The Christ brings a baptism in order to gather all those sinners who are scattered across time and geography to be God’s people united in redemption and salvation.
Jesus’ baptism ushers in more than only His own life of ministry, the reign of God come near. It opens the power of the baptism He received from God, the power of the Spirit with fire, to all the baptized.
While it is true Jesus was much more than a teacher, it is equally true that He was nothing less, which suggests a sermon on this text might explore Jesus’ teaching ministry; both then and now.
As we continue to celebrate the mystery of the incarnation, this is a perfect moment to meditate on how the work of God “in Christ,” even as it is centered in His death and resurrection, unfolds in every moment of the life of Jesus of Nazareth.
Solomon prays for grace, and he gets it, and it is not because he asked for it. It is because that is the kind of God he has, a gracious God, full of steadfast love and faithfulness even when we are not.
Some of our most powerful preaching of the Law comes not by telling people what they have done wrong and why they need to repent, but by preaching what is truly God-pleasing.