Blessed Gentile Christmas! The official date of Epiphany falls on January 6 and several subsequent Sundays are named the Sundays after the Epiphany. Epiphany emphasizes that Jesus is the “Light of the world” (John 8:12) who came to be the Savior of all people, not just the Jewish race. That’s why Epiphany marks the Gentile Christmas.
As part of His saving work, the gospel lesson relays the baptism of Jesus. Jesus didn’t need to be baptized to wash away any sins; He was born without sin and never sinned. Nevertheless, submitting to baptism served as part of Jesus’ saving work to “fulfill all righteousness” (Matthew 5:17-18). Moreover, Jesus’ baptism served as His inauguration into His ministry. At Jesus’ baptism we witness divine approval by the heavenly Father as well as the Holy Spirit by lighting upon Jesus in the dove.
Certainly, Jesus’ baptism reminds us of how the heavenly Father commissioned Him to complete His saving work that “whoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). It further reminds us of how the Holy Spirit came to us in baptism, bringing us to faith and applying to us the benefit of Jesus’ redeeming work. That same Spirit continues to come to us to strengthen our faith through God’s word and the sacrament of Holy Communion.