by Pam Tinsley

When our 40-day Lenten journey began on Ash Wednesday, the cross of ashes on my forehead reminded me of the cross of chrism oil that was marked on my forehead at baptism. This Lenten reminder of my mortality – Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return – is also a reminder of baptism and the promises we make. We renounce Satan, evil powers, and sinful desires and turn to Jesus as our Savior, promising to seek and serve him in all persons and in all that we do. In other words, we promise to faithfully follow him in word and action.

And then as I read the Gospel from the first chapter of Mark on the First Sunday in Lent, not only was baptism at its heart, there was also a certain déjà vu. Just six weeks ago, on the First Sunday after the Epiphany, we heard a portion of the same passage: “Jesus…was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.”

That initial passage in Epiphany (Mark 1:4-11) begins with John the Baptist’s call to repentance and then climaxes with Jesus’ baptism by John. At his baptism Jesus’s divinity is affirmed, he’s anointed by the Spirit, and God commissions him for mission and ministry.

And although Mark’s Gospel this First Sunday in Lent begins with the very same story of Jesus’ baptism, it culminates with Jesus’ temptation by Satan. Only after Jesus is driven into the wilderness and tempted and tested for 40 days – and relying on God alone – is Jesus ready to proclaim the Good News and begin his ministry.

It strikes me how repentance, baptism, wilderness, and ministry are all intricately intertwined and that it’s only with God’s help that we persevere. So, as we begin Lent – this period of self-examination, repentance, fasting, giving, and prayer – I invite you to reflect on how your baptism grounds you spiritually, sustains you in the wilderness, and strengthens you for your ministry in daily life – with God’s help.