Jen Krausz, Bethlehem, PA

Warm-up Question

What is the last thing you asked Jesus to do for you? Did he do it?

Power Revealed

According to the National Cancer Institute (www.cancer.gov), you now have a 39.6% chance of developing cancer in your lifetime. An estimated 14 million Americans have some form of cancer right now, including thousands of children and teens with leukemia.
   Leukemia is a blood cancer. Instead of affecting a part of the body like the lungs or the brain, leukemia makes a person’s white blood cells sick so that they don’t work right. Our white blood cells help the body fight infections. People with leukemia get sick easily and can die from a simple infection if they don’t get help.
Doctors have found different ways of treating cancers, including chemotherapy and radiation treatment. Cancer cells multiply too quickly, which makes tumors grow and spread around the body. Many cancers can be put into remission or cured with the current treatments available, but some cancers are too advanced or aggressive. Scientists are looking for new ways to treat cancers that are easier for the body to handle and can work for even the most aggressive cancers.

In an amazing turn of events, some of the newest scientific advances use other viruses to kill cancer cells. Recently, scientists have exposed the polio virus to a cold virus, then used it to attack cancer cells in the brain where it is too sensitive to operate. Turns out the polio virus isn’t harmful to healthy cells once it catches a cold, but it appears to be quite harmful to cancer cells.

A new treatment for leukemia involves changing a donor’s white blood cells so that they act like an attack dog and go after the leukemia cells. Doctors tested this new treatment on a few patients who basically had no hope of survival even after bone marrow transplants, and they all survived at least 30 months with no new cancer activity. One even went into complete remission.

Discussion Questions

• How has cancer touched your family or friends?
• Why do you think so many more people are getting cancer today than 50 years ago?
• Do you have hope that someone will someday find a cure for cancer? Why or why not?

Transfiguration of our Lord

Exodus 34:29-35

2 Corinthians 3:12–4:2

Luke 9:28-36 [37-43]
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

On the surface, the two events described in the gospel lesson couldn’t be more different. In one, Jesus brings Peter, John and James to a mountain and lets them see his conversation with long-dead prophets Moses and Elijah, blowing their minds in more ways than one. In the other account, Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy after grumbling about his disciples’ lack of faith.
What the two events have in common, though, is that they both reveal who Jesus is in a miraculous way. In the first account, we see the glory of Jesus as he is supernaturally changed and is able to speak with heavenly figures. Not only does he speak with them, but they talk about what is going to happen in the future with his life and death. The Transfiguration shows that Jesus is God’s son and that he shares God’s glory and sovereignty (which means his power over the whole world).
The second account also shows the power of Jesus in being able to do what no one else could do, heal the man’s demon-possessed son. This showed that not only did Jesus have power over the heavenly realms, but that he had more power than the evil spiritual realms as well.
Both of these stories show Jesus’ power over the supernatural realm, and proved to the disciples that he was God’s son. The disciples often doubted and wavered in their faith even though Jesus showed them his power over and over again.
Even now, we find it hard to understand why things happen the way they do in our lives. Why does one sick person get better and another doesn’t? We seek God’s power in our own lives, with varying results. Through God’s word, we see the power of Jesus and we choose to put our faith in him. Then we need to put that faith into action in the world so that others can also see it and be changed.

Discussion Questions

• What evidence do you see of the supernatural in the world today?
• Compare Jesus’ power to the growing ability of science to treat and cure diseases. How does Jesus’ power still surpass anything that people can accomplish?
• What ideas do you have for how to put your faith into action in the world?

Activity Suggestions

If your church doesn’t already have a prayer team that prays for the spiritual needs of the congregation, your class/group can collect information about those prayer needs and pray about them in your meetings. If a prayer team does exist, you can use the existing information about prayer needs to make a calendar for your group so that you can pray for each need on a different day. The calendar can also be distributed to the whole congregation if the pastor/leadership are on board.

