Baptism of the Lord

The day in the liturgical year is coming up when we celebrate and remember Jesus' baptism. I've never quite understood why Jesus was baptized--in this I feel an affinity with John:

¹⁴"Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’"

More than that, I know why I was baptized: to unite me with Christ in his death, to cleanse me from sin, to tie me forever to the community of faith. None of these seem to apply to the one in whose name I am baptized. It doesn't really matter if I understand, though.

The photo below is today's photo of the day from National Geographic. It's called "Christ of the Abyss." Maybe this helps me understand: Christ was baptized to meet me when I am under the baptismal waves.

Self-Control and Religion

The New York Times reported last Monday that social scientists have positively linked religious language and religious practices (like going to church on a regular basis) to a greater level of self-control. Dr. Michael McCullough, one of the principal investigators, says:

Brain-scan studies have shown that when people pray or meditate, there’s a lot of activity in two parts of brain that are important for self-regulation and control of attention and emotion. The rituals that religions have been encouraging for thousands of years seem to be a kind of anaerobic workout for self-control.

I wonder how uncontrolled I would be if it weren't for my religion. Like many, I'm going to try to snack less this year, especially after 8pm. I suppose if I weren't a regular church-goer, I would have to buy bigger pants. I'm prone to make pie out of the fruits of the Spirit.

Prayer for your commute

On my daily commutes, I listen to podcasts. One I have grown to rely on and really enjoy is called "Pray As You Go." The podcast is produced by a co-ed British Jesuit community and provides a 10 to 13 minute prayer service Monday through Friday. Each podcast starts with a musical selection that relates to the day's reading. The music varies from monastic chant to contemporary numbers to Taizé. Then a member of the community reads a selection from the day's lectionary readings. After that, another member leads you through a question-oriented time of reflection based on the text. The reading is read a second time, and you are then led into a time of intimate prayer and petition. The podcast ends with the Gloria.

I like this podcast for its consistency and also for the significant portions of time left in silence for personal prayer and thought. Find it online here.

The Brick Testament--Bible in Lego

Just in case you were wondering if the internet has everything, today I share a recent discovery: an online illustrated Bible made out of Legos. It's called the Brick Testament, and I wouldn't exactly say that it is for children.

Here's a scene from the gospel of Luke wherein Jesus exorcises the Gerasene demoniac:

The Porpoise Driven Life

I found this video at a great blog I highly recommend, Religion in American History.

Whoever made this video nails it. Christians love schlock.

Advent Conspiracy

Alex shared this with the Wednesday night group at church:



Check out their website.

First Day of Forever

I heard a good sermon this morning while visiting a church in a town up the road. The preacher blithely reminded us that Christians live in time and out of time, both in this world of death and in a redeemed state where death has lost its sting. He said that one of the reasons we go to the Word is to live into tomorrow. In this, we are an Advent people even as we are an Easter people.

Afterward, a parishioner asked me what I thought the sermon was about. I said something like what I've written above. She said, "Huh. I thought it was like all his sermons--trying to get us to move this church out of downtown to the suburbs."