 |
| The Baptism of Jesus |
“As
the PEOPLE were in expectation, and all were QuesTioninG in their HearTs concerning John, whether he might be the CHRIST, John ANSWERED them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but He who is
mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I AM NOT WORTHY to untie. He will BapTize you with the Holy Spirit and with FIRE. His
winnowing fork is in his hand, to CLEAR His threshing floor and to
gather the wheat into His barn, but the chaff He will burn with
unquenchable fire.” (Luke 3:15-17)
***
The
world has trouble seeing anyone who is weak enough to die as any kind
of savior. Jesus of Nazareth was constantly redefining what we assume
power—and God—to be. He looked like a regular guy: probably
with dark skin, short black hair, and a beard. He was poor: His
father was a carpenter. He didn't smite sinners: He ate supper with
them. He didn't abhor the weak: He walked among them and healed
them. He had no love of money, no desire for personal gain, no
outward evidence of "power" of any kind, except to show it through
compassion and mercy, and the willingness to suffer torture,
ridicule, and even death for the sake of those who hated Him.
Still,
evil appears more powerful than good. That's because evil is boastful and loud while good is meek and quiet. We watch the news and
see people crying out, bodies everywhere, massacres, rampant illness,
no food, no shelter, so much grief and hopelessness. What we don't
see in those images on the news is the presence of God in the midst the suffering.
God
is quiet. Like that baby in a manger, He comes to us in our hours of
need in quiet ways: through His Word and Sacraments, through prayer,
through bouts of inexplicable hope and optimism, through the hug of a
friend, the help of a stranger, and finally, through salvation and
life everlasting with Him in paradise. God has no need for loud
noises, chaos, and destruction. Through the help of the Holy Spirit,
we are able to believe in the Son of God even though He still appears
weak in the imperfect eyes of the world.
No,
Jesus is not yet as loud as an earthquake, but His time will come. He tells us in Scripture that when
He returns, heaven and earth will tremble, and the sky will be lit up
with fire. His return will be loud and spectacular: the kind of
things we would expect from the Son of God. And so this time, no one
will be able to doubt that He is Lord of all. His winnowing fork will
separate the wheat from the chaff, and we will be avenged. In
the meantime, as you watch the news, remember how many of those who
appear left for dead will rise again, whole, new and eternal.
And as you attend church, remember that the whispered Word of God is
infinitely more powerful than the loudest clamor evil could ever
make.
Suggested verse to repeat when evil is just too loud is John 16:33b
PRC buddies, remember to breathe!
“But take heart: -------> 5 count inhale
No comments:
Post a Comment