On the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord

My Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ throughout the Anglican Mission of Lake Erie,

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday, we keep the Feast of the Baptism of our Lord — a festival of profound significance, calling us to contemplate the mystery of God Incarnate, made manifest in the waters of the Jordan. Just as Jesus entered the flowing waters of that river, immersing Himself in the current of God's love, so we too were baptized in the life-giving waters of our baptism, buried with Christ and raised to new life in Him.

As the heavens opened and the Spirit descended like a dove, the eternal Son of God, incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth, was revealed to the world. This epiphany, this unveiling of the Blessed Trinity, lies at the heart of our Christian faith.

In the baptism of Jesus, we see not only the inauguration of His earthly ministry, but also the prefiguring of our own baptismal incorporation into His Mystical Body, the Church. Through the waters of baptism, we are made partakers of Christ's death and resurrection, cleansed from original sin, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. We are adopted into the family of God, and grafted into the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church, the blessed company of all faithful people. As the collect for this holy day reminds us: *"Eternal Father, at the baptism of Jesus you revealed him to be your Son, and your Holy Spirit descended upon him like a dove: Grant that we, who are born again by water and the Spirit, may be faithful as your adopted children."*

Therefore, my friends in the Mission, let us approach this feast with renewed hearts and minds, drawing near with faith and penitence to receive the grace offered to us in the Holy Eucharist. We who live and minister along the shores of Lake Erie know the power and beauty of water — its capacity to sustain life, to carve out the very landscape around us, and to connect us to distant shores. Let us give thanks for the immeasurable gift of baptism, recalling the waters that washed over us and made us new creations in Christ.

Let us strive to walk in the footsteps of our Saviour, following His example of love, compassion, and selfless service. Let us be faithful stewards of the Gospel, proclaiming the Good News of salvation to all the world. Let us, together, be a beacon of Christ's light throughout the Lake Erie region, that by our lives and our worship, others may come to know the joy of salvation in Jesus Christ our Lord.

May Almighty God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, bless and keep you in His love, now and forevermore. Amen.

Yours in the Faith and Fellowship of Christ, ✠ The Rt Rev'd Brent Whetstone Bishop, Anglican Mission of Lake Erie