Closing Prayer

Sovereign God, your power is displayed in our world today even as it was when your son walked the earth. We ask your Holy Spirit to help us put our faith into action so that your glory is revealed even more each day. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Ellen Rothweiler, Des Moines, IA

Warm-up Question

What do you do when you experience pain?

The Pain of Rejection

Rejection is something most of us have experienced in our life. But, did you know that the brain experiences rejection as a form of physical pain? So breaking your arm and being rejected by your peers can have similar responses in the brain and can feel equally painful!
Studies have shown that children and teens often experience real and lingering pain of rejection more keenly than others. These feelings of rejection can impact the child’s overall health, both physically and socially. In a study done by Mark Leary, PhD, a professor of psychology and neuroscience at Duke University, 15 cases of school shooters were analyzed and he discovered all but two suffered from social rejection. His research published in the journal Aggressive Behavior says, “Ostracized people sometimes become aggressive and can turn to violence.”
This pain, like any physical pain, can often take time to recover from and cause other issues if not dealt with. It is important that we pay attention to our emotional health and be aware of the impact that rejection can have on others.

Discussion Questions

• Share a time when you have felt rejected.
• Share a time when you have rejected someone.
• Does the relationship you have with someone impact how you respond to being rejected by them? Explain.

Fourth Sunday After Epiphany

Jeremiah 1:4-10

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Luke 4:21-30
(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

In this passage from the Gospel of Luke, Jesus is preaching and teaching in his hometown. The crowd is full of people who have known him most of his life and see him as the son of Joseph. People’s worth was often measured by their parentage in the ancient Hebrew culture so that was an important part of his identity. The people were proud of him, excited to hear what he had to say. That is, until he said something that was difficult for them to hear. Then, they ran him out of town!
It is funny how precarious acceptance can be, especially with people who think they know all about you. You can feel like a well-liked part of a group and then you share an opinion that is not popular and you find yourself on the outside, rejected.
It is important to take note of how Jesus responded to this rejection. In verse 30 it says “but he passed through the midst of them and went on his way.” Jesus seems unaffected by this rejection. He predicted they would respond this way in verse 24 “….no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown”. Jesus, being both fully human and fully divine may have felt this rejection as we do, but he had things to do. He was on a mission. We too, have a calling in life that God has given us. Sometimes rejection can be that thing that pushes us forward but that does not mean it is not painful. Often the pain of rejection can bring a new sense of identity. Jesus was not only Joseph’s son but the Son of God sent to redeem the world.

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think that Jesus said “no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s hometown”?
• List three words that describe your identity.
• What groups/people have an impact on your identity?

Activity Suggestion

As a group share qualities that you see in each other. Have each group member share three things they have noticed about the character of the person to their right. This should be a time of affirmation not criticism. As the leader of the group, take time to reflect back the qualities you hear that you see influencing each participants identity.

Closing Prayer

Lord we thank you for claiming us as your children in baptism. We know that this is our primary identity and that you will never reject us. Please be with us when we feel rejected by others and we pray for those who do not feel accepted by or connected to a community. Help us to welcome them and show them your love.
Amen

Dennis Sepper, Puyallup, WA

Warm-up Question

• What contemporary songs are there that focus on the theme of being “who you are”? (Some examples might be Brave, Shake it Off, This is My Fight Song)
• What contemporary Christian songs have the theme of being “who you are” as a Christian? (Some examples might be I Know Who I Am, Free to be Me, Who Am I)

Living Out Our Identity

 December 1, 2015—In an effort to create programming targeted to its desired audience of 12 to 34 year olds, MTV interviewed more than 1000 young people born after December 2000, seeking to understand what forces are creating their generational identity. This is a generation which has grown up with social media and thus has had earlier access to the world in ways that shape its collective perspective. According to MTV President Sean Atkins, “They have this self-awareness that systems have been broken.” This has tended to make them more realistic and risk-adverse. MTV has given this generation the name “Founders” though other labels exist such as Homelanders, the Plurals, the App Generation and Generation Z.

