A Sonnet by Malcolm Guite on the Baptism of Christ
Beginning here we glimpse the Three-in-one;
The river runs, the clouds are torn apart,
The Father speaks, the Sprit and the Son
Reveal to us the single loving heart
That beats behind the being of all things
And calls and keeps and kindles us to light.
The dove descends, the spirit soars and sings
‘You are belovèd, you are my delight!’
In that quick light and life, as water spills
And streams around the Man like quickening rain,
The voice that made the universe reveals
The God in Man who makes it new again.
He calls us too, to step into that river
To die and rise and live and love forever.
copyright Malcolm Guite
published by Canterbury Press in Sounding the Seasons by Malcolm Guite
Jordan River, first impressions
When I saw the Jordan River in 2008, I found it slightly disappointing. For one thing, it looked more like an old, lazy creek than the young, raging river of Scripture. Plus, the site our group (Gardner-Webb Divinity School students, faculty, and guests) visited was touristy, complete with a gift shop selling commemorative baptismal robes. Tour buses whistling to a stop followed immediately by the racket of passengers exiting the vehicles pushed nature’s sounds out of reach; we were, after all, just on the other side of a parking lot.
Re-visioning
But my disappointment began to fade when we gathered in the seating area near the gated entrance to the Jordan’s waters. As one of our group read a Gospel account of Christ’s baptism, I recalled my own experience in the waters so long ago. Simultaneously, I imagined my father on one of his many visits to that region, standing there in the River Jordan just as he had stood in the baptismal pool of Five Points Missionary Baptist Church when he baptized me. I remembered going under the water and rising from it, my Daddy announcing, “I baptize you Aileen, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” I remembered the feeling I had, even at seven years old, that God loved ME! Spectacular!
Miracle enough
I had no need to wade into the water in the (approximate) place Christ was baptized to replicate (symbolically) the blessing that Jesus received at baptism. Remembering my own baptism and living into the beautiful truth that God names each of us Beloved, was, is, miracle enough.
