Today is the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord and, by association, the feast of all our baptisms. We celebrate the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry just as we celebrate baptism as the beginning of our ministry. May we dream of a church that is serious about God’s love.

The challenge for us is to find ways to celebrate the presence of God in the ordinary moments of everyday life—through the smile of a friend, the sharing of a meal, or the beauty of good music. Here’s a challenge: Keep the crèche up, or at least a part of it—perhaps a shepherd—to remind us throughout the year of God’s breaking into the ordinary and our invitation to live a radical gospel.