O God, the King eternal, whose light divides the day from the night and turns the shadow of death into the morning: Drive far from us all wrong desires, incline our hearts to keep your law, and guide our feet into the way of peace; that, having done your will with cheerfulness during the day, we may, when night comes, rejoice to give you thanks; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Gospel Reading of the Day, Luke 3:15-22
15 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." 18 So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 19 But Herod the ruler, who had been rebuked by him because of Herodias, his brother's wife, and because of all the evil things that Herod had done, 20 added to them all by shutting up John in prison.
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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"So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people."
When the prophetic message of John, the baptizer, gave people reason to believe he might be the promised Messiah, John answered, " . . . one who is more powerful than I is coming." How do we recognize that "more powerful one", the promised Messiah of God?
We've all experienced people who would have us believe they have all the answers we could ever need, all the truth ever revealed, the only way to the saving grace of God. And still, with all their answers, all their truth, their "only way" – there remains a hollow place in our hearts, a yearning to know the Truth, the Way, the Messiah.
How to fill that hollow place? How to recognize the Truth, the Way, the Messiah? A starting place could be using a guide offered by Paul in his letter to the Philippians (2:3-6): "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited."
And then watch for that Holy Spirit dove circling around you and listen for that wondrous Voice just waiting to announce to you: "You are my child, my beloved; with you I am well pleased."
When the prophetic message of John, the baptizer, gave people reason to believe he might be the promised Messiah, John answered, " . . . one who is more powerful than I is coming." How do we recognize that "more powerful one", the promised Messiah of God?
We've all experienced people who would have us believe they have all the answers we could ever need, all the truth ever revealed, the only way to the saving grace of God. And still, with all their answers, all their truth, their "only way" – there remains a hollow place in our hearts, a yearning to know the Truth, the Way, the Messiah.
How to fill that hollow place? How to recognize the Truth, the Way, the Messiah? A starting place could be using a guide offered by Paul in his letter to the Philippians (2:3-6): "Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited."
And then watch for that Holy Spirit dove circling around you and listen for that wondrous Voice just waiting to announce to you: "You are my child, my beloved; with you I am well pleased."
Thoughts of a fellow traveler, DMc
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