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| Summary: John the Baptist and Jesus were singing the same joyful song, though perhaps in different keys. The song proclaimed that we can live in the kingdom of heaven starting right now and right here, and we don’t have to wait until after we die. |
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| Summary: Many cults promise happiness, salvation and messages from spiritual leaders. But John the Baptist calls us to repent and prepare for Jesus Christ. |
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| Summary: John the Baptist instructs the Pharisees and Sadducees to do more than simply witness the baptisms taking place in the River Jordan. They are to change their lives and produce fruit. Like the Pharisees and Sadducees, we also need to let go of our regular routines and current lifestyles and respond to God’s presence in our lives. This is how we prepare for the Lord during this season of Advent. |
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| Summary: Throughout history God has employed road builders to head us in the right direction. John the Baptist was one of those road builders, and he was constructing a highway to heaven. His message helps us find that road, but we have to go to the “desert” to hear him. And part of what we hear is about repentance. |
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| Summary: The proper mood for Advent is enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is not merely a feeling, but it is a commitment. It is allowing God to possess us. For many, that enthusiasm will demonstrate itself in some emotional expression, but it is also seen in persistence, in perseverance, in stepping up to the plate, in showing up, in the things we gladly spend our energy on and in the depth of our commitments. |
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| Summary: Baptism is a sacred event, a momentous occasion, that can and should have a life-changing impact. For some, however, the impact is fleeting at best. Using the baptism of Jesus as the model, we look at things that can help baptism be forever empowering. |
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| Summary: The baptism of Jesus clarifies his self-understanding, which is tied directly to his mission and purpose. His baptism becomes a model for us. We are baptized with him, and gain our identity from that experience. |
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| Summary: This passage is about baptism and righteousness — being in a right relationship with God. Baptism and righteousness are related. Righteousness begins with our decision to seek relationship with God, and baptism marks that decision point. Both baptism and righteousness continue with our aggressively waiting for a second “baptism” that can only come from God. |
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| Summary: Two stories, one from the ancient church and one from the modern church, illustrate the tendency to think of the meaning of baptism only in connection with an afterlife. Jesus’ baptism, on the other hand, was the beginning of his life of faithfulness and service. Following that example, our baptism should be understood as (among other things) our commissioning as disciples of Christ. God saves us for service. |
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| Summary: Baptism changes the rules in the middle of the story. Jesus was baptized by John, though he didn’t need to be. He died with the sins of the world on his shoulders, though he didn’t have to. Jesus obeyed his Father to the very end, because he knew we couldn’t. In baptism, we become one with Jesus. |
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| Summary: Although experiences such as guilt and temptation threaten to undermine our faith, we encounter God’s grace in the midst of such experiences. In this passage, God’s grace, in the form of Jesus’ baptism, occurs between the confrontational preaching of John the Baptist and Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness. God’s grace is a kind of oasis in the midst of the difficult times of life. |
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