Grounded in Love

Today we look at what may well have been the single biggest turning point in Jesus’s ministry.

You are my son, whom I love. With you I am well-pleased. - Mark 1:11

This is the voice that speaks from the skies at Jesus’s baptism. It’s the voice of belonging. It’s the voice of belovedness. It’s the voice of blessing.

It’s the voice of belonging because Almighty God is claiming Jesus as his own - you are mine! That’s huge - to have your sense of belonging determined makes all the difference in life.

It’s the voice of belovedness because Almighty God is absolutely clear that LOVE is the center of their relationship. We don’t hear from Almighty God much in the New Testament - just a handful of times. And this is perhaps the clearest of them all: Jesus is beloved. Can you imagine being Jesus with that clarity?

It’s the voice of blessing because this is the voice of pride. Before Jesus has done anything in ministry, Almighty God blesses him, shows pride in him, affirms him. How many of us are still yearning for someone to tell us they are proud of us?

Take a few minutes to ponder over this stunning culmination of belonging, belovedness, and blessing. And then ponder what it means that you, yes you, are now “in Christ.” That means that this pronouncement is for YOU as well.