Lead in: In Jesus’ day, the practice of baptism had many meanings in Jewish culture. It was seen as a kind of cleansing ritual that prepared one for worship. But with John the Baptist, baptism became a way of demonstrating one’s willingness to undergo a total life transformation. If baptism were understood that way today as a total commitment to letting God take over our lives, how many of us would even consider getting baptized? Letting God take over your life is not a decision made once and for all. It’s something we must work at every day. It means letting God call the shots and not you.
Prompt: If you were to let God be in charge with God calling the shots and not you, in what area of your life would it be hardest to do that?
Lead in: At his baptism Jesus was affirmed in who he is, a beloved Son, fully love by God. As his disciples at baptism, we are affirmed in the same way. We are God’s beloved sons and daughters. It’s not always easy to believe that, but there are moments in life that catch our attention. A friend reaches out to us in a time of need reminding us of the way God loves us, just as we are. Over the course of our lives, we experience hundreds of these little moments. It’s moments like these that can help us come to see and accept the inner goodness that God sees in us.
Prompt: Reflect on an experience that helped you come to see the inner goodness of another and, in the process, helped you come to see the inner goodness that God sees in you?
Lead in: In Luke 3:16, we hear how the people were filled with expectation. All bets were on John to be the long-awaited Christ to come. But out of nowhere appeared an unknown, Jesus of Nazareth. All of this reminds us that sometimes what God makes happen is far different than the way we thought God would make it happen.
Prompt: Reflect on a time when what God made happen was far different than the way you thought God would make it happen.
Lead in: In Luke 3, we hear an interesting detail about the baptism of Jesus. The scriptures tell us that after all the people had been baptized, Jesus also was baptized. It seems Jesus waited in line with everyone else with no one aware of who it was that was standing in line with them. That simple gesture of Jesus, waiting his turn in line, is a good example of the humble way Jesus went about his ministry. He quietly stopped for those in need, healed the sick, ate with sinners, and forgave those who hated him.
Prompt: What can the example of Jesus tell us about what true holiness is?
Prompt: Where in your life could you learn from the humble way Jesus lived his life?
