January 05, 2020 | Pastor Chris Riedel
Passage: Luke 3:21-22
Scripture:
"John answered them all, 'I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.'" (Luke 3:16)
"When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: 'You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.'"(Luke 3:21-22)
"May my meditation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD." (Psalm 104:34)
Lord, as I read the words of this devotional, please allow me to absorb whatever message and purpose you desire. Please also fill my surroundings and my heart with your Spirit. Amen.
Devotional:
I now invite you to open your heart and mind to a brief journey outside into God's creation. Challenge yourself to read slowly, pausing and closing your eyes, or even praying, when you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you to do so.
Imagine you are standing in a forest. It's a gorgeous day; the sun is big and bright, and there's not a cloud in the sky. There are giant lush trees everywhere. They are reaching up so high, like skyscrapers, surrounding you. Rays of sunlight are streaming through the branches and leaves, and these rays of light are everywhere, surrounding you as well. There is so much stillness in the woods where you stand. The sound of your breath is broken only by the chirps of birds and the crunch of foliage as you move. At this moment, though, you aren't moving. You're just standing, taking in your surroundings. In the stillness, you hear God speak to you, "He says, 'Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.'" (Psalm 46:10)
As you obey and stand still among the tall majestic trees, you begin to wonder what it's like to be a tree. Rooted in the earth...tall, strong, blooming...and unwavering. Unruffled. The trees just are; they live and breathe - no worries, no anxieties. Every moment of everyday, they enjoy the stillness of the forest and the stillness of God.
So there you stand, breathing in God's presence, and you begin to feel like one of those trees...stationary, strong, serene...and fruitful. With each breath you take, you inhale His Spirit and what comes along with it (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control), and with each exhale, you expel your anxieties, your worldly concerns, your mistakes and regrets, and any guilt or shame. You exhale ego, and you make space for and inhale Him. (Gal 5:22-23)
You hear Him speak again, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" (Mat 6:25-29)
Standing in the forest like those trees, you begin to truly internalize and feel what this verse says, both the lightness and the strength.
Though the stillness feels divine, and you would love to continue bathing in it like a tree, you feel the Spirit calling you to begin moving in His creation. Again, you obey, and you begin to walk.
As you wander, you hear the foliage crunching beneath you again. You now notice a breeze that wasn't there before. The temperature is just perfect, and you are extremely comfortable. You still hear the birds and now some crickets, and you continue to walk slowly and mindfully, noticing each and every piece of the natural world, where there is so much life, so much green. The air smells remarkably clean.
Soon, you realize that you hear moving water, and your gaze begins to shift searching for the source. You are delighted to see a beautiful waterfall pouring into a large stream up ahead.
As you approach, the air becomes dewy, and you smell the minerals in the water. You reach the stream bank, and notice your thirst, bending down to take a drink. You feel incredibly quenched and satiated, and you realize that was the most satisfying and best drink of water you have ever had. You slowly begin to rise, still looking into the water, mesmerized by its transparency and purity. You shut your eyes for a moment and breathe deeply, only opening them because you feel a new presence around you.
In front of you, a dove has appeared. Its feathers are the color of snow - the richest white you've ever seen - reflecting the purity of the water you just drank. It's peacefully perched on a rock in the stream, completely still. You can't look away from the dove as you're completely puzzled from where it came. Your gaze shifts from the dove and then to the water, and the water back to the dove. You close your eyes, again, to be in the stillness with God, like the dove. God speaks, and this time, you hear:
"And now what are you waiting for? Get up, be baptized and wash your sins away, calling on his name." (Acts 22:16)
"He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire." (Luke 3:16)
You open your eyes, and you witness the dove slowly start to rise. Its grace and elegance in flight brings you to your knees beside the stream. The dove hovers over the water, only to descend and dip itself moments later. It rises and descends into the water three times, and then moves toward you. You bow your head in awe at what is happening, and you hear the dove's wings flutter above you. Then, you feel water dripping onto your head. As the water grazes you, you feel the purity of the stream; you feel the majesty of the dove; but mostly, you feel the renewal of baptism. You feel the Spirit and fire lit within you, and though you are in the forest alone in silence and stillness, you feel connected to all your brothers and sisters in Christ.
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body - whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free - we were all given the one Spirit to drink." (1 Cor 12:13)
"For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ." (Gal 3:27)
You stay in this moment, basking in the stillness, savoring the feeling you now have, savoring the feeling of renewal, of revival for your soul.
You want to stay here, but then you repeat to yourself that you "have clothed yourself with Christ." You have clothed yourself with Christ. I have been clothed with Christ.
And, you understand this means you must leave the forest. You must leave the forest in order to wear Christ and to be His hands and feet in the world.
With the memory of the dove imprinted so deeply on you, you rise and begin to move. You walk back from where you came - through the tall trees, among the beams of sunlight and the chirps of the birds, the crunching of the foliage underfoot. With each step you take, you are closer to the edge of the forest. And, you move with a feeling of renewal, of peace, and such a strong sense of purpose, knowing that when you depart, you will keep wearing Christ, and you will share this feeling of peace and of freedom with others.
You reach the end of the tree line, and though dismayed to leave God's serenity in this moment, you know you can return any time you would like. "When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; and he brought me into a spacious place." (Psalm 118:5)
With that verse written on your heart, you step out of the forest. And, you recognize that now cloaked in renewal, revival and peace, you have a call; it's a call to freedom and a call to help others know this freedom that only Christ can bring. "He uplifts the poor, heals the brokenhearted, and announces freedom to all captives." (Isaiah 61:1)
Because "if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." (John 8:36)
Prayer:
"Good Lord, show me the way" (George Allan, "Down to the River to Pray").
-Amen
Written by Rachel Kearse. Rachel is the nursery childcare provider on Sundays, the leader of the Moms with Littles group and she also teaches Trinity Yoga here at Arcola. She is married to Matthew and they have two daughters, Stella and Olivia.