January 21 | Luke 3:21-22

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DAILY READING

Luke 3:21-22

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REFLECTION

What Just Happened?!

By Kim Starr

Imagine you’ve gone to hear John the Baptist preach. You decide to repent of your sins and be baptized. Maybe you’ve already had your turn and you are hanging out near the river, or maybe you are waiting your turn to get in the river. Regardless, John baptizes some guy and a

dove descends on him. Then you hear a voice saying, “You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (v.22) What on earth?! Was that voice real? Did you really see a dove? What is going on?

How incredible that God chose the moment of Jesus' baptism to reveal his Son. There was a visual revelation in the form of a dove and there was an oral revelation by the words that were spoken. Can you imagine how Jesus must have felt? His own Father identified him as his son and told him that he loved him. Isn’t that what every child wants? To know that their parent loves them? Not only that, but Jesus receives affirmation from his own Father that he is pleased with him. As a child, getting affirmation and encouragement from your parents was something you longed for. Once again, God shows us exactly how we are to treat others: tell them how you feel about them and praise them for what they are doing.

Take a moment to think about what you can do today to tell someone you love them and/or praise them for what they are doing. It doesn’t have to be your child. It can be a colleague, a student, a friend, a clerk at the store, or a neighbor. How you feel about them or what they’ve done doesn’t have to be monumental; it can be something small, even insignificant, that meant something to you. Telling that person either one of those things will absolutely make their day.

And isn’t that exactly what God did for Jesus as he was baptized? God showed everyone there, that this man was the Messiah they had all been waiting for. Everyone heard that God loves him. Everyone heard he was pleased with him. God himself pointed to Jesus as the one they were to follow. He is the one they should listen to and believe in. He is the one who will save them. There can be no doubt: He’s here.

PRAYER

Dear Heavenly Father, I can’t imagine how the people who saw Jesus get baptized felt. Right then and there they saw with their own eyes who the Messiah was. I hope they could focus on the wonder and joy of knowing the truth. Please help us to do the same. I also hope we can follow your example and tell someone else how we feel about them today. Thank you for giving us examples to follow and for pointing us to Jesus. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

KIM STARR

I have been a member of UALC since I was 2-years-old. Over my life I have participated in, and volunteered for, numerous ministries, programs, and activities, all of which have grown and strengthened my faith. I have been blessed beyond measure by not only being a part of this congregation, but also by being able to worship with three generations of my family.

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January 20 | Luke 3:19-20

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DAILY READING

Luke 3:19-20

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REFLECTION

Adding Up Sin

By Dave Mann

Five different men named Herod are identified in the New Testament, six if you count Herod

Philip who was only mentioned as “Philip” (Mark 6:17).  To get a good grip on keeping all these Herods straight, check out this concise explanation.  https://reasonabletheology.org/many-herods-new-testament/ For today’s passage, Herod Antipas was the one who locked up John the Baptist in prison and who eventually had him executed. 

On one hand, all sins are sufficient to disqualify us from eternal life.  Even the seemingly “smallest” sin keeps us from attaining perfection, for God does not allow any sin in his presence.  (See James 2:10.)  On the other hand, some sins have a greater impact on people around us, and therefore the damage is greater.

We all sin in this life; not one of us is innocent.  There are many categories of sin.  Here are but

three ways to look at various kinds of sin.  There is “accidental” sin in which our actions cause harm to others without our intent.  There is “presumptuous” sin in which we presume our planned actions are virtuous.  Therefore, we do not consult God about our plans, but later we discover that we violated God’s plan.  In addition, some add iniquity upon iniquity.  There is sin that is “cumulative.”  In this category, people have had so much practice in violating God’s law that they add increasingly arrogant, harmful, and intentional sin to their account.  This is the kind of transgression that Herod Antipas committed.  He had already lured away his sister-in-law (the wife of his brother Herod Philip) to become his wife. And then he locked up a prophet of God, i.e., John the Baptist, because he made Antipas’s sin public.  Later, adding more to his load of sin, he had John beheaded.

There is no unforgivable sin, except the sin against the Holy Spirit (Luke 12:10).  What sin is that?  The sin for which we resolutely refuse to allow the Spirit to lead us into a posture of sorrow and repentance.  Could Herod Antipas be forgiven for his adultery and his persecution of John Baptist?  Yes, he could, if he would repent.  But did he?  We have no record in Holy Scripture that he did.

May God, in his grace, give each of us a heart that is soft and responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit so that we might repent of our sin to receive the forgiveness won for us by the work of Jesus on the cross.  (See John 16:7-10.)

PRAYER

O Holy Spirit, come with your convincing and convicting power.  Lead me to the point where I acknowledge my sin and repent.  Don’t give up on me.  Keep on coming.  Win me into a living, loving relationship with Jesus my Lord, in whose name I pray, Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DAVE MANN

I am a Pastor for Internationals (retired) in the UALC community. I am married to Pam, father of four, and grandfather of six. Pam and I have lived twenty of our years in other countries including France, Cameroon, Haiti, and Morocco. In retirement, we continue to enjoy writing devotionals, learning languages, and teaching English to internationals.

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January 19 | Luke 3:1-8

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DAILY READING

Luke 3:1-8

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REFLECTION

What Would He Say?

By: Elaine Pierce

If John the Baptist was a guest preacher at UALC, what do you think his sermon would be about? Would he congratulate us for our lovely sanctuary? Our active missions program? Our outreach to our neighborhood? Surely those are things that please God? We might find ourselves squirming in our seats as he says "You brood of vipers!" which is how he addressed the crowds who came out to be baptized by him. This is not exactly from the 'how to win friends and influence people' playbook, is it.

John came before Jesus, as Isaiah prophesized, and his mission was clear: to prepare the way for the Lord. Many of his followers thought he was the Christ, but he told them in Luke 3:16 who he was:

"I baptize you with water. But one more powerful than I will come, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. "

John cautioned his listeners, who were 'waiting expectantly' for the Messiah that just because they were Jewish, descendants of Abraham, that they were not guaranteed to be 'free of the coming wrath.' Pedigree, the right family tree - that wasn't the key to eternal salvation: faith in Jesus as he produces fruit in our lives is what matters.

Yes, our buildings are lovely, and as we anticipate the reopening of our Lytham Road campus, we know that we will continue to serve God in this building. We generously support missions outside of our walls - in Columbus, in our nation, and around the world. But let us never lose sight of the fact that these things are the result of faith in Jesus - they are outward evidence of his work in our lives. The well-known preacher and writer, Tim Keller, summarizes the gospel like this:

We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope.

PRAYER

Lord, I don't like to admit how sinful I am, but I come to you now on bended knee, knowing how much I need you and don't deserve you. Thank you for the gift of eternal life, and help me to serve you joyfully and produce fruit that is pleasing to you. Amen.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ELAINE PIERCE

It is a delight and joy to write Sunday's UALC Blog post. I have been a UALC member for 20+ years and I value our community of believers. I draw strength from God's Word, and it is my hope that you join me in seeking to grow closer to Him as we read, study, and pray together. I've been married to Gene for 47 years, and we have four grown children and nine grandchildren. It is an exciting time to be alive, and I count it all joy to serve him, even in the midst of challenges. To God be the glory, for the great things he is doing!

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