“One more powerful than I is to come after me. I am not fit to stoop and untie his sandal straps. I have baptized you in water; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit... ‘You are my beloved Son. On you my favor rests.’”
The familiar scene... the meeting of the cousins, the theme of John’s preaching, pointing out the person of the Christ. The beginning of the ministry of Jesus. The clouds part, the dove of peace descends and the reassuring voice, another epiphany.
We celebrate our baptism, when the Lord reaches down to us, elevates us, making us members of His family, fills us with the gift of grace, and echoes the same words, ‘you are my beloved, on you my favor rests.’ Jesus began His ministry on the banks of the river, and we begin our lives as disciples, not just the day of our baptism, but again today as we offer thanks for God coming to us with His grace.