Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
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 strap 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."
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."
—
Now, I don't want to draw too precise a comparison here.
However. Current events are on my mind.
We all see things through the filter of our own experience.
We all do.
To me, when I read Luke chapter 3, to me, John the Baptist is like the Interim Pastor.
I mean, think about it.
He pops up out of "the wilderness."
(Maybe the Great Smoky Mountains. Where people dress weird – in orange, in public.)
And he spends all his time telling people to GET READY.
Get ready for the REAL pastor.
Because the REAL pastor's fixin' to be here.
He just can't say when, exactly.
And he won't even tell people the new pastor's name.
For a Baptist, John sounds mighty Presbyterian to me.
That's really as far as I want to take that little thought experiment.
Because Matthew says John: "wore a garment of camel's hair… and his food was locusts and wild honey."
Camels' hair just sounds stinky.
And eating locusts and wild honey – well, I guess if you're eating insects it helps to cover them in honey, or chocolate.
At raisingthecandybar.com you can order chocolate-covered locusts – KOSHER chocolate-covered locusts, to make the John the Baptist experience even more authentic.
Crafted with precision using premium Swiss chocolate, each locust is meticulously detailed to capture the essence of these fascinating insects. Despite their unconventional inspiration, these chocolate delicacies offer a rich and indulgent flavor experience that is sure to surprise and delight. Whether you're looking to add a touch of whimsy to your dessert table or seeking a conversation starter for your next gathering, our Chocolate Locusts are sure to make a memorable impression. Each box has 4 locusts. $19.95. Please allow 3-5 days for shipping.
Again, that's raisingthecandybar.com.
But for all intents and purposes, John WAS the guy before the REAL guy.
He emerged from the wilderness, stinky as a camel with locust breath.
And John's only job, his one job, was telling people to get right with God and do it fast.
It reminds me of the conversations going on around the church lately.
The activity picking up.
A new Choir Director.
A new Administrator.
The icemaker – cleaned with toothbrushes.
The Resource Closet has open floorspace.
The Parlor – renovated and shiny new.
People are saying things like, "We need to get this – or that – in order before the new pastor gets here."
And that's exactly the way it should be.
John the Baptist appeared.
He told people what to do.
And then he left.
Just like a good Interim Pastor.
Leaving is part of the job.
John may have left, but he didn't get too far out of town.
King Herod had his head chopped off, just as he was heading north.
Headland.
That's how it got its name.
Pause for laughter.
Again. Let's not get carried away.
—
John was all about repentance.
About getting people baptized.
About the forgiveness of sins.
We call him John the BAPTIST, but Presbyterians are all about these things, too.
John, to be correct, wasn't Baptist, wasn't Southern Baptist, wasn't New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist, wasn't even a Cooperative Baptist.
I really like that name, though.
We could use more cooperative Presbyterians.
John wasn't ANY Christian denomination.
John was Jewish.
People think Christians invented baptism.
Actually, no.
Baptism was a Jewish cleansing ceremony, for people to mark atonement for sins and for people converting to the Jewish faith.
Some Jewish groups practiced daily baptism, and there's speculation John was part of this group.
Baptism wasn't about getting saved, as much as about getting reset.
Repentance literally means to "turn around."
You know when your computer stops working?
And you call technical support in a galaxy far, far away?
And the helpful genius suggests all sorts of ways to fix the satanic machine?
And then, finally, you get so mad you just yank the plug out of the wall so the whole thing goes blank?
And then, after you cool down, and because your kid really wants to play Minecraft again, you plug it back in, and Voila! Eureka! It works!
Baptism in the classic Jewish sense was a way to say publicly, and to show publicly, that your life was getting a hard reboot.
An unplug, re-plug fix.
You were still the same person;
you'd just been reformatted.
Installed a new OS.
OK, that's enough computer stuff.
I hope you get what I mean.
Presbyterians mostly would agree:
you don't have to be baptized to go to heaven.
