Audaciously beloved!

 Matthew 3:16-17

And when Jesus had been baptised, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”

The Spirit always shows up

And her presence 

is as disruptive today

as it was 

when Jesus was baptised by John

Baptised in the face of oppression and despair

Baptised in the grimness of life

For Baptism always proclaims the love 

and the mystery of God

and the presence of the unquenchable Spirit

Whenever baptism is offered:

At the beginning of life

as a symbol 

of hope and promise,

As a rite of passage

building on family tradition,

As a response to faith

that has grown slowly and surely,

At the hesitant request of  a beautiful 93 year old saint

embarrassed  to admit

that she had never been baptised,

Or with parents 

anxious about their newborn’s hold on life,

Whether sprinkled,

Dunked

Immersed

or with the gentlest whisper 

of a touch

Always, always, always.

the Holy Spirit

makes herself known

as angels gather

to sing a Gloria

declaring the audacity and wonder of God

who calls us

Beloved 

Reading the signs

 

Matthew 2:1-2

In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

The Magi persisted

in following their star

fulfilling their hopes

and dreams and calling.

Yet, even at journey’s end,

they remained alert to the wisdom 

that they should go home by another way.

For discernment is a process

of sifting and weighing

of staying in touch with the signs all around

of listening deeply to the still small voice

that risks being drowned out 

by the clamour of power or desire

and of being prepared to change direction

Therein lies Epiphany -

The awakening and the arrival

and the alacrity to respond with humility

when everything changes.

(Liz Crumlish Epiphany 2023)