Down to the Water

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him,1 and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:13-17

It's early and we are heading down to the river. Emily and her teammates will jump in to the cold water and swim for others-for people they know and for perfect strangers who are battling cancer. The Hudson River was very polluted when I was growing up, and it has been cleaned up by herculean efforts. The river is now overflowing with debris from the recent storms, branches and leaves, and a fast current due to high water. Going down to the river always has its challenges. The river is a place to change, to change lives and to turn lives around -it always has.

Jesus goes down to the river and he is baptized by John. There the world changes and the skies open and we hear the voice of God identifying the child, and through the one, we are all blessed by God and made a member of the family. Going down to the river can change the world, and we are invited to expect great things from as we are dipped into the water.

Today, we ask to be good support to our brave daughter and to be support and care for all those who come into our lives today. May we all go down to the river today expecting to be changed, expecting to be used for the love of God.