Luke 3:15-17; 21-22 / Acts 8:14 – 17

Most of this third chapter of Luke follows the story of the ministry of John the Baptist, found also in Matthew and Mark. You remember John the Baptist … he’s the voice crying in the wilderness, baptizing hundreds who came out to be baptized, making it clear that he isn't the Messiah: "I baptize you with water," he said, "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."
If we listen carefully, we might notice, however, that Luke says nothing about Jesus' actual baptism. There's nothing here about Jesus going down into the water or coming up out of the water. We probably assume this happened because the other gospels tell this part of the story, but Luke doesn't seem very interested in the actual moment of baptism, only what happened after baptism.
Luke is very passionate about telling the story of Jesus, after he is baptized. There are clues to this throughout Luke's gospel. The first clue is prayer. It was while Jesus was praying, not while he was in the river, that the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.
And then, after the Holy Spirit descended, a voice came from heaven: "You are my Son, the Beloved, with you I am well pleased." There's no indication that anyone other than Jesus heard these words. Luke also makes it clear that Jesus heard these words while he was praying. In the moment of prayer, the Holy Spirit descended upon him—not out of the blue, not like a lightning bolt, not without preparation or openness. Jesus was praying, centering his life in the presence of God in a very intentional way, and it was then that he heard the voice from heaven.
Luke is very interested in life after baptism. That's why he says so much about prayer—and so much about the Holy Spirit. In the same way Luke tells us, in the first chapter of Acts, how the disciples were gathered in the upper room and were constantly devoting themselves to prayer when the Holy Spirit came upon them.
So, “Now what?” How then shall we live? "Pray," says Luke. So, maybe we should spend more time praying rather than waiting for God to come like a bolt out of the blue. Maybe we should spend time living into the work of our baptism, recognizing the work of Christmas. The work of our baptism is just beginning.
Rev. Dr. Debi Powell-Maxwell
1/12/2025
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