2026/01/11 SCRIPTURE REFLECTION
The Baptism of the Lord
- Christa Kingsley, Manager of Social Justice & Outreach
I am struck by the gentleness with which God introduces our Savior in the first reading from Isaiah. He does not name Jesus outright, but instead foreshadows the quiet, healing love that will define His mission. The Servant will not shout or demand attention; His actions will reveal His heart. As Isaiah says, “the coastlands will wait for His teachings”—a reminder that from one end of the earth to the other, humanity longs for the message Christ brings. To hear Him, we must quiet our hearts because He will not force His voice upon us. God calls each of us to carry His message of love forward, witnessing to Christ not only in words but in the way we live.
This theme of obedience reaches its fullness in the Gospel. Jesus, in profound humility, allows Himself to be baptized in the Jordan. This is no symbolic gesture; it is a deliberate act of solidarity with humanity. In that moment, the heavens open, the Spirit descends, and the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Before Jesus teaches, heals, or performs any miracle, He is named and claimed as beloved.
John the Baptist offers us another powerful lesson. He recognizes Jesus as the Son of God and instinctively steps back, aware of his own unworthiness. Yet in obedience, he baptizes Jesus with water, trusting in God’s plan even without understanding its fullness. We are not expected to grasp God’s design at every moment either. But through relationship with Him, we are invited into the same obedience—responding to His call even when the path is not yet clear.
Each of us is created out of the same pure love. We are meant for relationship with God, and we are called to reflect His love to the world—without judgment, without distinction, without hesitation. We are all God’s beloved children. He invites us not only to find our way home to Him, but to help lead others there through steady witness to Christ’s love in our lives.