to Whom Jesus belonged. It marks to us an important day in which Jesus shows us the love God and He have for us. In Him we can leave our sins, our trials and temptations, and in Him we get freedom and new life. This, dear friends, is a great revelation.
I thought about the Sundays where I had to preach on New Year's Day and the plans and wishes we tried to make; calling some resolutions, and some years it was called revolutions, but as I prepared for this day and lesson, I heard the word revelation as being more to the point where we need to be. Our minds received, or should receive, the revelation about who we are, how we need God, and how much better we will be when we give ourselves to God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, for this New Year, we thank You. We need You with us each and every day. We need to be blessed and protected by You. We need to receive the revelation in ways that we receive the news of life and we can bless others. We want to be a part of the revelation; and we pray in Christ Jesus strong name we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! YOUR CALL TO ACTION: Be a part of the revelation that blesses others in revolutionary ways!
Receive my blessngs of joy and peace,
Pastor Eradio Valverde, Jr.
