Meditation from Rev. Dr. Michael W. Davis
January 11, 2026
We conclude the beautiful Christmas season this weekend with the liturgical Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.As you know, Jesus wasn't baptized as a child. He was baptized as an adult at about age 30 in the River Jordan by John the Baptist.
Underscored by the descent of the dove (a powerful symbol of the Holy Spirit) and the heavenly voice of the Father (which clearly identified Jesus as His beloved Son), His baptism was the momentous event that formally launched our Lord into His public ministry. It was a ministry of word and deed which inaugurated the Kingdom of God, called upon His hearers to repent and align their lives with the truths of the Most High, a ministry which brought healing and hope to a directionless world, and offered a profound invitation to the human family to know, love, and follow him.
Yes, in these final hours of such a spectacular season of beauty, color, song, and wonder, it would be unfortunate if we were just to stay stationary, having only enjoyed the brief annual respite of the "most wonderful time of the year." We must now be inspired to take the next step. We must welcome the impact that our annual commemoration brings. Christmas is meant to have an impact. Indeed, Christmas holds profound meaning for the direction of our lives. We can no longer simply stand in admiration of the Christ child in the serene scene of the manger at Bethlehem, before which we ooh and aww at the darling infant lying in the crib, as if that is all we needed to do as a result of the Christmas miracle. Nor can we simply pack all of the decorations away, being unchanged, until we dust off the ornaments and statuettes for next year's cultural use. Rather, today's liturgical feast carries us fast forward toward a mature, discerning, and dynamic faith requiring change, depth, and the occasioning of a renewed life focus and spiritual commitment. As the believing community of God's people, we are invited today to advance with our Lord in age, wisdom, and grace, thus living an adult faith.
On each of my 15 pilgrimages to the Holy Land, a prominent stop on our itinerary is none other than the place of the Baptism of the Lord at the River Jordan. North of the Dead Sea and not far from Jericho, our bus always stops at the traditional baptismal site, visited annually by tens of thousands of pilgrims, who not only want to see the site, but to enter the water themselves and renew their identity in Christ. My fellow travelers and I always take off our shoes and socks, roll up our pant legs, and step down into the River Jordan where we renew our baptismal promises and are simultaneously sprinkled with the waters from the most famous baptismal site on earth. It is an impactful experience! It is emotional. And, like at so many of the other historical places made holy by the footsteps and presence of Christ, the experience was transformational. Our photographs of the occasion don't even begin to capture the awesomeness that we all felt while there. We were not just a group of thrill seekers. The place drew us into the mystery and our lives were made different through the experience. The place of Jesus' baptism served as a wonderful reminder of how a Christmas faith is called upon to be an adult faith in the lived proclamation of Jesus in our daily lives.
May today's liturgical Feast of the Baptism of the Lord fast forward us into new levels of maturity and depth, as we place Christ at the center of our lives. Father Davis.
Rev. Dr. Michael W. Davis