Epistle
7 January 2018
The
Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ Acts 19:1-7
While Apollos
was in Corinth, Paul passed through the interior regions and came to Ephesus,
where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy
Spirit when you became believers?” They replied, “No, we have not even heard
that there is a Holy Spirit.” Then he said, “Into what then were you baptized?”
They answered, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with the
baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one who was to come
after him, that is, in Jesus.” On hearing this, they were baptized in the name
of the Lord Jesus. When Paul had laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came
upon them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied— altogether there were
about twelve of them.
This Epistle reading for the Feast
of the Lord’s Baptism references our own baptism as well as that of Jesus. It speaks of the Baptism of John and the
Baptism of Jesus, recalling the fact that we have been baptized into Christ,
into his baptism, into his death and resurrection. And from the Day of Pentecost, the Church has
proclaimed that in Baptism the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the faithful who
are baptized. And why is this so
important and so vital for us? Today
would be a good day to recall the work of the Holy Spirit in the Church and on
the Christian. This recollection reminds
us that the Holy Spirit is the one who gives us boldness to live, words with
which to witness, wisdom to know how to serve, the ability to pray. And when we do not know how to do so, or
struggle to do so, the Holy Spirit teaches and acts on our behalf to bring us
to do the very thing our faith demands.
Father Timothy+
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