Dear all,

I hope and pray this letter finds you well and warm in these cold days.    We return once again to the ministry of John the Baptist this week focussing on his ministry of baptism.  Baptism is an incredibly special event in the life of any person and one which signifies that a person has committed his or her life to the following of our Lord.  Can you remember your baptism?  It is highly likely if you, like me, were baptised as a baby, you will not remember a thing and, in that case, can you remember your confirmation when you took on the baptismal promises made by your parents for yourself? 

John the Baptist, had a ministry of preaching in which the central message was one of repentance, calling people to come back to God.  John appeared aesthetically different to the ‘normal’ people of the day and for this reason he stood out from the crowd.  His early ministry is described in Mark 1: 4-11.  John also proclaimed that his baptism was one of water but soon a greater one was coming who would baptise people with the Holy Spirit. 

John considered himself, unworthy, and claimed that he was unworthy even to untie the sandal straps of the one who was coming.  Despite Jesus being John’s cousin, he was still the Saviour of the World.  Therefore, John is so surprised when Jesus explains that it is John himself who should baptise Him.  Mark explains the baptism of Jesus wonderfully when he states that ‘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.  And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”’  How amazing is this imagery, you can almost imagine it in your minds eye, Jesus rising out of the water, as the sun glistens on the surface and the Spirit of love, peace and power descends on Jesus like a dove. 

This event shows us that Jesus has come into the world from His heavenly Father to begin His earthly ministry with the full backing and support from God Himself.  It also shows us that Jesus has been given power from on high to assist Him in the task of bringing the Good News to everyone.  Baptism is a fresh start in which we are forgiven for the sins of the past and taken into a new phase of our Christian life to live and work for God.  This new year is a fresh start for us all after an extremely difficult and challenging 2020.  Let us use this account of hope and a fresh chapter in the life of Jesus as our inspiration and start this new year with God and the positive news that things can only get better. 

This year let us begin with hope and claim with confidence that in Jesus we have the victory. 

May our Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah sent by God, bless us now and always,