Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
NL Daily Devotion for Friday, February 21, 2025
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I’m sorry. I’m just getting a silly image here. I’m thinking about the idea of Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit, among other things, is wisdom, discernment. And I sort of get this picture in my head about Jesus taking a big foam hammer type thing, which is the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, and literally decking us with it. I’m not sure why this is coming up for me. It’s a little violent, even if it is cartoon violence. But I’m remembering my earliest days in 12-Step recovery for food addiction, when my eyes were being opened to the very vital, immanent presence of God and God’s action in my life. It was breathtaking and overwhelming and I often referred to the profound, transformational insights I was having as “Cosmic Duh” moments. As in God, seeing me finally figuring something out, saying, “Duh!” to me, as if this was the most obvious thing in the world and why hadn’t I figured it out before now?
John comes to us with water and says, “Turn your life around. Live simply and give away what you don’t need. Do things that result in good fruit rather than leaning on privileged entitlement.” These are good things. Important messages for us. And, of course, the people thought, “Well, maybe John’s the messiah.” And John basically says, “You ain’t seen nothin’ yet.” When Jesus shows up, you’re going to get hit over the head with the kind of spiritual transformation you can’t even conceive of. When Jesus shows up, you’re going to get drawn into a life so utterly counter to the way you’ve been living to this point you’re not going to know what hit you. When Jesus shows up, and your eyes are opened to the universal salvation of creation, you’re going to hear the voice of God in your ear—loudly—saying, “Duh!”
Anyway, that’s where this passage took me today. I wonder where it will take you?
What does it mean to me that Jesus will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire?
