Baptism of the Lord January 18th 2026 Psalm 29 and Matthew 3:13-17
Today we celebrate Baptism of the Lord.
As the PCUSA website states:
At this festival of the Christian year, we not only remember Jesus’ baptism, but we celebrate our own: the baptism we share with Christ.[1]
Today is a day to remember our baptism.
Whether you were baptized as an infant, a youth,
or an adult,
we are welcomed into the community of faith.
Our baptism is a sign and seal of God’s grace
in the forgiveness
of our sins and the covenant in Christ.
From the Scots Confession:
“In this new covenant of grace, God washes us clean
and makes us holy and whole”. [2]
Our baptism calls us to respond in faithfulness,
discipleship, and repentance.
How do you and I respond in faithfulness?
We respond with our common belief as a community
of faith.
Baptism draws us into unity as brothers and sisters
in Christ.
How do you and I respond in discipleship?
We respond to be disciples of Christ and to serve.
An African American spiritual speaks to God being
with us in our discipleship: Guide my Feet.
Guide my feet while I run this race…
Hold my Hand while I run this race…
Stand by me while I run this race…
I’m your child while I run this race…
Search my heart while I run this race…
…for I don’t want to run this race in vain.[3]
We ‘run the race’ with God.
How do you and I respond in repentance?
We respond by living a discipleship life,
following where Christ leads, and being an example
to others.
Baptism makes us a new creation.
As I was reading for this Sunday, one commentary
connected Jesus’ baptism to the story of creation
in Genesis.
The created world itself comes from watery chaos; God’s spirit or breath sweeps over the waters and God repeatedly distinguishes and declares new elements of creation and expresses pleasure.
The open heaven (Matthew 3:16) suggests that a cosmic shift is taking place, in which the boundaries that have divided heaven and earth are now being breached.[4]
There is a power in water.
Some of the imagery in Psalm 29 includes:
The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders, the Lord, over mighty
waters.
What comes to mind when we think about water?
Something good to drink, yes.
Streams and brooks,
creeks and ponds,
rivers -big or small,
lakes and seas, oceans,
rainfall and thunderstorms.
Have you ever experienced a thunderstorm when in
a building with a tin roof?
It is an amazing and wonderful sound.
Water is also for cleansing…
washing dirty feet,
getting the car washed,
scrubbing the countertops or floors.
The water of baptism washes you and me clean.
There is a favorite poem from my days at summer camp
that was usually read after a good night’s pouring
rain.
It is by W. L. Stiger, who was a theologian, poet, and
Methodist minister.
‘I Saw God Wash the World Last Night’
“I saw God wash the world last night
With His sweet showers on high
and then when morning came
I saw Him hang it out to dry
He washed it each blade of grass
and every trembling tree;
He flung His showers against the hills
and swept the rolling sea
the white rose is a cleaner white
the red, a richer red
Since God washed every fragrant face
and put them to bed
there’s not a bird there’s not a bee
the wings along the way
but is a cleaner bird or bee
than it was yesterday
I saw God wash the world last night
ah would He wash me
as clean of all my dust and dirt
as that old birch tree!”[5]
God washes us clean of our dust, dirt, and sin!
Water has power and is also soothing
Tears of sadness and joy link our emotions to the
physical world.
Water being sprinkled on a child at baptism can
bring about laughter.
A water feature dripping and occasionally splashing on a
passerby can remind us of our baptism.
John baptized Jesus.
This is when and how Jesus’ ministry began.
From the Gospel of Matthew, we heard the scripture:
“This is my Son, the Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.”
Beloved means dearly loved or dear to the heart.
You and I are also dear to God’s heart.
Each and everyone of us is loved by God!
Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s love:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his
only Son,
so that everyone who believes in him may not perish
but may have eternal life.”
The child in the manger was born to be a Savior,
the baptism of Jesus displays a change that took
place,
the ministry of Jesus taught God’s steadfast love,
the crucifixion of Jesus showed his humanity, and
the resurrection proclaimed Christ as Redeemer.
Listen again to the verse from Matthew and see beyond
the moment of baptism to all Christ embodied:
And a voice from heaven said,
“This is my Son, the Beloved,
with whom I am well pleased.”
The beloved child, the beloved teacher,
the beloved sacrifice, and the beloved new creation.
Jesus’ baptism was the beginning of his ministry.
Our baptism was the beginning of our life in Christ.
Where do we go from here?
Let us not take our baptism for granted,
let us not push the baptismal font to the side.
Let us live out our baptism daily.
Let us remember the covenant we have within our
community of faith.
Let us be a voice in the wilderness like John, proclaiming that the kingdom of God has come near.
[1] Presbyterianmission.org
[2] The Scots Confession 3.19
[3] GtG #741
[4] Connections commentary Year a volume 1 page 174
[5] I saw God wash the World by Dr. W L Stiger
Joy of Ministry 
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