Matthew 3: 13-17 tells of the baptism of Jesus by John. I have had lots of thoughts about baptism as I have read through the Lectionary texts for this week and blogged about some of those thoughts.
For today, I want to lift something out of the Tuesday's Lectionary Leanings posted by MomPriest on the RevGalBlogPals site for your reflection and discussion:
John Shea, S.T.D., In his book, The Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers: On Earth as It Is in Heaven--Year A, has this to say about these readings:
"Jesus' baptism with Spirit does not substitute for John's baptism with water. Both are needed. The revelation of Jesus includes the revelation of John even while it transcends it. John is the forerunner and essential preparation for Jesus. John clears a path. Without this cleared path Jesus will not arrive. There must be both repentance (baptism of John) and the coming of the Spirit (baptism of Jesus), a disidentification with sin and an identification with the Spirit-infused Child of God. This carefully reflected exchange reflects this nuanced position: the ultimate goal of John's baptizing activity in Jesus, but the advent of Jesus does not make obsolete the work of John. John and Jesus are fundamentally linked, and they symbolize the essential relationship between the forgiveness of sins and the new life in the Spirit. "(pg 50).
Where are your thoughts, reflections, ideas, leading you this Sunday?
Journey On...
1 comment:
I really like the way John Shea unpacks the scripture. He takes a spiritual approach to his theology which speaks well and clearly to me.
I'm not really following this particular direction in my sermon this Sunday but that's because we have other things I need to unpack.
Still, I hope it is fruitfull for you. (And isn't that a great image?)...
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