For the whole article please see: http://time.com/4130679/millennials-mtv-generation/

Our identity as individuals is influenced by a number of things: genetics, family, ethnic background, friends and our generational peers. As Christians we believe that a part of our identity is given to us by the Holy Spirit in the waters of Baptism. We are, like it or not, part of the Body of Christ in the world today.

One of the developmental tasks of growing up is to sort out our identity and answer the question “Who am I in the world?” As we wrestle with that question we are also challenged to “be who we are in the world” and not let ourselves be conformed to an identity that is not true to who we are. In that struggle we are not alone for scripture tells us that Jesus had enter that struggle himself.

Discussion Questions

• So what do you think about MTV’s study and research? If you are under 16 years old, does it resonate with you? In what ways?
• If you were born before 2000 do you see a difference in the “younger generation”? Again, in what ways?
• Have you thought about what things have shaped your identity and influenced who you are in the world? What are some of those things?

Third Sunday After Epiphany

Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10
1 Corinthians 12:12-31a
Luke 4:14-21

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings
For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

Gospel Reflection

Two weeks ago in Faith Lens it was noted how Jesus’ identity was confirmed in Jesus’ baptism and in the voice from heaven saying to Jesus, “You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased.” That identity is then tested by the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-13 which we will consider the First Sunday in Lent). The question Jesus must wrestle with and answer while being tempted in the wilderness is “what kind of messiah is Jesus going to be?” Will Jesus use power and fear or compassion and love? Jesus resists the temptations of the devil who then departs until “an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Thus Jesus is now secure in his identity and begins his public ministry.

The story continues in our Gospel text today. Jesus begins preaching and teaching and soon comes to his hometown Nazareth in Galilee. Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus “went to church” and was asked to read the scripture. Jesus was given the scroll of the prophet Isaiah. He located the passage he wanted and then read, “The Spirit of the Lord is up me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

This was a very well known passage from Isaiah and, most likely, surprised no one in the synagogue. But then, Jesus sat down (a significant move because rabbis and teachers taught while seated), all eyes were fixed on Jesus and he said, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” That was a surprise! Jesus is claiming the words of Isaiah as his own mission statement. It is not “someday” all of this will happen…it is “today” this promised has been fulfilled.

The significance of that should not be lost on us. As the body of Christ in our day the mission of Jesus becomes our mission. That vocational call comes in our own baptisms and is lifted up again when we affirm our baptism. Consider this portion of the Affirmation of Baptism service in Evangelical Lutheran Worship:
You have made public profession of your faith. Do you intend to continue in the covenant God made with you in holy baptism:
to live among God’s faithful people,
to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper,
to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed,
to serve all people, following the example of Jesus,
and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth?

Each person responds:
I do, and I ask God to help and guide me.

The pastor then lays hands on each person and says:
Father in heaven, for Jesus’ sake, stir up in name the gift of your Holy Spirit; confirm her/his faith, guide her/his life, empower her/him in her/his serving, give her/him patience in suffering, and bring her/him to everlasting life.
Amen

It sounds a bit like Isaiah doesn’t it? Indeed a part of our identity is given to us by God through the Holy Spirit to follow the example of Jesus in our daily living.

How we accomplish that mission differs for each of us, as St. Paul is trying to note in our second reading about the body of Christ. We can’t all be Mother Theresa or Martin Luther King Jr and that’s okay. As Paul notes everyone cannot be an eye or a nose or a foot or the body would not be a body. In fact Paul says that the lesser known members of the body are indispensable and should be treated with great respect (see 1 Corinthians 12:22ff). In addition, carrying out the mission of Jesus is not ours alone but the work of the Church.

Part of our identity is to be a disciple, a follower of Jesus, and to be a part of the body of Christ in our local congregation and as a part of the ELCA.

Discussion Questions

• Take a look at the promises made in the affirmation service.  How have you lived out those promises?  Where might you grow as a disciple?
• What gift do you bring to the body of Christ to make it stronger in its mission to proclaim Christ?

