Give God the Glory
The Baptism of Our Lord – January 12, 2025
Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Our psalm for today starts off by calling on the heavenly beings to give God glory. It does so with a seven-fold declaration of God’s strength. As we have talked about on the past several Sunday’s it is through God’s word (the psalmist uses the word “voice”) that God’s power and strength is enacted. God speaks and the thunder roars. The psalmist is careful not to make nature part of God. For the Israelites God created all things and what was created could not be any part of God. This psalm is one of the rare occasions where God’s glory is related to natural events. God created and controls nature. It is not God. After calling the heavenly host to praise God who controls the world with God’s voice the psalmist ends with a prayer that God give God’s people strength and peace.
We read this psalm because its theme is how the voice of God changes the world; God makes the storm, breaks the trees of Lebanon, makes Lebanon a skip like a calf and Sidon like a wild ox, and shakes the wilderness. Luke tells us the same here. It is the voice of God that speaks at Jesus’ baptism that says “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” This is another reminder of who Jesus is and what he did for us, just as last Sunday’s reading from John by calling Jesus the Word of God. Although, if we take a sidestep here for a moment and compare the voice from heaven we note some differences. Luke and Mark seem to indicate that it was only Jesus who heard the voice (you are my Son . . .) while Matthew indicates that the words were also heard by those around Jesus (This is my Son . . .). John does not mention a voice at Jesus’ baptism. This voice at the baptism is different than the voice in our psalm. The voice in the psalm is powerful and loud, breaking and moving things while the voice at Jesus’ baptism was soft. So soft that only Jesus heard it.
That was also the difference between what the Israelites expected of the Messiah and what God intended. They were looking for an earthly solution to their problem hoping for a person who would raise an army, lead them into battle, and throw the Romans out of the promised land. For them that would show the world the glory of God. God had a better plan. God’s glory came to earth not as a powerful warrior who would build an earthly empire but as a human child who would die upon the cross so that everyone would be able to live in God’s glory and be those who shine upon the world with the light of Jesus.
You who have been freed from the bondage of sin and death are now called to share what you have received - the light and glory of God. Even our psalm for today, after extolling the glory of God, ends with a prayer for the people; “May the Lord give strength to God’s people! May the Lord bless God’s people with peace!” The strength to answer God’s call and the peace that comes from doing God’s work. Think on the gift of salvation won for you by the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Think on all the other gifts that God has given you and pray for the wisdom and power to share what God has given with others.