- Jan 14
- 5 min read
[Luke 3:15-22] As the people were in expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Christ, 16 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 fire. 17 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.”
18 So with many other exhortations he preached good news to the people… 21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove; and a voice came from heaven, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
Jesus Supplies the Spirit
There’s what a thing is on the outside, and there’s the inward substance of the thing that fully makes it what it is. A stuffed bear without its stuffing isn’t finished yet. Filling it with its stuffing makes it what it is.
Thanksgiving Day is just a day on the calendar until you fill it with family, guests, and food. A body without its soul is lifeless. With its soul it’s a living being.
And water is just water, until it’s filled with Jesus Christ and all He brings to it. Then it’s a Baptism. In today’s Gospel, Jesus brings Himself and the Holy Spirit into Baptism to make it what it is – “a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.” [Small Catechism; Titus 3:5-8]
What is Baptism? What does it do? How can water do such great things?
Let’s look at today’s Gospel. John the Baptist – which means John the Baptizer – came baptizing in the Jordan River with “a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” [Luke 3:3].
Many were coming out to be baptized by John the Baptist, and they began to wonder, “Could he be the Christ?” [Luke 3:15]. John answered them, “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 fire.” [Luke 3:16]
John provided the water. Jesus would come and provide its saving substance. Not apart from the water, but intimately connected to it. Jesus comes and steps into that Baptism.
“When all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized…” we heard today [Luke 3:21-22]. And in the other Gospels, “In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan.” [Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9-10]
The sinless Son of God – the “Word of God made flesh” “through whom all things were made” [John 1:1-3,14], including all water – puts Himself into that Baptism meant for sinners. Jesus does this to “fulfill all righteousness” [Matthew 3:15].
Jesus puts Himself into Baptism to connect to it all that He would do to make fallen sinners righteous to God – and to bring to them His Holy Spirit: “…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heavens were opened, and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form, like a dove” [Luke 3:21-22]. “…immediately he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove.” [Mark 1:9-10]
“I baptize you with water… He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” [Luke 3:16]. All that Jesus would do as Savior – His cross and resurrection to win the forgiveness of sins for the world, to open heaven, to bring down the Holy Spirit for our rebirth and renewal – Jesus brought all this into Baptism, making it what it is by filling it with Himself and His work.
The work Jesus has done for your salvation and His sending of the Holy Spirit are not something separate from the water. They are always connected to the water.
John said “one mightier than I will come” and Jesus came to the water of Baptism, and there in that Baptism we first see the Holy Spirit come.
Jesus completed His bringing of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost, when He poured out the Spirit in full measure from heaven upon His disciples as flames of fire (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit is then, on that very day, promised to the rest of the people – and to us – through Baptism:
(Peter said in his sermon that day) “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” [Acts 2:38]
And our Epistle reading from Holy Scripture today tells us that it’s in Baptism that we come to the saving death and resurrection of Jesus: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.” [Romas 6:3-4]
John baptized with water. Jesus brought to it Himself, the Holy Spirit, the opening of heaven, and the word from His Father: “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.”
This is everything that now comes to you in Baptism. The pastor supplies the water. Jesus supplies Himself, His saving work, and His Holy Spirit as the substance – as the stuffing – which fills that Baptismal water.
This is why Scripture can attach such great promises to the water of Baptism, such as “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” [Mark 16:16] and “Baptism now saves you” [1 Peter 3:21].
Baptism makes us disciples of Jesus [Matthew 28:19], gives us the forgiveness of sins [Acts 2:38], washes the Church clean to be His Bride [Ephesians 5:25-27], and is for our children – “the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off” [Acts 2:39].
Some object that such great things cannot be done through physical things like water. But we should remember that God is the Creator of physical things – and He is saving physical creatures.
In fact, everything God has done for your salvation involves physical means. The Son of God became flesh. He was hung with metal nails upon a wooden cross. He shed His blood. He was raised bodily. As we saw in today’s Gospel, even the Holy Spirt came in a bodily form.
Even God’s Word comes to you physically. It’s written with ink on paper. It’s spoken with a man’s vocal cords, travels as sound waves in the air, and hits your eardrum to make it vibrate.
