Baptism can seem odd at first glance. We dress a baby in a white gown, pour water on their head, and take pictures while a community looks on. It is a strange ritual in a world where water flows freely from faucets, and bathing is a daily routine. For many of us, water is mundane, unremarkable. But in the ancient world, water was precious—an essential yet unpredictable gift of life. It was carried laboriously, rationed carefully, and only occasionally used for bathing. For people of that time, being immersed in water, especially as an act of worship, symbolized something extraordinary: God’s abundant love poured out in excess.
Yet, baptism is not just about water or cleansing; it is far more profound. Water, in Scripture, represents something far greater and far more terrifying. It represents chaos. From the turbulent seas of the flood to the destructive power of hurricanes and tsunamis in our modern age, water reminds us of creation’s wild and untamed potential for destruction. It is a symbol of the forces that threaten to overwhelm and undo us.
In Genesis, we read that the Spirit of God hovered over the waters of chaos before creation. Out of that formless void, God brought order. He spoke light into darkness, shaped the earth, and breathed life into humanity, creating a world of beauty and harmony. Yet through sin, humanity invited chaos back into the world. The order God established was fractured, and death, hatred, and despair became a part of our reality.
When Jesus stepped into the Jordan River to be baptized, he was not stepping into a simple act of ritual purification. He was stepping into the chaos itself. The waters of the Jordan symbolized the brokenness and disorder of a world consumed by sin—our pride, our greed, our violence. In that moment, the Spirit of God descended upon him, just as it had hovered over the waters in the beginning. And just as in Genesis, God began the work of creating anew.
Through his baptism, Jesus revealed the dawning of a new creation. He did not need to be baptized—he was sinless—but he entered those waters for our sake, embracing the chaos of our lives so that we could be set free. The voice from heaven proclaimed, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased,” affirming that Jesus is the one who will restore order to the chaos. His mission is to bring light to our darkness and to lead us into a new way of life, a way of grace and mercy.
Baptism is not merely a spiritual bath. It is a moment of transformation, a birth into a new and beautiful reality. When we are baptized, we are united with Christ in his death and resurrection. We step into the chaos of the water and rise as part of a new creation. Baptism empowers us to live in God’s kingdom, a kingdom where love triumphs over hate, and mercy over judgment.
This is what it means to be baptized: to share in Christ’s mission of renewal. We are called to help build his kingdom here and now—a kingdom where the poor find hope, the meek inherit the earth, and the merciful are embraced. In our daily lives, we are invited to embody this new creation, to bring light to the darkness and order to the chaos.
Today, as we celebrate the baptism of the Lord, let us remember our own baptism. Let us recommit ourselves to the mission of Christ, trusting that, through him, we are part of something greater—a new creation born of love and sustained by grace.