TEXT
As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, 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. 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.” So, with many other exhortations, he proclaimed the good news to the people. 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, added to them all by shutting up John in prison.
Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 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.”
- Watch a woman get baptized in the Jordan River
- Loving a son as an older dad.
- One man’s experience as a political prisoner
- About doves (and pigeons)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
- Why do you think Jesus went to be baptized?
- When was the last time you heard someone say they were “well pleased” with you?
- What does it mean to be baptized with fire?
- What do you make of John’s statement about the winnowing fork?
IMAGE
SOUNDTRACK
Spotify Playlist || Follow me on Spotify for Weekly Playlists
- Jump in the Fire, by Metallica
- Feet in the Water, by The Tree Ring
- So Much Water, by M. Ward
- These Waters, by Ben Howard
- The Unforgettable Fire, by U2
- I’m on Fire, by Bruce Springsteen
- In Its Infancy (The Waterfall), by My Morning Jacket
- The Water, by Wild Cub
- Fire’s Highway, by Japandroids
- Holy Water, by Soundgarden
HAIKU
Gone under-
never to return
to old ways
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