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Matthew 3:13-17
Epiphany 1A
Unlike in the other baptism accounts in the gospels, where Jesus is the one who has an epiphany of sorts, Matthew lets us know that John the Baptist witnesses the revelation of heaven. In Mark and Luke, the words that boom down are “You are my Son,” but here John hears along with Jesus, “This…
Matthew 3:1-12
Advent 2A
It’s time for our annual Advent trip to the banks of the Jordan River and to come to terms with whether we are ready—prepared—to repent and receive the kingdom of heaven. One like John the Baptist was prophesied by Isaiah: a voice crying out in the wilderness, both as a prayer and a call to…
Matthew 3:13-17
Epiphany 1A
In the early third century church, it was the baptism of Jesus that focused the Epiphany celebration, not the visit of the Magi. In fact, Epiphany was included with Easter and Pentecost as the major Christian festivals marked by the Church (The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church). In the fourth century, Epiphany came to…
Matthew 3:1-12
Advent 2A
During Advent we follow God’s people to the wilderness and heed the prophetic wisdom of John the Baptist. What was true for waiting for the coming Messiah still holds for those waiting for the second and final advent of our King. Was it John’s eccentric ways that drew the crowds to him? Perhaps for some,…
Matthew 3: Shedding Your Skin – Advent 2A
Every time Advent rolls around we discover again that we can’t get to the manger and the stable without going past John the Baptist. There he is, out there in the wilderness, with his ragged leather clothes, and locust wings stuck between his teeth. Barbara Brown Taylor says that John always seems to her like…
Matthew 3: Rearranging Our Price Tags – Advent 2A
Our eyes naturally focus on stars — baseball and football greats, movie actors, TV personalities, famous authors, rock stars and tennis players. These are the people who dazzle us and dominate our magazines and television screens. We pour over the details of their lives: the clothes they wear, the people they love, the way they…
Matthew 3:1-12: Advent Disappointment – Advent 2A
While preparing some food in the kitchen the day before Thanksgiving some years back, I had the radio on and caught most of an interview with the New Testament theologian John Dominic Crossan. Crossan was once one of the leading scholars in the Jesus Seminar and is renowned for both his scholarship and his very…
Matthew 3:13-17
Epiphany 1A
Poor John. It didn’t look right. What was going on here? This was not the public appearance of Jesus that John had set everyone up to see (cf. Matthew 3:1-12 for goodness sake!!!). As Matthew 3 ends, you can almost picture John the Baptist carrying on with the rest of that day’s baptisms with a…
Matthew 3:1-12
Advent 2A
“Across the United States in recent weeks, there have been tidal waves of accusation and blame, counter-accusations and blame, judgments and more judgments from the left and from the right and from all points in between. Political parties are said to have been judged by the voters. Individual politicians are said to have been repudiated…
Matthew 3:13-17
Epiphany 1A
Poor John. It didn’t look right. What was going on here? This was not the public appearance of Jesus that John had set everyone up to see (cf. Matthew 3:1-12 for goodness sake!!!). As Matthew 3 ends, you can almost picture John the Baptist carrying on with the rest of that day’s baptisms with a…
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