I want to share a Scripture which describes the scene following the baptism of Jesus, in which Jesus receives from the heavenly Father a vision and a moving word of affirmation.
“Now when all the people had been baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form, as a dove, and a voice came from Heaven, ‘Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.’” Luke 3:21-22 RSV
Whereas Matthew’s account of the word from Heaven is given as “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” a word addressed to the people around Jesus; in Luke’s account and in Mark’s gospel the word is directed to Jesus himself: “Thou art my beloved Son.” How good it is to draw from both of these affirmations, to know the disclosure of truth and trustworthiness being shared with us as Jesus is commended to us, but also to witness the love and delight and joy being shared by the heavenly Father and the Son in union with the Holy Spirit. I believe it is this union of love and delight and joy which gave motive and shape to our created world, and out that union of love and delight and joy comes all genuine creativity, every holy endeavor and all true joy in life.
In the word from Heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son,” we hear the affirmation of the divine sonship.
The one whose coming into the world we celebrate with Christmas festivities, the one born of Mary, the one who takes on humanity’s form and humanity’s burden, is the divine Son.
He is Emmanuel, “God with us.” The heavenly Father acknowledges, “You are my Son, you are of my very being; you embody my Word; you are the expression of my heart and soul.
In you my joy is full.”
From this word also comes to us the assurance that for the restoration of our lives to God, for our salvation, the heavenly Father is sending us the one most cherished, the one who embodies life’s best hopes, the way of life most honorable, and the potential of excellence in life’s most essential endeavors. God sends us his best, his most cherished; he gives us the Son in whose life his ideals are bound up and will be manifest for all people to witness and to receive.
We also witness in this vision the favor of the one whose favor counts most in life. How strenuously and how anxiously sometimes we curry the favor of people whose favor iscorrupting, not enabling.
Their favor leads us to loss of integrity and loss of self-respect. The popularity their favor represents is empty. God’s favor counts most in life, really counts.
The heavenly Father’s favor shines on the Son, a favor capable of shining into the world a living hope, an eternal and unfailing love, a favor which shines away the darkness, reveals a better way, helps all humankind to discover who they are in God’s vision, and helps all to find courage to take up a new venture of faith and participation in the divine mission.
Further, in this vision we also witness an anticipation - an anticipation that being joined in spirit with Jesus, through faith and forgiveness, we too may come to experience with him the favor of our heavenly Father.
I’m thinking of how deeply ingrained in our nature is a yearning for the favor of our parent. We earnestly want to experience the favor of our mother, and the favor of our father in life. When that favor is present, the experience of it is such a powerful affirmation to us, such a grounding force of character, such a feeling of assurance, and such a motivation to seek what is excellent in one’s life. But when that favor is absent, it leaves a hole in one’s soul which cannot be adequately filled by any other of the world’s compensations or successes. I believe our inward yearning for our father’s favor is a revelation to us that our souls were made for fellowship with our heavenly Father, and our souls are restless until we are restored in Him.
Finally, we see in this vision how the Father’s love and favor toward the Son are united with his love and offering of favor toward people everywhere, whatever their status in life, and whatever their need.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)◊◊◊
Editor’s note: Jerry Nichols, a native of Pea Ridge, is an award-winning columnist, a retired Methodist minister with a passion for history. He is vice president of the Pea Ridge Historical Society. He can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected], or call 621-1621. The opinions of the writer are his own, and are not necessarily those of The Times.
Church, Pages 2 on 01/16/2013