Activity Suggestions

To begin, as you gather with your youth group or Bible study think about and discuss how the Christian faith and mission is a part of your identity, who you are in your church, family, and community.

Next, make a list of the ways your congregation or faith community is the body of Christ in the place where you live. How does your church carry out the mission of Jesus? Do you have a number of worship opportunities where the gospel is proclaimed? Does your church have a food bank or community garden? Does it support a prison ministry? Remember as you create this list that even the small things are indispensable and contribute to the work of the body of Christ.

Also, if you are a member of an ELCA congregation, do some exploring and research to see how your Synod is carrying out the mission of Christ. Again using Paul’s image of the body of Christ, each congregation in the Synod forms a part of a larger body that proclaims the Gospel and serves a much larger area.

Closing Prayer

Almighty and loving God, through the Holy Spirit you call and gather us into the body of our Savior Jesus Christ. You contribute to our individual identity that we might join with others to carry on the mission and ministry of Jesus. Give us eyes to see ways in which we might proclaim the good news and serve others in your name while making us aware of how with our brothers and sisters in Christ we can do even more that we can by ourselves. To you be all glory and honor now and forever. Amen.

 

Danny Stone, Marion, IA

Warm-up Question

Share a story from a wedding you attended? Extra points for heart warming, amazing or face-palm worthy.​

Marriage

Wedding ceremonies and celebrations are a beautiful mix of private and public. At its simplest, a wedding requires an officiant (clergy, clerk, judge, justice of the peace, ship’s captain), the couple getting married, and witnesses. Couples have been married in hospital rooms, canoes and a replica Tardis (see Dr. Who). A wedding can be simple, stress free, affordable and private. The shenanigans multiply as the once private wedding becomes a public event – maybe even a public spectacle.

Entertainment Tonight and the tabloids blast the details of celebrity weddings in the same way ESPN broadcasts playoff scores. A small, private wedding in Hollywood is nearly impossible. Some were private ceremonies; others were lavish galas, besieged by buzzing helicopters. Heaven help the celebrity marriage that crashes and burns. Break-ups get more invasive coverage. There is always a headline about private details in the checkout line.

Better pray that you don’t end up with your wedding on America’s Funniest Home Videos. You might get lucky and have Maroon 5 use your wedding for a video shoot. You can watch My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding, Bridezillas, Four Weddings, My Teenage Wedding . . . I am a survivor of a failed marriage that began with a wedding worthy of reality TV. My forever marriage is getting close to its 6^th anniversary and began with a wonderful wedding full of stories worthy of telling the grandkids and not being broadcast on cable. That’s how it should be.

I asked my extended community to submit real – and brief – stories from their weddings that did not make the tabloids. Enjoy the amusing wedding stories from non-celebrities.

Edith—When my cousin got married, her husband said “I do” every time the priest paused to breathe… At least five times.

Peggy—When choosing the date for your wedding the second time around, make sure you clear it with your future partner first…..it may just be the same date that she married Mr. Wrong!

Linny—My dad looked at me as we were about to go down the aisle and said, “If you don’t want to do this, we could always go take over a third world country instead…”

Lori—Try to encourage guests to NOT fill the bridal couple’s vehicle with sawdust until the horn honks interrupting the receiving line…. Thankfully it was my sister’s wedding and not ours.

Sarah—I started crying at our wedding the moment I saw my Dad waiting to walk me down and proceeded to cry throughout the ceremony. The first opportunity my groom had to say anything to me was during the lighting if the unity candle, when he whispered “suck it up. SUCK IT UP!”

Heather—When the grandfather of the groom was being escorted down the aisle, he says very loudly, “Where in the hell are we sitting? I am three sheets to the wind, so I don’t know.”

Timothy—A friend of mine was getting married. The bride chose the opening of deer hunting as the date for their wedding. The groom, an avid hunter, questioned that choice. The bride said, “But wouldn’t you give up deer hunting just this once so that we can get married?” He said, “Of course I would give it up this once. But are you going to want to spend every anniversary thereafter alone?” They got married January 1 instead.