Unsurprisingly then, God has attached His saving work and His Holy Spirit also to water to be poured on your head – and to bread and wine to be eaten and drunk.
When we call upon the name of the Lord to be saved [Romans 10:13; Acts 22:16], we are calling upon the one who works in these physical ways. When we are saved by faith alone [Romans 3:22; 4:3-5], we are trusting, by faith, in the one who works in these physical ways.
John the Baptist had the water – he had the bear without the stuffing – until Jesus came and filled Baptism with Himself and His Holy Spirit.
Let’s give thanks to God and live every day remembering and aware that Jesus has now given – and gives daily – Himself and His Spirit to us through the same means, through the water of Baptism in God’s triune name. Amen.
- Jan 4
- 5 min read
Updated: Jan 7
[Isaiah 60:1-2] “Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you…”
Your Light Has Come
The effective distance of a signal mirror – if you’re lost on your mountain hike – can be upwards of twenty miles. Maybe more. The surface of the mirror reflects the light of the sun, shining out the brightness it receives.
But if you take away the light source, the mirror shines exactly -zero-. The mirror in your bedroom is as bright as the light that’s on and as dark as darkness when there is no light. A mirror is bright because it reflects light from another source.
“Arise, shine, for your light has come” – your Source of Light has arrived – “the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” You are mirrors. Dark with the darkness that surrounds you. Or light with the Brightness that shines on you.
Jesus is the Light: “The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world” – “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” [John 1:4-5,9]
The people to whom the words of the prophet Isaiah in our Old Testament reading [Isaiah 60:1-6] were first spoken – the people of Israel – were darkened in the shadow of captivity. Chained and taken captive as a severe consequence for their sins.
To maintain their prosperity and place in this world, they went with the flow and sought the gods which were favorites of the greatest nations around them. Now, in God’s judgment, those nations would become their captors.
But the day would come when light would dawn again. Their Light would arrive. The nations would now come to them, bringing their wealth and gold and frankincense on camel back, to receive the Light reflecting in them.
“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising… A multitude of camels shall cover you… They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.” [Isaiah 60:3-6]
These words of Isaiah were spoken around 700 BC, and, about 700 years later, they were fulfilled. Jesus Christ, the Light the World – the One who is Light and God with the Father in all eternity – was born of Mary in Bethlehem.
And, on the backs of camels for sure, came many Wise Men of the gentiles – of the nations – arriving from the east, bringing their gifts of gold and frankincense (and myrrh). And their arrival came with good news – “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” [Matthew 2:2]
Today we celebrate Epiphany, which means “a revealing” (a manifestation) – the Light of the world is first revealed to the nations when those Wise Men come from the nations to see Him.
Amazingly, these Wise Men, the Magi, coming from a far away nation, who wouldn’t even be expected to have any clue that there was a promised Savior coming to be born in Judea —
(though, if these Magi were from Babylon, they would have knowledge of the Scriptures from the prophet Daniel 600 years prior, who led the Magi during his time in Babylon [Daniel 2:48])
— these Wise Men are the first to declare to the ruler of Judea, King Herod, that the Savior has been born. This news then became very public: “When Herod the king heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” [Matthew 2:3]
King Herod, notorious for his violence and villainy, was king of the Jews. He was a dark cloud over the people. He is troubled to hear of another King of the Jews being born, and, as the people likely feared, his response eventually leads to more slaughter [Matthew 2:16].
But Jesus Christ is the Light that no darkness can overcome. Jesus is not a mirror. He does not need the world around Him to be light for Him to be Light. Jesus is the source of light.
Like a flashlight or a bulb – or like the sun – Jesus makes the dark room light, and His light reflects off those who are in it.
How do you handle light and darkness? Sometimes we find ourselves depending upon the world around us to become light so we can have light. Or we depend on the circumstances of our life to change so that we can have light.
When these remain dark, so do we. We are misplacing our faith.
Jesus is the light that lightens the darkness. From the dangers and darkness of the womb, to the shrieks and cries of His mother’s labor and His birth, to His life in this world – surrounded by the same darknesses of disease and loss and death as the rest of us – to rejection by His brothers and countrymen – to suffering under the hand of cruel rulers
– to carrying our sins in His body and soul on the cross – to suffering God’s judgment against our sins in our place – entering the complete darkness of being forsaken by God for our wrongs that He carried in Himself [Matthew 27:46] – to His last breath and entering the darkness of our death –
In every way, Jesus entered all the dark rooms of sin-fallen human existence – from the womb to the tomb – and shined His Light into every place.
