From hymn 116:

 “I come,” the great Redeemer cries, “To do thy will, O Lord!”
At Jordan’s stream, behold!  He seals the sure prophetic word.

Jesus, the sinless One, participated in baptism.  A large part of what baptism’s about is the ceremonial washing away of sin: anything that puts a wall between us and God.  Another idea in baptism, maybe Jesus’ motivation that day, is that of inclusion, being part of something larger than ourselves.  In the miracle of The Incarnation, God, through Jesus, experienced what it is to be us with its attendant joys, sorrows, and vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability.  Now that’s something 2020-21 has put a spotlight on.  God can identify with that state – he, by choice, was included in the human race long ago.  In our prayers, may we trust that God will take our vulnerabilities and transform them into something that only he can envision.

Brad Norris, Minister of Music