Baptism is one of the most significant steps that people take in their faith journey. All of the Gospels include the story of Jesus’ baptism (John’s version however is not crystal clear that Jesus was baptized) so we will look at that event today. But as you read it the real question is what does your baptism mean to you today and also why is it such a very public act? Today's Lectionary scripture is from Luke 3:
15 The interest of the people by now was building. They were all beginning to wonder, “Could this John be the Messiah?” 16-17 But John intervened: “I’m baptizing you here in the river. The main character in this drama, to whom I’m a mere stagehand, will ignite the kingdom life, a fire, the Holy Spirit within you, changing you from the inside out. He’s going to clean house—make a clean sweep of your lives. He’ll place everything true in its proper place before God; everything false he’ll put out with the trash to be burned.” 18There was a lot more of this—words that gave strength to the people, words that put heart in them. The Message Version
• What kind of a baptism does John promise? Does he seem to downplay it? How about himself, who does he say he is? Does it sound like some kind of a low key event? You can read one persons take on John and Jesus at the bottom on this study.
• What kind of baptism is promised by the one who is coming? Is a model for this kind of baptism in the Pentecost story? Link to Acts 2:1-21
• What does this kind of baptism mean to you and did you experience some of these dynamics either at the time of your baptism or as you reflect upon your faith journey? Did you feel that it was an act of repentance as well as a spiritual moment?
• What does verse 15 tell us about the people and one of the reasons that John was the source of so much interest? Why do you think so many people flocked into the wilderness to experience his baptism? Do you think that significant numbers of people today might have the same type of feelings and pressures? How might we reach out to fill this need?
• The Jews were living under Roman occupation with the promise of God’s covenant with Abraham seemingly out of reach; what might they hope a Messiah would accomplish? What would the characteristics of this type of person have been? How does this paradigm contribute to the confusion about Jesus?
• How does John characterize the consequences of the coming Messiah in verse 16-17? How do you interpret these words? Is it what the people wanted to hear? Is it what you want to hear? Can you see in them the message of Good News in the Gospel Message? Was John’s prophecy correct?
Back to Luke 2:
21-22 After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized. As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit, like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the Spirit, a voice: “You are my Son, chosen and marked by my love, pride of my life.” The Message Version
• Why do you think that Jesus participated in the act of baptism? When does the Holy Spirit descend upon him?
• What is Jesus doing after his baptism? Is it unusual to find Jesus praying as we read the gospel story? Why did Jesus pray, he was the son of God? What can prayer bring to our lives, even as we pray for others?
• What happened to Jesus as he prayed? Why did he need the Spirit to descend upon him? Fred Craddock has written: The coming of the Holy Spirit does not make Jesus the Son of God; Luke has told us who Jesus is from the time of the annunciation. The Holy Spirit comes to empower Jesus for his ministry. He will soon be led by the Spirit into the desert (4:1), and then he will return "in the power of the spirit into Galilee"
• Does the idea of Jesus needing empowerment fit with your understanding of who he is?
• Do you think that the Holy Spirit descends upon us and is present with us at some point or is it more episodic? What gives you confidence that the Spirit is present with you?
• What words does Jesus hear after baptism? Do you think that they have any relevance for us as we experienced our own baptism? What meaning might they have for those we love and for those with whom we have conflict?
• How does this story fit into this liturgical season of Epiphany? Was confusion about Jesus’ identity and misguided expectations for him part of the gospel story? Is there confusion and disagreement today, even among Christians, about aspects of the nature of Christ?
Closing Prayer
How we long to be affirmed, O God, to be told we are loved and valued. Strengthen our hearts to hear your voice speaking these words to us. Open our hearts to cling to your all embracing love. Amen.
Next week’s scriptures: John 2:1-11, Isaiah 62:1-5, Psalm 36:5-10, I Corinthians 12:1-11
From FINDING HOPE WHEN ALL AROUND US, THINGS ARE CRUMBLING by Rex A. E. Hunt
Who was John the Baptiser? Scholars speculate that John was a young man, probably in his late 20s - very early 30s. He had spent most of his youth, maybe as many as 14 years or so,
living in the desert wilderness. He was also a young man who was passionate about his cause.
Some might say ‘obsessed’. Others have even hinted ‘jealous’ of his cousin, Jesus.
Storytellers and poets on the other hand, give a bit more colourful picture. Matthew describes him, and in a detail never given to Jesus: “John wore a garment made of camel-hair with a leather belt round his waist, and his food was locusts with wild honey.” Although there is every likelihood the early Christian communities made-up the story dialogue between John and Jesus (in the gospels) their efforts were designed to show that Jesus, and not John, was the more important.
From all we know about his preaching style John strongly claimed that the nearness of the kingdom or realm or empire of God was a judgement to inspire fear (or at least change) in the ‘disobedient’ - the so-called insider. While similar, his preaching style was also in contrast to Jesus’ style, that the nearness of the kingdom or realm or empire of God was an invitation to inspire hope in the ‘ordinary’ - the so-called outsider. Two different visions or dreams by which to renew a hurting nation. So we should not be too surprised when the storyteller we call Matthew has John asking the question of Jesus: Who the heck are you - really?
He (John) comes out of the desert wilderness and starts to call people to take a long, hard look at themselves. For their political situation was such they needed a word of hope. Life could be pretty bleak. Often without hope. Not the message we tend to see on our Christmas cards, is it?
But that’s the political context of the first Christmas story. And while both John and Jesus chose to follow different dreams, both were seeking to transform their world, and bring an end to war and violence, injustice and oppression.
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