Against the liars and the antichrists, we have the clear testimony of John the Baptist: “the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.” Jesus is real, human, and divine – he was born of the virgin Mary, was crucified by Pontius Pilate, and was raised from the dead on the third day. And the implications are that God sent his Son, the Christ, to be the passover lamb, the atoning sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.
We celebrate in this season of Christmas, the real, historical birth of the Son of God. And at the occasion of his baptism, we celebrate our baptisms in his name. We celebrate the abiding presence of the Triune God within us. And we celebrate the influence Jesus has on us, and on our world through us, bringing light and love and life.
Heavenly Father, we thank you for sending your Son Jesus to be our Christ, our anointed Saviour. Help us to witness courageously like John, to his presence, his humanity, and his divinity, in Jesus' name, amen.