Liz—My favorite thing about going to a wedding with Ruth is when they do the unity candle she whispers under her breathe….Don’t blow your individual ones out. Keep and shine together as well.

John—While still in college, with a couple of weeks to go before the end of the semester, the bride and groom got married. In attendance were a few of their professors. In the greeting line, one professor congratulated them both and said, “Will I be seeing you in class now that you’re married.”

Ruth—I was in my brother’s wedding, standing on the bride’s side (for this wedding). It was July in Rock Island, IL, and fricking HOT. My Dad and his BFF/brother’s Godfather were officiating the wedding. I was wearing something close to a spaghetti strap type dress, and I could feel the sweat running down my back in material that had never heard the word breathe. When sweat started rolling down my face, I took the occasion to blow on a sweat bead, which sailed upwards towards the Pastors right at the moment my Dad looked towards me….and I got THE LOOK.

Traci—We had to delay our rehearsal because someone had just knocked off the bank down the street and fled on foot. Police were searching the church. Good times!

La Vonne—My husband to be and I planned a small wedding. I shopped for my dress and found a cocktail dress that was nice but it had a tie that was supposed to make a knot over the front bodice of the dress. On my wedding day, I wore my dress backswards, intentionally deciding that it looked much better with the bow in the back and a square neckline in the front.

As I was dressing for the day, I realized that I had forgotten SHOES! My friend canvassed the dormitory and found one girl that had a pair of white pumps, size 10 that I could borrow. Having a size 8 myself and having not worn heels much, I struggled and almost came right out of the shoes as I knelt down during the service….

Suzy—We did communion at my wedding, but at the rehearsal dinner we hadn’t actually talked about what you say when you are doling out the bread and wine … I drew a total blank and panicked…luckily my dad was one of the first to come up for communion so I secretly asked him what to say when people dipped the wafer…I found out later that the man I married, however, was gleefully telling the guests in his line, “One dip only!”

Kathy—The Lutheran chaplain at KI Sawyer AFB who married us told us we’d be lucky to last three weeks. I guess we took it as a challenge since we celebrated our 50^th anniversary last year. Wish he were still alive so we could tell him!

Amy—We got married in rural WI and the tuxes were delivered via UPS…all except my husband’s tie! The groomsmen had ties of another color, but the groom and the ring bearer had the same color (silver). We called the company and they sent a tie express – 4 hours. It was time to take photos! So what did we do? The groom wore the 3-year-old ring bearer’s elastic, slip on tie! It was super long for a 3-year-old and short for the groom – but he buttoned his coat and no one was the wiser. His tie DID arrive in time for the ceremony!

Wilma—This bride and groom were married on a very cold June Day. It was so cold they had to wear topcoats! It was during the war years when there was rationing of many items including tires, gas, & food. The honeymoon was a single night at the Cedar Rapids Roosevelt Hotel. When we got there and unpacked, I realized I had forgotten my comb. I asked my new husband if he had remembered his……well he was a bald as a cue ball! As he unpacked his clothes, we saw that his pajama bottoms were sewed shut with big red buttons. Oh well, we got home to our little rented house and found that we had no lights in the bedroom and our bed had been short-sheeted by some practical jokers. But one of our best gifts was a 2-quart jar of sugar!

Discussion Questions

• Why do you think American media is so obsessed with weddings?
• List the phrases and euphemisms common and uncommon for “getting married.”
• What would make a great wedding? ceremony, reception, music.
• How have weddings and marriage changed since the time of your parents? grandparents?

Second Sunday after Epiphany

Isaiah 62:1-5

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

John 2:1-11

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

We forget that the Wedding at Cana is not just about Jesus’ first miracle. It is a story about hospitality. Running out of wine was a serious disaster!

The rules of hospitality in the ancient Middle East were a serious matter. Hosts were obligated to give travelers a place to stay, food, water and have a servant wash the guest’s feet.

