This weekend is Saturday the 9 and Sunday the 10 January, the Baptism of Our Lord, beginning the first week of Ordinary Time.

Salt of the Sound sings, ‘Lamb of God’.

Today we celebrate the baptism of Jesus. We’ll try to enter the scene imaginatively. As you listen to the reading from the Gospel of Mark, let something of the scene come to you.

Mark 1:7-11

He (John the Baptist) proclaimed, “The one who is more powerful than I is coming after me; I am not worthy to stoop down and untie the thong of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Picture the scene: John is in the river Jordan baptising people . . . . . . find yourself somewhere in the crowd . . . . . . what do you see? . . . . . . and hear?. . . . . . and smell?

. are you in the water or on land? . . . what’s that like? . . . find Jesus amongst the crowd . . . watch him make his way to John . . . how does he seem to you? 

see him face to face with John now . . . . . . watch John lower Jesus down into the water and bring him back up again . . . . . . what seems to be happening for Jesus?

“You are my Son . . . my Beloved . . . I delight in you” . . . what does this do in him?

Take your turn to be baptised by John . . . let him lower you into the river and feel the water . . . . . . let him bring you back up again . . . how is God looking at you? . . . do you hear anything?. . . find Jesus again, and sit beside him . . . be with him for a while . . . . . .

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.