Readings:
Sermon:
At Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove. This is the same Spirit that hovered over the waters of chaos at the beginning of Genesis. It’s the same Spirit that will shortly fill Jesus with the power of God and drive him out into the wilderness to prepare for his ministry.
But for now, hold onto that image of the Holy Spirit hovering over Jesus at the river Jordan. And think back a couple of chapters to Luke’s account of the beginning of the story of Jesus. The angel Gabriel tells Mary that the Spirit will descend upon her and overshadow her – hover over her. It’s the same image – the Spirit descending.
Or again, remember Luke’s description of the angels announcing the good news to the shepherds in the field. The heavens were opened, and the angels declared peace to all those on whom God’s favour rests. It’s exactly the same word – those in whom God is pleased.
Luke is making a deliberate link between the Christmas story of Jesus’ conception and birth, and this story of Jesus’ baptism. It’s the same Holy Spirit at work, opening the heavens and descending upon those in whom God is well pleased.
And I don’t think it’s surprising that Luke is making these connections between Jesus’ birth and his baptism. After all, baptism is a kind of second birth. In baptism, Jesus himself tells us, we are born again of water and the Spirit. Maximus of Turin, who lived about 400 years after Jesus, puts it like this:
‘Today is another kind of birth of the Saviour. We see him born again with the same sort of signs, the same sort of wonders, but with greater mystery. The Holy Spirit, who was present to him then in the womb, now pours out upon him in the torrent of water. He who then purified Mary for him now sanctifies the running waters for him. The Father who then overshadowed Mary in power now cries out with his voice. So God says “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear him.” Clearly the second birth is more excellent than the first. The one brought forth Christ in silence and without a witness. The other baptised the Lord gloriously with a profession of divinity.’
Notice, too, that – uniquely among the gospels – Luke tells us that all of this took place while Jesus was praying. Luke particularly likes telling us about Jesus at prayer, especially at key moments such as this one. Jesus often goes into the desert to be alone with God.
And just like this moment, there are two crucial moments later on when Jesus prays to his Father and Luke records the response. The first is at the Transfiguration, when Jesus prays and a voice is heard coming from heaven affirming him to be the Son of God. The second is in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus prays and an angel appears from heaven to comfort him and give him strength.
It’s in these moments of prayer – these moments of intimacy between Jesus and his Father – that the heavens are opened and the voice of God confirms him and us: You are my child; in you I am well pleased.
In Jesus, God is well pleased, delighted. There’s a lovely passage in Isaiah, a prophecy of the coming Messiah, in which God says: ‘Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights. I have put my Spirit upon him’. Jesus is the one whom God upholds, the one in whom God delights, the one on whom God’s Spirit has descended.
But not just Jesus. Imagine what it would mean to hear God saying to you – ‘You are my children, with you I am delighted’. For that is exactly what God does say to us. That is exactly who we are – God’s sons and daughters, precious and lovely in his sight. God loves each one of us. God delights in each one of us.
Just as Jesus is baptised; prays; and receives the assurance of God’s favour – so too we are baptised and born again in the Spirit; so too we pray and share in the intimacy of God the Trinity – the Father in heaven, Jesus the Christ, the Spirit descending and renewing; so too we are blessed and receive assurance that we are children of God, beloved and well pleasing in his sight.
Questions:
- Why does the Holy Spirit appear in the form of a dove?
- What does it mean for God to be well pleased with Jesus and well pleased with you?