The Baptism of Our Lord: Old Testament, Gen. 1 :1-5      

Genesis 1:1-5

Coming out of the Church Calendar events surrounding the birth and infancy of our Lord, the first event commemorated each year is His baptism by John. That stands to reason, not because none of the events in between carried importance, but because it is at our Lord’s baptism that we begin to experience His work as a grown man for the salvation of the world.

The Old Testament reading comes from the creation account Moses begins in our Genesis chapter 1 and commences with the opening words of Scripture: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” That’s verse one and its colossal significance cannot be gainsaid. But it is the next verse I want to focus upon in the first meditation I’m writing for the new calendar year just begun: “The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

The Spirit of the Lord hovering over the waters, waters of chaos, waters of darkness, presupposes that something powerful is about to happen. In that hovering comes the Word of the Lord and life and light become the conclusion to the Bible’s first dramatic moment. Water and Word combine to give a peek into the future of God’s dealings, not only with creation in general, but with the pinnacle of His creation, humankind. And not simply to created men and women but eventually water and Word will have a powerful revelatory effect through the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the God-Man to be introduced millenia in the future. 

It is impossible to see the magnificence of the working of God in its fullness even at this early stage of God’s story. As if the creation of the universe were not drama enough, there are greater things yet to come. Far greater. Water and Word will be indispensable elements and in this early stage of our new and holy year, all the readings this week will lend clues of preparation. Stay tuned.