Baptism of the Lord Lectionary Thoughts

It's Monday morning, and my agenda includes worship planning!

Here today I will focus on the coming Sunday, which is Baptism of the Lord.  Later this week I'll finally get onto the two-weeks out schedule that I'm aiming toward.

We are in Lectionary year C, which means we are reading Luke's account of the baptism of Jesus.  In my initial commentary research, I didn't find much that helped in my planning for this coming Sunday. 

What is helpful so far is Dr. Mark W. Stamm's Sacraments & Discipleship: Understanding Baptism and the Lord's Supper in a United Methodist Context.  As I'm working through the reading on the baptism of Jesus, I'm struck that it comes prior to his ministry.  Jesus begins his public ministry after his baptism.  Baptism for Christians then should be a beginning, not a box to check off and then we're done.  Baptism should mark our entry into the body of Christ and the work of the church that entails being part of the body of Christ.

Dr. Stamm puts it this way: "A biblical, Wesleyan view of baptism and the new birth sees it not as an insurance policy or spiritual talisman, but rather a gift of the Holy Spirit that unites us to the body of Christ and leads us into a new way of life." 

The sermon focus for Epiphany was the importance of paying attention to the work of the Holy Spirit and expecting inspiration.  The churches I am serving are in the process of discerning a new understanding of their ministry in their communities, and so this seemed the right emphasis.  The area we live in is in a season of growth.  The nearest city is growing rapidly and this is also affecting the other communities in the county, and so we need to take a fresh look at our demographics and economy. 

So now that we've emphasized the importance of paying attention to the Spirit, what does this mean for the Baptism of the Lord Sunday?  Perhaps we can use this text to remember our baptisms and talk about how we are connected to the larger body of Christ.  For small churches that struggle with the anxiety of an unknown future (i.e. will we close? does this mean death?) perhaps framing baptism as what connects us to all of Christianity will be a word of hope. 


Stamm, Mark W. 2001. Sacraments And Discipleship: Understanding Baptism and the Lord's Supper in a United Methodist Context. Nashville: Discipleship Resources. Page 53.