You don't have to be dunked in holy water.
In the case of some infants, you don't even have to be awake to be baptized.
In our Presbyterian tradition, and in John's tradition, baptism is personal, but not private.
Baptism involves the person being baptized, the congregation who takes vows to support and care for the person, and God.
Presbyterians believe any baptism done in the name of the Triune God is done correctly.
And once you're baptized – no matter the age – you're baptized.
For life.
Again, I think this is affirmation that you're still the same person.
You just have a new orientation.
You've turned your life around, or promised to keep turning your child's life around if and when they need it.
Even Jesus was baptized.
Not because he had lots of sins to confess.
But because he was showing – to himself, to God, and to his community – he was showing that his life was going to be something new.
Something different.
Something God could be pleased about.
—
Evergreen Presbyterian Church (USA) is in a season of baptism.
Over the next 2 months, between now and when the new pastor emerges from the wilderness, you're going to be in a time of repentance.
You're already in a time of cleaning up and cleaning out.
Of clearing your threshing floor and gathering the wheat.
A time to burn the chaff away.
We don't burn trash, like John must have – we dispose of it responsibly.
Not just physical trash and grime.
But also spiritual leftovers.
Habits that have been left out too long.
Loaves and fishes that, once upon a time were nourishing, but are now moldy and stinky.
I'm really excited for you.
I know this is going to be a good season of rebirth and renewal.
You're ready for it.
So when I disappear back into the wilderness –
as I shall – hopefully with my head still attached –
you will know, without a doubt, that you are ready to rise up from the waters, refreshed and renewed.
You're ready to be re-directed in the rebirth of a spiritual repentance so that you can be rebooted, can be re-plugged into God's power source once again.
Moving ahead together, lights shining, and all systems go.
Interim no more.
Time to for a new pastor and time for YOU to be fully installed.
What's not to love about Evergreen?
You are God's beloved people.
With you God is – and always will be – well-pleased.
And I know the new pastor will be pleased, too.
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 strap 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."
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."
—
Now, I don't want to draw too precise a comparison here.
However. Current events are on my mind.
We all see things through the filter of our own experience.
We all do.
To me, when I read Luke chapter 3, to me, John the Baptist is like the Interim Pastor.
I mean, think about it.
He pops up out of "the wilderness."
(Maybe the Great Smoky Mountains. Where people dress weird – in orange, in public.)
And he spends all his time telling people to GET READY.
Get ready for the REAL pastor.
Because the REAL pastor's fixin' to be here.
He just can't say when, exactly.
And he won't even tell people the new pastor's name.
For a Baptist, John sounds mighty Presbyterian to me.
That's really as far as I want to take that little thought experiment.
Because Matthew says John: "wore a garment of camel's hair… and his food was locusts and wild honey."
Camels' hair just sounds stinky.
And eating locusts and wild honey – well, I guess if you're eating insects it helps to cover them in honey, or chocolate.
At raisingthecandybar.com you can order chocolate-covered locusts – KOSHER chocolate-covered locusts, to make the John the Baptist experience even more authentic.
Crafted with precision using premium Swiss chocolate, each locust is meticulously detailed to capture the essence of these fascinating insects. Despite their unconventional inspiration, these chocolate delicacies offer a rich and indulgent flavor experience that is sure to surprise and delight. Whether you're looking to add a touch of whimsy to your dessert table or seeking a conversation starter for your next gathering, our Chocolate Locusts are sure to make a memorable impression. Each box has 4 locusts. $19.95. Please allow 3-5 days for shipping.
Again, that's raisingthecandybar.com.
But for all intents and purposes, John WAS the guy before the REAL guy.
He emerged from the wilderness, stinky as a camel with locust breath.
And John's only job, his one job, was telling people to get right with God and do it fast.
It reminds me of the conversations going on around the church lately.
The activity picking up.
A new Choir Director.
A new Administrator.
The icemaker – cleaned with toothbrushes.
