Gospel Note
In contrast to the baptismal accounts of Mark and Matthew (there is none in John!), Luke's phrasings seem calculated to downplay not only the role of the Baptist, but also the particularity and importance of the ritual itself! Luke describes Jesus' baptism as a communal event ("when all the people were baptized") that finds its real climax in the descent of the Spirit, which Luke emphasizes and reinforces with his distinctive phrase "in bodily form."

Liturgical Color
White

Suggested Hymns
On Jordan's Banks, The Baptist's Cry
From God The Father…