Loving God, you call us to renew our relationship with you through the Holy Spirit, that we might recognize you wherever you are to be found.  Help us to continue to grow in love and in knowledge of you, that we, too, might be able to see your salvation; through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.

    Just to place Luke’s gospel in its historical context for a moment, there are a number of artifacts and buildings that can still be seen today that go with Luke’s list of the ruling powers of the day.  There is the inscription unearthed at Caesarea naming the Emperor Tiberius and Pontius Pilate, governor (or prefect) of Judea.  There is Caiaphas’ house, which is now a church and was the site of Jesus’ trial before the council.  There is also an ossuary, which is a concrete box for bones, that bears the name “Joseph, son of Caiaphas” from the first century AD.  This would have been the son of Caiaphas the high priest.  Each of these are concrete things that are part of the history associated with today’s gospel.

    However, John himself was not so much into concrete things.  We know that he spent a lot of time in the wilderness and that he wore the traditional clothing of a prophet – a garment made out of camel’s hair and a leather belt (Mt. 3:4).  His diet, apparently, consisted primarily of locusts and date honey, and it is thought that he probably spent some time with a community of people at Qumran who were focussed on purifying themselves to be ready for the coming Messiah.

    John was very single-minded and focussed.  He had one mission in life: to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah.  And so, when he feels the spirit of God prompting him to do so, he goes to the region around the Jordan river, proclaiming the message that the people need to repent and be baptized.  When they do so, God will cleanse them and forgive their sins, and they will be ready to see the salvation of God.

    Really, it is not that far off from messages that we sometimes hear today.  Many a preacher has said, “Repent and be baptized and you will be saved.”  There are also those signs that you sometimes see along the highway: “Prepare to meet thy God.”  And of course, there are those bearded men - cartoon or otherwise - who walk around with signs saying, “Repent.  The end is near.”

    One has to wonder how we would respond if John were here preaching to us today.  Would we feel any need to repent?  Would we see the need to change our hearts and minds in order to humble ourselves before God?  Would we recognize that we are sinners in need of God’s forgiveness?

    John’s main concern was that people would be able to recognize the Messiah and receive him when he came.  Would they be able to see God at work?  Would they be “tuned in” to God’s way of doing things and thus be able to recognize what is from God and what is not?

    Of course, for us as Christians, we believe that the Messiah has come, and his name is Jesus.  However, we also believe that Jesus is among us even now, and that he will come again – or reappear, as some like to say.  And so, are we able to recognize him?  Do we know Jesus well enough that we can tell when something is from God and when it is not?  Are we “tuned in” enough to God’s way of doing things that we can recognize God at work and join in as part of God’s mission?

    Even for those of us who are already baptized, John’s ministry and mission are worth pondering.  While baptism is a gift of life and a promise that God will not revoke, there are things in this life that can draw us away from God.  Even those who have professed their faith in Jesus and have been baptized can fall into sin.  And so there are times when all of us need to repent - to change our hearts and our minds - and to remember our baptism, and to humble ourselves before God, seeking forgiveness in the name of Jesus Christ.

    There is one thing, however, that we need to bring into the conversation that is not part of the baptism of John.  While it is similar in many ways to Christian baptism, the Holy Spirit is missing.  There is a story in the book of Acts where the apostle Paul goes to Ephesus and meets with some people who had recently professed their faith in Jesus and had been baptized.  However, it had been the baptism of John they had received, with no Holy Spirit.  After explaining things to them, Paul re-baptizes them in the name of Jesus and lays his hands on them so that they receive the Holy Spirit.  Afterwards, the gifts of the Spirit become evident in these people (Acts 19:1-6).

    And so, when Dolphis and Jody are baptized today, it is also by water and the Spirit.  It is in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, as in Matthew 28, and it includes the laying on of hands with prayer for the Holy Spirit.  This is actually not as scary as it might sound to some people, as the Holy Spirit fills us with love and peace, among other things.

    As to the reasons that the presence of the Holy Spirit is so important, consider the role of the Holy Spirit in our relationship with God.  It is the Holy Spirit who gives us the gift of faith and thus enables us to believe.  It is the Spirit who brings us into communion with God and with all the saints.  It is the Holy Spirit who teaches us through Word and Sacrament and brings us to a fuller knowledge of Jesus.  It is also the Holy Spirit who makes us holy and who works in our hearts when we have sinned to bring us to repentance and into a renewed relationship with God.  The Holy Spirit is the way in which Jesus continues to be present with us now, and the Spirit gives us gifts for ministry so that we can be the body of Christ here on earth.

    Without the Holy Spirit, we are left all on our own, and we can’t do it on our own.  That’s why Jesus came in the first place – because none of us could ever do enough to earn our own salvation, or the salvation of the world.  It is both a privilege and a gift to be able to have Jesus as Saviour and Lord.

    And so, during this season of Advent, it is an excellent time to renew our relationship with God and to remember our baptism.  For God also calls us to repentance – to turn away from those things that draw us away from God – and to humble ourselves before the Lord, seeking God’s forgiveness and renewal in the Holy Spirit.  For “the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple” (Mal. 3:1), and will we be able to recognize him and to welcome him?

    I’d like to close today with a prayer that comes from today’s Second Reading.  Incidentally, all of the things that Paul prays for come from the Holy Spirit.

This is my prayer, that your love may overflow more and more with knowledge and full insight to help you to determine what is best, so that in the day of Christ you may be pure and blameless, having produced the harvest of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God (Phil. 1:9-11).

Amen.


Advent 2(C)                                    Luke 3:1-6
December 9, 2012                                Malachi 3:1-4
St. Luke’s Zion Lutheran Church                        Philippians 1:3-11
Pastor Lynne Hutchison

© 2012 Lynne Hutchison  All Rights Reserved