So Beloved and Empowered

Here are some thoughts about this Sunday's gospel text for Baptism of Our Lord. This was sent out to the people of St. Timothy Lutheran Church. 

Gospel: Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John 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. ¹⁷His 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.”

  ²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and 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.”

Don’t you get frustrated when you encounter someone who refuses to do something other than what they understand their job description to be. You hear, “That’s not myresponsibility!” Then on the other side of the coin are those who take the credit for everything. It’s always because of their gifts and abilities that things happen. 

When we look at the odd and yet compelling character of John the Baptist, we see one who is unafraid to do the hard work to which he was called and by the same token he does not take credit for what he does. He knew who he was and who he wasn’t. We find that people had questions about him. Who wouldn’t? John’s response to the question of whether or not he was the Messiah was “Don’t look at me. There’s someone more powerful.”

John’s response could be ours as well. Whatever good is done, whatever valuable ministry, it’s not because of us. It is not on our shoulders. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit in and through us. Jesus was empowered for service at his baptism. May we allow that same Spirit to work through us for the sake of the world as we hear the Father call us beloved, for he is the One who calls us, saves us and fills us with God’s power not for our own benefit, but for the benefit of all in need. 

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