First Sunday after Epiphany
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Scripture |
Luke 3:15-17, 21-2215 As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 16 John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.” 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”
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Devotional |
What did John’s preaching contain that would cause people to ask if he was the Messiah? Alan Culpepper describes john’s preaching: “ John’s preaching contains three emphases: a prophetic warning against the coming judgment, a call to justice and compassion in our dealings with others, and a confession of the coming Messiah. Think for a moment about the relationship among these three emphases and their expressions in contemporary churches. Each congregation has its own unique blend of heritage, theological distinctives, setting in the community, style of worship, and homogeneity or diversity among its members. Some churches strongly emphasize one or another of the themes of John’s preaching—some spend their time interpreting prophecy; others are involved in social action; while others just praise Jesus. Is any one of these emphases by itself a sufficient gospel? More often than not a church will combine christological confession with one of the other two emphases; conservative churches and fundamentalist churches tend to blend praise and prophecy, while liberal mainline Protestant churches often call for social reform as an expression of commitment to Christ. Less frequent is a church that finds a way to maintain both a prophetic/eschatological urgency and an involvement with social issues related to poverty, abuse, hunger, and world peace. Is it desirable for the church today to embody all three strands of John’s preaching? If so, how can this be done? By listening to one another, churches that are socially and theologically quite different might learn from each other.” 1 The author gives an example of how and why congregations form their beliefs to make up their spirituality. These three emphases also help form our personal spirituality. To maintain a balanced spirituality one should apply these three emphasis: a prophetic warning, a call to justice and compassion, and a confession of the coming Messiah. Each of us has our own unique heritage, theological differences, and choice of worship, which make up our individual spirituality. The challenge is to place these in a workable order so we develop a balanced personal spirituality, which we incorporate with others in our community of faith to form a congregation. The greater challenge is to reach out to other denominations and faiths with the same principles of inclusion for all of God’s people. As a people filled with expectation, what are our expectations of ourselve and congregation of believers? Do we believe in the warning of coming judgment enough to hear the call to justice and compassion in dealing with others? Are we willing to listen and learn from others? Prayer: Lord, remind us to listen to other to learn how we can grow in grace. You have placed us in a community to learn and grow by listening to each other. 1 R. Alan Culpepper. Luke. The New Interpreter’s Bible, Vol. 9. 86-87 |