This week, we return to the baptism of Jesus. But we don’t stay there. We’ve got other things to deal with.
Perhaps the creators of the lectionary did this intentionally. We have the baptism as described by Matthew in the first Sunday after Epiphany. Then we go to John’s gospel, where that evangelist offers it in the past tense. It has already happened.
Starting there and then moving to John’s introducing Andrew to Jesus and then Andrew’s introducing Simon to Jesus, bridges these familiar concepts: baptism and evangelism.
Many of us are used to hearing about baptism as initiation. As the rite that brings us into the community of faith.
Evangelism, on the other hand, helps us to see this entering differently. The desire, joy, hope, anticipation of being part of what Jesus is doing. Not like access to a club, but a partner in a big project in which our talents are needed.
Perhaps this is how you are used to seeing things! Or you are part of a faith community that has a robust relationship to baptism and evangelism. In either case, this isn’t a profound revelation.
I suspect that for many others, our imperfect practice could use a recharge and a reminder.
That joy is joyful. And we actually ought to share it.
And that it, not membership, is what we truly desire.