Circuit Thoughts

This past Sunday was celebrated as Baptism of the Lord Sunday. This means we recognize the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist at the river Jordan. A few things happened that day. You can read it all in Mark 1:4-11. I will sum up.

Jesus was baptized, the heavens were opened up, a dove descended, and a voice spoke out “This is my son, the beloved, with him I am well pleased”. That’s quite a bit to take in. Not to mention that it is here we have the first indication of the Trinity, (Father, Son and Holy spirit all show up at once.)

But what I think is probably of great significance is that here we see Jesus preparing to start his ministry. After he gets baptized, he spends 40 days in the wilderness and is tempted by Satan. (that discussion will be for another time). After that he starts preaching, teaching, healing, feeding and gathering believers.

It all starts with water. The baptism was the start of the whole process. We hadn’t heard from Jesus for 18 years. We don’t know what he was doing, where he had been, or what he had learned. All we know is that at the edge of the Jordan, his cousin, John the Baptizer, baptized him and thus his ministry began.

I am going to assume that if you are reading this, you are baptized. I mean, let’s face it, unless you have an interest in “churchy” things, you would be reading the sports section, right?

If you are baptized, are you in ministry? Or better yet why aren’t you in ministry of some kind?

I’m not going to get into the theology of baptism. Every denomination as a unique understanding of what happens at baptism. We can’t even agree upon when baptism should happen. What we can agree upon, I believe, is that baptism is a gift from God that sets us apart from the world. I also believe that all too often we forget what we are set apart for.

But we need to grasp a hold of what we are set apart for. We are set apart to make disciples of Jesus Christ. Our task/ministry is to lead people out of darkness and into the light. As baptized members of the body of Christ, we are part of the great commission of Matthew 28.

As I look out into the world and see all that is happening, I can’t help but feel like we are not doing our jobs. Here we are, set aside for a purpose of building the kingdom, and the world seems more filled with hate and anger. So, I ask again, why are you not in ministry.

Ministry does not mean a divinity degree, it means sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with those who have not heard it. It means offering hope when hope is lost. A meal to a hungry person is a ministry. Offering a coat on a cold day is a ministry. A prayer or word of comfort is a ministry.

Folks, we need to remember our baptism and start being the people God has called us to be.

See you in church.