Lectionary: 206
John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from the sky and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me,
‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.
Advent was all about expectation. Then came Christmas and New Years Day; and now what? What should we expect?
January can be a letdown. You might look forward to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Day on January 20. Someday all Americans will celebrate MLK Day, just as we mark Saint Patrick's Day in March. If everyone is Irish on March 17, everyone will be black in grateful homage to the champion of civil rights.
But January can be a disappointment. Some will start their new year with resolutions to lose weight and get in shape, but many will be overcome with sadness, sinking into depression and sickness.
In today's gospel, we meet a man who is still filled with expectation. John the Baptist freely admits he did not know the Lord Jesus -- his own cousin! -- but he did know the Holy Spirit. Himself, full of God's Spirit, he knew a brother in the Lord. And more, he knew he would recognize the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit teaches us to greet each day and every opportunity with a hopeful expectancy. There will be setbacks and disappointments; there will be unexpected, unanticipated developments. But the Lord does not abandon his people. God is present in every moment.
With polarization in much of the world's politics and much tension, despite the relative absence of open warfare, many feel a sense of impending doom. The hope that built a new social order after World War II has grown old and jaded. The racism that spawned that war has reappeared; the gap between wealth and poverty is wider than ever. Some are grieving the environment; others are grieving democracy. As Saint John says, all that is familiar is passing away.
"...But whoever does the will of God remains forever."
Like Saint John, we live by the Spirit and we know what God knows. If we cannot predict the hour or the day we know that this mystery is known by the Spirit who moves so confidently in us. And so we find and create opportunities for blessing with the confidence that the God is still in charge.
No comments:
Post a Comment
I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.