This Sunday we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. One of the age-old questions is, "Why did Jesus have to be baptized?" We know that Jesus had no sin, and therefore had nothing to repent. Yet when he comes to the waters he tells John that he must be baptized by him to fulfill all righteousness.

It's hard to know exactly what Jesus meant by this. To me, it seems that Christ submitted to baptism that baptism itself might be changed forever. After Christ, baptism became not just a washing away of sin, but an acceptance of a whole new identity. As Kathleen Norris writes in The Christian Century , "Baptism, then, is about celebrating the incomparable gift we receive as creatures beloved of God. But baptism is also about more fully engaging the responsibility that this identity reveals." When we are baptized into Christ, we are baptized into his mission.

On Sunday we will remember our baptisms and be thankful. We will be thankful for being beloved children of God, but we will also be thankful for what this identity calls us to do and how this identity calls us to live. Are you living our your baptism? How have you lived your baptism this week? This month? Let us not only remember our baptisms and be thankful, but also remember our baptisms and be inspired!