The Resource Closet has open floorspace.
The Parlor – renovated and shiny new.
People are saying things like, "We need to get this – or that – in order before the new pastor gets here."
And that's exactly the way it should be.
John the Baptist appeared.
He told people what to do.
And then he left.
Just like a good Interim Pastor.
Leaving is part of the job.
John may have left, but he didn't get too far out of town.
King Herod had his head chopped off, just as he was heading north.
Headland.
That's how it got its name.
Pause for laughter.
Again. Let's not get carried away.
—
John was all about repentance.
About getting people baptized.
About the forgiveness of sins.
We call him John the BAPTIST, but Presbyterians are all about these things, too.
John, to be correct, wasn't Baptist, wasn't Southern Baptist, wasn't New Independent Fundamentalist Baptist, wasn't even a Cooperative Baptist.
I really like that name, though.
We could use more cooperative Presbyterians.
John wasn't ANY Christian denomination.
John was Jewish.
People think Christians invented baptism.
Actually, no.
Baptism was a Jewish cleansing ceremony, for people to mark atonement for sins and for people converting to the Jewish faith.
Some Jewish groups practiced daily baptism, and there's speculation John was part of this group.
Baptism wasn't about getting saved, as much as about getting reset.
Repentance literally means to "turn around."
You know when your computer stops working?
And you call technical support in a galaxy far, far away?
And the helpful genius suggests all sorts of ways to fix the satanic machine?
And then, finally, you get so mad you just yank the plug out of the wall so the whole thing goes blank?
And then, after you cool down, and because your kid really wants to play Minecraft again, you plug it back in, and Voila! Eureka! It works!
Baptism in the classic Jewish sense was a way to say publicly, and to show publicly, that your life was getting a hard reboot.
An unplug, re-plug fix.
You were still the same person;
you'd just been reformatted.
Installed a new OS.
OK, that's enough computer stuff.
I hope you get what I mean.
Presbyterians mostly would agree:
you don't have to be baptized to go to heaven.
You don't have to be dunked in holy water.
In the case of some infants, you don't even have to be awake to be baptized.
In our Presbyterian tradition, and in John's tradition, baptism is personal, but not private.
Baptism involves the person being baptized, the congregation who takes vows to support and care for the person, and God.
Presbyterians believe any baptism done in the name of the Triune God is done correctly.
And once you're baptized – no matter the age – you're baptized.
For life.
Again, I think this is affirmation that you're still the same person.
You just have a new orientation.
You've turned your life around, or promised to keep turning your child's life around if and when they need it.
Even Jesus was baptized.
Not because he had lots of sins to confess.
But because he was showing – to himself, to God, and to his community – he was showing that his life was going to be something new.
Something different.
Something God could be pleased about.
—
Evergreen Presbyterian Church (USA) is in a season of baptism.
Over the next 2 months, between now and when the new pastor emerges from the wilderness, you're going to be in a time of repentance.
You're already in a time of cleaning up and cleaning out.
Of clearing your threshing floor and gathering the wheat.
A time to burn the chaff away.
We don't burn trash, like John must have – we dispose of it responsibly.
Not just physical trash and grime.
But also spiritual leftovers.
Habits that have been left out too long.
Loaves and fishes that, once upon a time were nourishing, but are now moldy and stinky.
I'm really excited for you.
I know this is going to be a good season of rebirth and renewal.
You're ready for it.
So when I disappear back into the wilderness –
as I shall – hopefully with my head still attached –
you will know, without a doubt, that you are ready to rise up from the waters, refreshed and renewed.
You're ready to be re-directed in the rebirth of a spiritual repentance so that you can be rebooted, can be re-plugged into God's power source once again.
Moving ahead together, lights shining, and all systems go.
Interim no more.
Time to for a new pastor and time for YOU to be fully installed.
What's not to love about Evergreen?
You are God's beloved people.
With you God is – and always will be – well-pleased.
And I know the new pastor will be pleased, too.