Your light has come. In the troubles of child-bearing – in the hardships of being a child, which we shouldn’t underestimate – in sickness and in death (yours and that of others) – in the tossing and turnings of your conscience – in your terrors of conscience – and in your last hours and the day of judgment. And in the grave. Jesus, your Light, shines there.
Your light has come, and like turning on the sun in a closet, He lightens every bit of darkness. Now, in every circumstance – in your life or in the world – you have the Light of Life and His peace and joy. Peace in trouble. Joy in sorrow. Light in darkness.
He is the Sun. May you be the mirrors. That promise of the nations coming is the promise to His Church for the sake of those lost in a dark world.
As you, the members of His Church, are receiving Him, the reflection of His Light shining in you – even dimly – becomes a signal light for others. A reflected light showing them to come to the same source.
May His Light shine in us more brightly as we receive Him and lean on Him more and more consistently in times of difficulty and in our daily struggles. Amen.
- Jan 4
- 4 min read
[John 1:1-5,9-14] In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…
9The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. 10He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God’s Word Became Flesh
“Actions speak louder than words”, we say. We probably can’t say that about God in exactly the same way we say it about each other – because His Word is always true. But God has more than put His Word into action.
God has been speaking from the beginning – and His Word is more that just words. God’s Word – His speaking – is a person, God-with-Him. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.”
In the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – that second person, the Son, is the very Word of His Father.
Through His Word, God made all that was made – “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
His Word is the light and life of men. “In him was life, and the life was the light of men” – though men did not know Him.
God cannot deny or break His Word because His Word is God – God with Him. God cannot deny Himself nor can He be broken. (This is why Scripture, the Bible, is undeniable, unbreakable – because it is the Word spoken to us, in words.)
God’s Word is a word of both commandments and promises. When God’s commandment was violated by man, sin entered the world – and death through sin – and then God’s Word, His promise of a Savior was spoken.
Century after century, sin and death ruled mankind – as a whole, with war and trouble in every age – and individually, with all the ruin it brings to our body and soul.
And century after century, God’s promise remained a word spoken that we were waiting for – waiting for the Word of promise to be kept.
Then, in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of Caesar Augustus [Luke 2:1], God more than put His Word into action. His Word became flesh – a Man – dwelt among us, and lived all that was spoken.
“The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father.”
The Word which was with God from the beginning and which is God took on flesh – a fully human nature, body and soul – from the Virgin Mary – “conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary” – and was born in Bethlehem to be the long-awaited Savior. God kept His promise and put His Word into action for your salvation.
“This is good news of great joy that will be for all people” [Luke 2:10] – people of every nation – “to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
The actions of the Word-made-flesh speak loudly. He was born to a lowly family, lived unnoticed by most of the world – though the world made through Him – was despised and rejected by men, those He came to save —
— and, by His suffering and death upon the cross in our place – He absolved the world of sin – and conquered death by His death —
— and gives new life, a new creation, by His resurrection, which He now causes to be born in you – to those “born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”
God is a Man of His Word. It would be enough if He simply promised and only spoke the words. But it is something much more that all He has commanded and all He has promised has become flesh and has walked among us.
And Christ still lives. The Word of the Father is still that One born in Bethlehem. All that God has promised you is that Person, Christ the Savior, who still lives and reigns for you. He is not just a memory about a child but is “with you always” [Matthew 28:20].
The Word of God made flesh, born in Bethlehem, is still with you – in His Word. And He is still with you in His flesh and blood – His body and blood in and with the bread and wine. The Word became flesh and dwells among us.
Every hearing of the Word of God – and every celebration of this Supper – is Christmas. Every Bible is a manger. Every time you come to hear His Word, you are those shepherds in the field who came to see the Word in swaddling clothes.
All of God’s promises to you have been completed in His Word made flesh. He cannot deny them because He cannot deny Himself – nor will He ever ignore the sacrifice this Child born has made for you. Amen.
