This Sunday, January 10th, we’re thinking together through Jesus’ baptism (by John the Baptizer!) and forty days in the wilderness.

N.T. Wright says of this account: “The whole Christian gospel could be summed up in this point: that when the living God looks at us, at every baptized and believing Christian, he says to us what he said to Jesus on that day. He sees us, not as we are in ourselves, but as we are in Jesus Christ. It sometimes seems impossible, especially to people who have never had this kind of support from their earthly parents, but it’s true: God looks at us, and says, ‘You are my dear, dear child; I’m delighted with you.’ Try reading that sentence slowly, with your own name at the start, and reflect quietly on God saying that to you, both at your baptism and every day since… This is true for one simple but very profound reason: Jesus is the Messiah, and the Messiah represents his people. What is true of him is true of them.”