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it”. – Hebrews 13:2

The traveler was required to accept all that the host offered – refusal was an insult. Host and guest would share a meal as a token of friendship. Hosts would even offer their daughters to an angry mob to protect the guests; remember the story of Lot and the angels.

Ancient wedding customs added more layers to the hospitality rules. Marriages were arranged, and had a long betrothal. A friend of the groom would chaperone the bride during the betrothal. The ceremony was held at the groom’s family home and would LAST SEVEN DAYS. Yes, seven days. Guests were given new clothes to wear, entertained, fed and given wine. Running out of wine was a serious infraction of custom and ritual. Running out of wine was a blemish on the groom’s family and was a horrible omen for the new couple.

Jesus’ miracle saved a family from embarrassment. They could again be hospitable.

Discussion Questions

• Is hospitality a dying custom? How have we changed?
• How would weddings look if families invited the poor? What if the couple tithed a portion of their wedding budget and gifts?
• What could we do (individually and as a church) to be more hospitable?

Activity Suggestions

• Invite elder members of your congregation to share the story of their courtship, wedding and life together.
• Have a recent bride or someone well along in the planning process share their bridal planning book.
• Fire up the smart phones and large sheets of paper – make a wedding budget.

Closing Prayer

Dear blessed parent, please help us to be more hospitable in our celebrations and daily lives. Help us to give generously and accept comfort and assistance. In your name we pray. Amen

 

Scott Mims, Virginia Beach, VA

 

Warm-up Question

• Have you made any New Year’s resolutions for 2016?  If so, what are they?
• If not, then are there any things you hope will be different in your life this coming year?
• What hopes do you have for the world in general?

Important Questions

Okay, I’ll admit it, this is yet another piece about “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”…sort of. Currently the film is just 12 days into its box office run, and already it has grossed over $1.2 BILLION worldwide.  As one who has seen the movie twice myself, I certainly understand the appeal.  It’s a great story; I find myself both drawn in and left wanting to know more.  For instance, I am intrigued – who is this new character named Rey, really?  Where does she come from?  Where is she heading?  As the storyline plays itself out in the inevitable sequels, where will the drama take us and what part will she have to play? Will my current speculations turn out to be true, or is there a twist awaiting?

At their heart, these are more than just questions about the plot.  They are identity questions and questions about meaning.  And even though most of us live our lives on a much less epic scale, they are the same questions we all confront in one form or another.  Who am I?  Where do I come from and where am I going? What difference does my life make?  The answers we give help to shape and form us in many ways.  Yet there is a sense in which the options we have these days to answer such questions are more fluid than ever.  For a recent look at how these questions of identity been very much a part of the landscape of our news this past year, checkout a recent program from “On Point with Tom Ashbrook.”  You can find a link to the program here: https://onpoint.wbur.org/2015/12/23/culture-race-identity-politics-year-in-review

Discussion Questions

• How do/would you answer the question, “Who are you and why?”
• What impact do you think some of the following have on how we understand our identity: race, gender/orientation, friends/social groups, extracurricular activities/sports, careers/professions?
• Do the “labels” we wear or the ones others put on us truly define who we are?  Why/why not?

Baptism of Our Lord

Isaiah 43:1-7

Acts 8:14-17

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

(Text links are to Oremus Bible Browser. Oremus Bible Browser is not affiliated with or supported by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. You can find the calendar of readings for Year B at Lectionary Readings

For lectionary humor and insight, check the weekly comic Agnus Day.

 

Gospel Reflection

Identity Questions

A fiery young preacher appears in the wilderness region, and, with echoes of Israel’s own entrance into the Promised Land, he calls people to make a new start by being immersed in the Jordan River. His message is stark yet stirring, while the baptism he offers speaks in symbols both powerful and prophetic.  Like rumors of a map to Luke Skywalker, John’s appearance awakens the hopes and expectations of many people.  Could he be the long-awaited Messiah?

