RoboPreacher

after all the hell i've been through The Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew the 3rd chapter! " I am a child of God ." How's that exercise going for you?   Before we talk more about how we're doing, I'd like to tell you a quick story... Many of you know I didn't grow up Lutheran. Now, as I wasn't a life-long Lutheran I wasn't baptized until later. I was still, however, a child when I was baptized. I feel like I have some memories of that day; considering I couldn't have been more than seven-years-old, though, it's unlikely... Now, the reason I wasn't baptized as an infant, but was still baptized young is because of my grandmother; bless her heart.   You see, when I was born, my folks weren't going to church much. And when Cody, my younger brother, was born my folks still weren't going to church much... Once there were two of us, though, my grandmother just couldn't take it anymore;...

Matthew 3:13-17 I will be preaching January 9 (The first Sunday after the Epiphany, The Baptism of Jesus). At first I wasn’t too interested in this story. Lately, though, I’ve been drawn in by interesting nuances; two, specifically: First , when Jesus comes to John to be baptized we hear that John would have prevented him. I find this hesitation of John to be understandable, and apparently Matthew does too. After all, a little before this reading, John says that he is unworthy to carry Jesus’ sandals . However, Jesus insists that this baptism is necessary to fulfill all righteousness. (Side note, I am unsure exactly what righteousness must mean . A few verses earlier Joseph is described as righteous because he is willing to dismiss Mary quietly . ) What is striking to me, though, is that John’s religious expectations influenced how he imaged God. You see, while John is lauding Jesus, John makes that point that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and Fire. Not only will t...