Listen Up! Yo! JtB is in the Heezy
John teh Baptist (JtB) arrives at an appointed time, and as expected, people fall into line for what they likely see as yet another spiritual fad. I'm sure the going line of reasoning was, "better to buy in and experience "buyer's remorse" later than miss out."
And this is how you know God is at work - JtB sees it as it is and calls out the smugness of the people getting a little baptismal insurance with hsi remark about thinking you have it made b/c Abraham is your father (perhaps the first suggestion that baptism wasn't solely for the Jews!) (see Luke 3:7-8)
JtB's directive to serve is clear and direct. He ven warns us that we will be judged by our service. And by this I'm pretty sure he was looking at lives of service, not just a summer mission trip or drop-in on a home improvement project at Habitat for Humanity. (see Luke 3:8).
Regardless of our position in this world, citizen, pudgy bureaucrat, or civil servant, we are all called to serve in ways reflective of God's influence on our life (Luke3:10-14)
Lastly, JtB reveals that we need to take a stand for Christ. Humbly, he reveals he is not the Messiah, but that He is still to come, and that while what he, JtB is saying is important, it is Christ who has the ultimate message - one that neatly dovetails with what he had already been saying.
JtB prepared teh way alright, and it seem sit's just what we should be doing in our lives. We'll never convert others, we'll never truly baptize them. No, it is Christ who really does that. We can only prepare the way, then step aside as God does His thing.
And this is how you know God is at work - JtB sees it as it is and calls out the smugness of the people getting a little baptismal insurance with hsi remark about thinking you have it made b/c Abraham is your father (perhaps the first suggestion that baptism wasn't solely for the Jews!) (see Luke 3:7-8)
JtB's directive to serve is clear and direct. He ven warns us that we will be judged by our service. And by this I'm pretty sure he was looking at lives of service, not just a summer mission trip or drop-in on a home improvement project at Habitat for Humanity. (see Luke 3:8).
Regardless of our position in this world, citizen, pudgy bureaucrat, or civil servant, we are all called to serve in ways reflective of God's influence on our life (Luke3:10-14)
Lastly, JtB reveals that we need to take a stand for Christ. Humbly, he reveals he is not the Messiah, but that He is still to come, and that while what he, JtB is saying is important, it is Christ who has the ultimate message - one that neatly dovetails with what he had already been saying.
JtB prepared teh way alright, and it seem sit's just what we should be doing in our lives. We'll never convert others, we'll never truly baptize them. No, it is Christ who really does that. We can only prepare the way, then step aside as God does His thing.
