Lent - Day 5
excerpt from Living Well through Lent 2015 - Living Compass Faith & Wellness MinistryMark 1:9-15 NIV
The Baptism and Testing of Jesus
9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”
12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted[a] by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.
Jesus Announces the Good News
14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”
In today's gospel, we gather in the wilderness with Jesus and John for a baptism on the banks of the Jordan. Mark directs our attention to the experience of Jesus in that moment when he rises from the waters to receive his identity as the Messiah, the embodiment of God's new people being born in a new exodus of hope.
People who embody Hope exude a particular kind of presence, in their energy, in the ways they relate, and in the words and actions they choose.
Lord knows if there were a time when we needed to embody Hope to our congregations and communities, it is now
Why not practice claiming your baptism? This Lent be Hope and reveal to the world like never before your true identity in Christ.
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We are far from perfect, but despite our mistakes and our sins, we will never abandon the Lord and he will never abandon us - adapted from a statement about Abraham from the EfM Training Guide
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