"And The Heavens Were Opened"

So why was Jesus baptized? He was baptized so we could see that timing is everything. He was baptized so we could understand that God places a task in front of each of us. He was baptized so we would be willing to step forth at that moment to accept the calling that God has placed in front of us. Dawn, Ben, and Tim have just experienced one of those moments of being called forth, and I am sure they will experience many more.

In that moment when Jesus stepped forth, the heavens were opened to him, the spirit of God descended upon him like a dove, and he heard the voice of His Heavenly Father, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” I believe the same thing happens when we step forth. I believe the heavens open up, God looks down upon us and says, “This is my child, with whom I am well pleased.”

Isn’t that awesome? Isn’t it incredible that God is that concerned? Isn’t it incredible that God is that interested? Isn’t it incredible that God holds that type of love? Far too often, we hold a view that God is a far away, uninvolved, judgmental being, but he’s not.

I had an experience this past Wednesday where I gained a very real understanding of God’s concern and interest. A friend that I play basketball with celebrated the birth of his first child a week ago Friday, only to endure an agonizing weekend, which culminated in his son’s death early Monday morning. I don’t know of any deeper sorrow than the death of a child, and when I attended the funeral at 2:00 Wednesday afternoon, I hugged my friend and said, “My heart aches for you.” He wept and said, “Thanks.” The funeral service was one of the most powerful services I’ve ever attended. The chaplain did an incredible job of acknowledging the anger, the questions, the pain, and the sorrow that we all felt, but she also told us of the comforting grace of our God, who could handle it.

A friend of this young couple, who herself was pregnant, spoke, expressing the pain she felt for her friend. She said she felt like Job’s friends, who came to visit him after the death of his children, sitting in silence with him for seven days, because they didn’t know what to say. She really didn’t know what to say either, but she was willing to sit and cry with her friends. The silence was okay, because of God’s unyielding love for them and their son. How right she was!

My friend’s father shared some family stories that made us laugh and cry. He spoke of his own pain, but also of the incredible strength that his son and daughter-in-law had shown. He spoke of his love and commitment for them during this time of tremendous struggle. He spoke of the gift he had received by being able to hold his first grandchild before he died. He spoke about broken dreams, but he also spoke of recovery, hope, and grace for the future.

And the young couple spoke. They were eloquent in expressing their thanks to the doctors and nurses. They were courageous in acknowledging their pain and sorrow. They were vulnerable through the questions they asked, yet powerful because of their desire to find a higher purpose for their lives through this crisis. They comforted us through their strength and resolve.