The Dove Descends

Verses:  Matthew 3:13-17

My thoughts about the verses:

Many of us accept that at the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit Descended on those believers that were gathered.  The Spirit came as a dove of love and peace.  The Holy Spirit was the blessed promise that came from the edge of the water.  John had promised that one greater would come and bring the salvation that they needed.  In that moment when the dove descended on the Believers they felt the long awaited gift.

Many believe that this was the first time that anyone was truly touched by the Holy Spirit.  Yet, I propose that there was one that was touched by the Holy Spirit before Pentecost.  In fact, I propose that there was one day when the trinity became visible for the world.   This was a day when we can become totally aware of the God who is three persons in one. 

Jesus goes to the water to be baptized.  John at first tells him that he should baptize him not the other way around.  Yet, Jesus tells John that he needs to baptize him.  John willingly complies.  Imagine the thoughts going through John’s head.  He knows that he is standing with the Messiah.  He had met him before they were even born.  Yet, here he stands baptizing Jesus in the water. 

Then the miracle happens as Jesus comes out of the water the sky opens.  A dove descends from Heaven and alights on Jesus.  Then a voice from Heaven speaks.  “This is my son in whom I am well pleased.”  It was in this moment that we witness the three aspects of the trinity uniting.

God the Creator declaring that Jesus is the promised Messiah.  Jesus was the son that was sent to save the world from their sin.  The Holy Spirit descending as a dove uniting with Jesus to show us we must humble ourselves to the will of God.  Jesus the Son of God had showed the community gathered that John was speaking the truth. 

We must confess our sins.  Asking God to forgive them and wash them away.  When we ask God to forgive us the blood of Jesus covers our sins.  Then the Holy Spirit comes into our life and guides us. 

When we look at the Baptism of Jesus we can see this occurring.  Jesus did not need to be cleansed of sins.  Which if you notice he doesn’t ask for forgiveness instead he just asks John to baptize him.  Once he comes out of the water he is blessed by God.  When we ask God for forgiveness of our sins we become children God is well pleased in.  The Holy Spirit descends into our life and we are free from all sins that we have or will ever commit.  

Prayer:

We thank you God for your many blessings.  We thank you for your gift of salvation.  We thank you for living within us and guiding us.  Help us turn our life over to you.  Help us accept your free gift of salvation.  Help us walk in your light.  In the name of the Blessed Trinity we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you accepted God’s gift of salvation?  Have you submerged yourself in the forgiving power of Jesus?  Do you allow the Holy Spirit to guide your life?  Have you become a child that God is well pleased with?

Choosing to Serve God Before Anything Else

Verses:  Matthew 3:1-12

My thoughts about the verses:

Think back to the time of John.  John was preaching something that no one had ever heard.  They were told to ask God to forgive their sins and come to the water to be baptized.  The baptism would be a way to show their commitment to a new life dedicated to God.

John though understood that there was one coming that would be much more important than he was.  He knew that Jesus would come and he taught that he would not even be worthy enough to even carry his sandals.  He was showing his humbleness to God.

He continued to say that the Messiah would bring the gift of forgiveness and new life through the Holy Spirit.  Imagine the thoughts going through the people’s head.  Their King was coming he would come in and wipe out these foreigners off their land and allow them to rule their selves again.  It had to be true that God would once save them like he had done so many times.  They had to be thinking back to Egypt and Babylon.  They felt the same way about Rome.  If they could push this power ort they would be able to live free.

Yet, John knew and understood that this was not what the Messiah would do.  It wasn’t the Kingdom that needed to be forgiven.  The forgiveness that was coming was for each and every individual who would be willing to accept it.  When you look back to the stories that led up to the exodus and March to Babylon God had forgiven the people more than once.  The people would become disobedient by not putting God first.  They would suffer and then realize what they would do and rededicate their life.  God would forgive them.  Then the cycle would be repeated over and over again.

Jesus was no longer coming for one community.  Yes, they were still God’s chosen people, but there was something bigger on the agenda.  God was coming to give forgiveness to all.  The forgiveness would expand to each and every person no matter nationality, race, sex, gender identity, disability, sexual orientation basically any and all things that we label people. 

God does not identify us with these labels.  God looks at the world with rose colored glasses.  Those that have accepted Christ are seen by God to be totally forgiven of all sins that they have or will ever commit.  Those that have not accepted Christ are seen by God as the children that need to accept the love that is freely given.  See God sees our sins before we accept Christ.  Yet, God wants to cover our sins with the blood that was shed on the cross.

