baptism

Soaked in Schedules

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Whew… the wind blew… my schedule too… the Lord saw and pushed me through. Yesterday was participation in the CROSSING of the PARTED seas of logistics, even if the rain chased then poured all the way, and I felt soaked in schedules, The Way, meaning  Jesus, saw me through and sees us through life. 

The wind kicked up, I had driven faster than the storms that kicked up last night, Sunday. I got to the fair just in time at closing to pick up my exhibits and I knew when my door shut and my stuff was safe in the car that ONCE AGAIN the Lord did it! Lord-fantastic to my logistics. I give Him credit for safe passage to and from, this way and that… It was a good weekend and good is from God. Good God so much because I feel blessed not burdened, only burden is HOW? How to get it all or not all in.. and the Lord showed me that He was in charge and amazing with getting me (us) where I think I was supposed to be. If a schedule is tight, He loosens the struggle of it by us consulting Him,  STEP BY STEP. We best consult Him in everything, and see silverlinings too of NOT being places, because He moves mountains of our schedules for HIS PLAN. I’m just grateful to be in it. He got me from here to there and a thousand places in between over the course of these past few days. In a COURAGE course of His Logistics, I often state (sometimes just to myself) “Lord-willing and usually He IS!” to my crazy logistics of activities. 

And just because my fair stuff was in the car didn’t mean I was… and off I went, still chugging along with stuff to do, people to see, and endless Lord’s moving to marvel at. Second step was helping my friend load her car and in classic timing, closed that trunk too as the rain poured in. I knew it was coming as I had just driven 5 hours up and back north.  And I drove south through and past the rain that was surely going to hit the fair just at clean up. It did, but we did it.

“Baptism by rain” I said as we got a little soaked, not bad. The stuff was safe. And she gave me a dry towel!!! We were then off to her adult son’s immersion baptism and the skies did open like a deluge. So into the building we SQUISHED (good thing I had crocs and a towel and umbrella and thought nothing of drying my feet in church!).

Most amazing, yet again, amazing to watch the movement of the Lord in these lives of His children (adults and teens), getting adult immersion baptism, seeing faith grown and growing.  What a blessing to hear testimonies and to experience the crowd thirsty for the joy of the Lord realized! And we sang praises. (The immersion tube is behind the stage, interesting viewpoint of construction).

“Baptism by Reign” – that’s a good term for letting the Lord reign in our lives, clearing our agenda, installing His, and us praising Him for that. Lord, rein in our lives, rain into our thirst for You. And show us the path for us when we think the rain turns too dry. Soaked schedules are splendid when for YOU.

Simplicity and JOY, FAITH LIKE A CHILD, DEPENDING on the Lord, they were the themes of the day, as was in my sermon for the morning, published late (for me) but in line with the logistic time of the day. Published then couch collapsed, whew, the day was thru!

And today? Faith like a child again.

Get up and do it again, meaning depend upon Him.

Amen

A Fulfilling Faith Focus, starting VBS prep in Matthew 3

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I was grateful to have a good ride home south from home north. And I took the back way skipped the major highway most of this trip just because. I stopped for my favorite travelling ice cream at a farm dairy and looked over my VBS booklet. It’s good to let your mind wander in wonderful views. It mimics a vacation mindset – and honestly I feel like a need a big vacation – and yet small vacation doses are suitable for now. We restart our days knowing our identity. We need to know where we stand – often it is in our walking with the Lord that we find this the best. A fulfilling faith focus.

My friend just did 5 days hiking on the El Camino. It is something I know I would enjoy – a trip to find myself deeper in faith – And yet I wonder if I could just drive it, like I drive these most beautiful winding roads in the northeast… Hmmm…  Could I take a tour of just plan sitting – that would be a faith find too….  Well, no matter where we are, we best take the time to decompress… then fill up with the good stuff!!!

When is the right time? Well, in this season it is now PREP time for Vacation Bible School – and my first day reading the day one scripture for my second VBS – TRUE NORTH – and the TRUE part comes with Jesus being TRUE – TRULY GOD – TRULY HUMAN – TRULY OURS…

And the first day story is of John the Baptist – of Jesus’s identity revealed – of God’s Promise fulfilment – and of the appreciation and recognition of IDENTY in a TRUE NORTH faith-compass pointing moment to when God came down as the Dove and said “This is my beloved Son” – TRUE STORY – Matthew 3 – read it all below.

John knew his identity and that of the deliverer in the Messiah – but not yet knowing the visual of his cousin to walk in – (even if we know that the Holy Spirit in John knew Jesus when John was in his mother’s womb) – and John could tell the people: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire”

Jesus knew His identity and was likely aching to be the moment when the world would start to know – not because of a “Look at me” moment – but because He knew the world would be saved thru Him – and therefore He wanted to teach the Way – the Truth – the TRUENESS. Jesus wanted and wants us to repent and to be more forgiving and be more understanding and to understand our place.

I will start to “dive in” to Vacation Bible School work – and this is a GOOD PLACE – because this is IDENTITY and the drive and true calling to be working with Jesus for Jesus for the kids and their families – and to know the WAY…

May we all find our fulfilling faith focus in HIS WAY – Our Faith Walk is just beginning – new each day…

Amen

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John the Baptist Prepares the Way – Matthew 3 NIV
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”

Winnowing the Way, Jesus Gives Good Fruit

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Yum, harvest time – grapes and corn, squash and greens, tomatoes too. Fruits of the season. Good Fruits. (And yum key lime pie too – perfect balance of sweet and tart)

We are to remember John the Baptist preparing the Way for Jesus, speaking about good fruit – spiritual good fruit. We can appreciate connections back to the scriptures and travails of their ancestors, teaching about the 12 tribes, Jacob’s descendants, Moses rescues, Abraham’s children, Noah’s sons, Adam’s lineage. A long line of God’s chosen people. John himself was son of a priest Zachariah, who was approached by God within the holy sanctuary. All the stepping stones were put into place. 

Stepping stones were put into place, 

especially as many weeds were in the mix of the wandering people. Jesus Himself was the seed of the woman, Eve, to crush the devil. Stepping stones keep the weeds down, and so did John the Baptist – helping remind the people of needed repentance, representative by baptism with water. John knew of the promise of God sending a Messiah, equal to God, ready to reset righteousness. Baptism by the Holy Spirit. Ready to Right the Repentant ones.

John prophesied of Jesus and said: “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Winnowing is what Jesus did and will do, get the good seed and leave the rest behind. Good seed comes from good fruit. Winnowing the seeds in the harvest is preparing the grain for the next planting, in addition to getting the nutritious seed fraction stored up for feeding the people. Jesus Himself did both. It’s the balance of sweet and tart, saving cuts the sting of sin away…

John said: “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance... The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” 

Jesus spoke of His father the vine dresser, Himself as the vine for our branches. If God throws unproductive branches into the fire, Jesus IS the productive source for our souls to produce good fruit. Repentance brings us back to the open flow into our branches for proper growth. 

Tis the harvest season now for our summer crops, it will be harvest of souls soon enough. We need to be Repentant and Restore and keep being fruitful. 

Enjoy the season…

Amen

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Matthew 3 NIV

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him.’”

John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

The Baptism of Jesus

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”