Mary’s Lent Diary (Day 3)

Fast forward again…!  Jesus is 30 years old now.  The last few years have been great, just living a normal family life.  Jesus has been helping Joseph in the workshop, he has quite a skill as a carpenter.

I went down to the river Jordan today.    My cousin Elizabeth’s son, John, has been baptising people there.  He heard from God that he should baptise people to show that they repent of their sins.  People are wondering if he is the Messiah who has been promised but John insists that he is not.  John says that the coming Messiah will be so much greater than him that John will not even by worthy to untie his shoes.  Hard to imagine anyone, especially John, being unworthy to untie another person’s shoes – after all, you can’t get much lower than that.  But something at the back of my mind is nagging me….the person that John is talking about seems to be mentioned in the book of Isaiah as ‘God’s salvation.’  Simeon mentioned God’s salvation, too.  And I remember the shepherds who visited us just after Jesus was born telling me that an angel had told them that ‘a Saviour has been born.’  Could it be….?

I found a seat on the ground with a good view of John baptising.  There were so many people coming to him!  I half watched, half dozed in the sun.   It was a lovely day, people were chattering and happy as I listened to the buzz around me.  Suddenly, the buzz stopped.  I opened my eyes to see what was going on and realised that everyone was looking towards John.  I looked, too, and could hardly believe what I was seeing!  Jesus was standing in the water with John and they were having some sort of discussion.  I strained my ears and could just pick out what they were saying.  They were discussing Jesus getting baptised.  Jesus wanted John to do it but John was reluctant.  He was trying to put Jesus off, saying that Jesus should baptise John, not the other way round.  I am sure this must be linked to the ‘salvation’ thing I just mentioned.  Anyway, in the end, John did baptise Jesus.  It was amazing – as Jesus came up out of the water, there was a voice from heaven: ‘This is my Son, whom I love, with Him I am well pleased.’  Wow, I knew Jesus was special!

(Matthew 3)

Jesus being Baptised

Let’s take a look in more detail at what the voice from heaven – God’s voice – said as Jesus was baptised…

‘This is my Son’

God is laying his cards on the table here.  He wants everyone to know who Jesus is.  Who Jesus belongs to.  There is a sense of pride in those words. God did not have to say them, He chose to. And He does not whisper them, He lets them ring out – he says them.  God looked at Jesus and said ‘This is my Son.’  Everyone, take note – this is MY Son…

What does God say when he looks at you?

Does he say ‘This is my son/daughter’? 

You can be sure that He wants to….

1 John 1 v 12: ‘to all who received him (Jesus), to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God…’

ALL who receive him.  Not some.  Or those who are good enough.  Or those who never have problems or worries.  ALL.  Everyone can be a child of God.  Everyone can have God look at them and say, ‘This is my son/daughter’

And, when God looks at you and says those words, He won’t be whispering…

‘Whom I love’

‘This is my Son WHOM I LOVE’

Just as God said it to Jesus, so he says it to you – you are his son/daughter whom He loves.

Maybe you know that.  Maybe you have known for a long time that God loves you.  Maybe it is ‘old news.’ 

And, maybe, over time it has become head knowledge? 

Something you know but forget to enjoy?  Forget to live in the light of?

When was the last time that you simply enjoyed the fact that God loves you?  That He thinks you are worth something?  That, even though he knows you inside out, He loves you.  Whatever happens, God never forgets that he loves you – so never forget to remember that…..and enjoy it.

‘With Him I am well pleased’

God is not just pleased with Jesus here, He is well pleased. 

He looks at Jesus, His Son, whom He loves, and He is well pleased.

Jesus gives God pleasure.

What about you?  Do you give God pleasure?

By what you do?  What you say?  How you live?

Jesus knew what God wanted him to do, what kind of life God wanted him to live – and he did it. 

His baptism marked the start of his ministry.

And that gave God pleasure.

Do you know what God wants you to do?  And, more importantly, whether it is something big or something small, do you do it?

Sometimes it can be hard to know exactly what God is asking of us…

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.  Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12

The more you set your mind and heart on God and not the world, the more you will be changed into someone who is able to find out what God is asking of you. 

How God wants you to live.  And you will give God pleasure.

God will be able to say of you, not only that you are his child, not only that He loves you….but that with you, He is well pleased.

Father God

Thank You for loving me. I love You, too.

May the way I live my life please You today.

Amen

Mary’s Memo – I’m God’s Child