God wants us to accept the grace of salvation and ask the Holy Spirit to come into our life.  Going to the pool to be baptized in the water is a sign and a proclamation of our faith.  Yet, that isn’t the end of what happens in our life.  The Holy Spirit comes to live in our life.  The Spirit then becomes our guide.  The Holy Spirit leads us daily to share our story to others. 

We become one like John calling out in the wilderness to come and repent of our sins.  We are to encourage helping others proclaim a new life in Jesus.  Yet, we need to remember that we are just a voice calling out.  We have to remember that it is the Holy Spirit is the gift that we cannot ever give people.  We can lead them to the edge of the water.  Yet, it is up to people to ask God into their life.

Prayer:

We love you God.  We thank you for helping us come into the water.  We thank you for accepting us when we were not worthy.  We ask that you cleanse us of our sins.  We ask that the Holy Spirit come into our life to guide us.  Help us share your word so that they others may find you.  In the name of the Holy Spirit and Savior we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you given your life over to God?  Have you accepted the calling placed on your heart?  Are you willing to go to the water and ask God into your life?  Are you willing to be a voice calling out in the wilderness leading others to the cross of Christ?

God Guides Us to Right Where We Need to Be in Our Lives

Verses:  Matthew 2:19-23

My thoughts about the verses:

Imagine being Mary and Joseph.  You first had to accept that you were to be the parents of Jesus, the promised Messiah. It was written that the babe would be born from the line of David.  It went one step further to say that the mother of the Savior would be a virgin.  Mary and Joseph had to come to accept that they were the right people at the right time.

The call went out to all citizens that they must register in the census.  Here again Joseph and Mary were faced with a difficult task.  The time was drawing very near for the birth of their son.  Yet, they had to go there for it had been foretold that the Messiah would be born in this little city.  Bethlehem is the same city in which King David came. 

You can see the look on both of their faces when they discover there is no way to stay.  How could people not find a Place for a woman who is about to deliver a child a place to rest?  Yet, the only space that they were given was a stable owned by an innkeeper.  Inside that stable the Messiah was born. 

You can see them wiping the sweat off their brow thinking it is all over.  Yet, don’t be so quick wise men from the east come following the star that they had longed waited to shine.  The problem is that Herod now wants to know where the Newborn King is so that he can stop what he fears would be the loss of his crown.  The wise men in a dream are directed to go back a different route.  And Joseph and Mary are directed to flee to Egypt.  Again this is something that was foretold in the prophecies of the Messiah that was coming to save the world.  They would need to flee to a foreign land.

Then at last you are finally coming home.  Again God talks to you and tells you to go to Nazareth.  This allows the prophecy to be complete that the Messiah would be known as a Nazarene. Joseph and Mary do not question this direction that they are to go to.  The go to Nazarene and raise their son to be the man that he would one day becomes.  Je would one day come back from Nazarene and be known for this.  For no one believed nothing good could come from this community.  God was showing us all that it isn’t the place that matters it is the person that matters.

I can understand moving from place to place.  When I was younger I found Christ during a vacation bible school at a church that wasn’t where my family attended.  It wasn’t the place that matter.  What mattered is that someone reached my heart and led me to accept that Jesus died for me.

Jesus then moved me from one church to another.  Each place helping me grow closer to God.  Opening door to ministries that God needed to occur.  I had a calling on my heart and God made sure that I was at the right place at the right time to teach people about love.  I spent several years at each Church. 

I was called into my wilderness.  My wilderness was a place in which there was no Church door was opened for me.  Instead God spent those times preparing my soul and heart to fully serve God.  Each one of us may be called into our wilderness.  Our pilgrimages may be a time to gain strength and voice from God.

I at last came to where I thought god had called me to.  I was there for numerous years.  I felt that this was where I could openly and freely serve God.  Yet, overtime God called me again into a new pilgrimage.  I am in that path right now.  God is now leading me to a new place where people need my voice to be heard.   I am walking a line that has uprooted by foundation.  Yet, I know God will finally say this is the place.  In that time I will be the right person and the right and place.

Prayer:

We thank you God for your love.  We thank you for placing us where we need to be in our life.  Help us to remember that we may be called from one place to another.  Help us to remember that when the time and place is right you will let us know.  Help us always be ready to go where you call us; Help us remember that you will give us our voice when it is the right time.  In the name of the Omnipotent God we pray.  Amen

Questions:

Have you asked God into your life?  Are you listening to God to see if you are where you are supposed to be?  Are you willing to go where God is calling you?  Are you in the right place and using your talents that God has given to you?