13 At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan River so that John would baptize him. 14 John tried to stop him and said, “I need to be baptized by you, yet you come to me?”
15 Jesus answered, “Allow me to be baptized now. This is necessary to fulfill all righteousness.”
So John agreed to baptize Jesus. 16 When Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water. Heaven was opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and resting on him. 17 A voice from heaven said, “This is my Son whom I dearly love; I find happiness in him.”
Then the Spirit led Jesus up into the wilderness so that the devil might tempt him.
This week, we end our first season of Ordinary Time in the Liturgical Year, a season that began with Epiphany and the Baptism of Jesus, and ends with Ash Wednesday and the start of the wilderness period of Lent. We have come through a season of revealing, of God making love known to the world in the incarnation of Jesus, the Christ. Though the Church celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord weeks before Lent, the biblical narrative moves directly from one to the other. Jesus enters the wilderness, “so that the devil might tempt him,” as soon as he emerges from the waters that identify his as God’s beloved Son.
Christians have long associated the events of baptism of Jesus with what happens to each of us when we are baptized. As the Holy Spirit descended on Christ like a dove, so we are awakened and empowered by the presence of the Holy Spirit in us. When teaching catechumens (new Christians preparing for baptism), Augustine of Hippo saw a connection between the cooing [latin gemitus] of a dove and the unspeakable sighing [latin gemitibus] of the Holy Spirit interceding for us (Rom. 8:26, Tractates in evangelism Ioannis 6.2). Augustine went on to say, “The Holy Spirit teaches us to sigh, for he makes known to us that we are in exile, and he teaches us to groan for our native land, and we sigh with that very longing.” Baptism identifies us as God’s beloved children, and the Holy Spirit of God in us groans and sighs for God’s kingdom to come, God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Baptism prepares us for the exile, the wilderness ahead of us. This inner longing “for our native land” as Augustine calls it, is the sign of our love for God, and this change of heart leads to a very real change of life.
Whatever Lenten disciplines you choose to take on or take off, I invite you to take the time to sigh. Groan with the Holy Spirit for the world to be redeemed. Sigh with the longing for the Lover of Your Soul. It’s okay if you don’t know what words to pray. Prayer isn’t always about talking at God. Instead, settle into your soul, feel the weight of exile and wilderness…for I guarantee it has made its mark on your body. And let the Holy Spirit breathe through you, pray for you, and recalibrate your attentions and intentions.
P.S. With a new liturgical season, treat yourself to a Wesley Bros Liturgical Calendar! They’re already discounted, and for this week only, take an additional 20% off! Visit etsy.com/shop/wesleybroscomics today!