Who exactly is John, son of Zechariah (a.k.a. John the Baptist), really?  And who is Jesus, son of Mary?  These are the essential identity questions that swirl around our gospel lesson this week.  Part of this passage we have just recently heard.  Our readings from the middle weeks of Advent focus specifically on John and his call to repentance.  Furthermore, for those who have been following the story since Chapter 1, Luke has made clear that John’s roles are those of preparer and messenger (Lk. 1:16-17, 76-80).  Now, the people who are actually in the story hear from John himself what we already know: John is not the Messiah.  “I baptize you with water;” he tells them, “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.”  Who is this coming one?  His name is Jesus.

The Baptism of Jesus

According to Luke’s chronology in 3:1-2, Jesus appears at the Jordan to be baptized by John as a man in his early 30’s.  Unlike Matthew and Mark, Luke does not have the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus just as he is coming up from the water.  In fact, Luke doesn’t describe Jesus’ baptism at all.  He only says that Jesus had been one among many who had been baptized by John.  Perhaps this is due in part to a certain sensitivity about having Jesus partaking in John’s “baptism of repentance.”  Or perhaps Luke simply chooses to focus on two themes that will play important roles in all that is to come: prayer and the work of the Holy Spirit.

“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.”

Throughout Luke’s gospel account, Jesus is shown to be a person of prayer.  What’s more, his life of prayer serves as an example and model for all who would follow him. We see this especially in Luke’s second volume, the book of Acts.   Likewise, the Holy Spirit is a very important character in the Christian story and the hallmark of the life of the church as Luke understands it.  Both of these themes will surface again and again in the year ahead as we hear the story of Jesus primarily from Luke, but for now the focus is solely upon Jesus.

Identity & Vocation

While Luke’s phrase that the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus “in bodily form” asserts the certainty of the experience, it is the voice from heaven that affirms Jesus’ true identity: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”  What we have heard thus far only through the voices of angels (Lk. 1:31-32; 2:10-11) is now confirmed by God.  And with this confirmation of Jesus’ identity there is also a foreshadowing of his vocation – how he will live this identity out.  The beginning part, “You are my Son, the Beloved,” comes from Psalm 2:7.  This psalm is a royal psalm that was used at the coronation of Israel’s kings.  The second part comes from Isaiah 42:1, one of several prophecies in Isaiah that speak of God’s redemptive activity through a servant who suffers on behalf of the people.  Thus, even at his baptism, Jesus – God’s Son and Messiah – comes under the shadow of the cross.

Discussion Questions

• God says of Jesus, “You are my Son, the beloved….”  What does this say to you about who Jesus is?  What difference does that make?
• When we are baptized, God names us as “beloved” and claims us as God’s very own.  What does this say about our true identity, who we really are?  What difference does this make?
• Look over the promises that are made during the Affirmation of Baptism. How can/does following Jesus shape your own life?

Activity Suggestions

• Jesus & Prayer – using a Bible concordance, or a Bible app on your tablet or phone, search for the verses in Luke and Acts which mention pray, praying, or prayer.  Split the results up among your group, and have them read and report back:
  • At what moments is Jesus shown to be in prayer?
  • At what moments are his followers shown to be in prayer?
  • What does Jesus demonstrate /teach about praying or prayer?
  • What do you discover in these verses about the place of prayer in the life of a Christian?
• The Holy Spirit – similar to activity above, search for verses in Luke and Acts which mention the Holy Spirit or Spirit.
  • What role does the Holy Spirit play in Luke?  That is, at what moments is the Holy Spirit active, and what does this Spirit do?
  • What role does the Holy Spirit play in Acts?
  • What sorts of things does the Spirit do in the lives of people in Acts?
  • Do you expect the Holy Spirit to be active in your own life?  Why or why not?  What assurances does Luke give us that the Spirit is present in our lives?

Closing Prayer

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.  As God’s voice affirmed and confirmed your true identity, send your Spirit upon us that we know that we, too, are among God’s beloved people. Guide us in our living that we may boldly follow where you bid us go. This we pray in your holy name.  Amen.