Emphasis Preaching Journal

Isaiah 43:1-7
This passage from Isaiah emphasizes that no matter how difficult our circumstances -- floodwaters, fire, exile -- we will get through, for God is with us. This imagery from medieval Jewish mysticism offers a visual illustration of how God is with us as well as why we need not fear.

Let us imagine all of creation as a vast ocean. Of course, the ocean has waves. Those waves come out of the water and travel across its surface. At times a wave’s journey will be smooth; at other times it will be turbulent. No matter how calm or turbulent, however, the wave eventually returns to the vast ocean that formed it.

In this image, God is represented by the ocean. We are represented by the waves. The journey we take between birth and death is like that of the wave that emerges from the water, travels across the surface of the water, and eventually returns to the ocean. As with a wave, our journey will have storms. We can be blown about and slammed against difficult circumstances. However, we need not be afraid. God is always near.

We come out of the presence of God, and ultimately we sink back into the eternal presence of God. Because it cannot happen in any other way, we can take this journey without fear. By faith, we can be certain that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus.
R. Robert C.


Isaiah 43:1-7
Adoniram Judson was the son of a Congregationalist minister, but he became a deist when his best friend died. He lived a life of skepticism and doubt for many years after that. Then one day he had a new revelation, a conversion experience, and on December 8, 1808, he wrote in his diary: “This day I made a solemn dedication of my life to God.” Judson then became the first Protestant missionary to serve in Burma. In his first 12 years he made only 18 converts; but with persistence, over the next 40 years he was able to establish several churches.
Application: God truly does know us and call us by our names.
Ron L.


Isaiah 43:1-7
Our lesson states that we are precious to God (v. 4). About this Martin Luther wrote: “It is our glory, therefore, to be worthless in our own eyes and in the view of the world.... In that extreme despair we hear ‘you are precious in my eyes. Because you are nothing to yourself, you are glorious to me’ ” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 17, p. 88).

To feel precious and treat someone else as precious is a beautiful way to live. Ancient Greek historian Herodotus said this about friendship: “Of all possessions a friend is the most precious.” If only we treated our friends and our spouses that way. We would not have 40-50% of our marriages ending in divorce, and we would have a lot more than the two lifelong friends most Americans have (according to a survey by sociologist Matthew Brashears). And if we treated God that way, our churches would be bursting on Sundays. No matter, God thinks of us as precious, as his beloved dear. Again Martin Luther so well explains this point: “A Christian is already one with Christ and already has participation in him. He is member of the member, and flesh of the flesh, just as a wife shares in the name and property of her husband. So the Christian in his entire being becomes a participant with God. So we are altogether Christ’s since Christ has called us, and all our works are not our own but Christ’s” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 17, pp. 90-91).

Baptism is the beginning of this precious, intimate relationship. And then Christians can talk about life like Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius once did: “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive -- to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
Mark E.


Acts 8:14-17

The movie Remember the Titans has been critically acclaimed and packs a powerful message. It tells the true story of football coach Herman Boone and his assistant coach Bill Yost. Boone is an African-American who has been named the head coach at Yost’s school. The movie depicts how the players, school, and town come to terms with racial issues and how they handle tragedy. One of the movie’s most memorable lines is spoken by Yost’s daughter, Sheryl. She says, “People say that it can’t work, black and white. Here, we make it work every day. We still have our disagreements, of course, but before we reach for hate, always, always, we remember the Titans.” 

Why recall the movie Remember the Titans in connection with this short passage? At first glance, this text appears to be pretty simple. People in Samaria accept the word of God, and the apostles send Peter and John to lay hands on them to receive the Holy Spirit. Makes sense, right? Hold on just a minute. The apostles were in Jerusalem. The people who had accepted the word were from Samaria. Those were two groups of people that had generations of hatred between them. In the gospels, it was a big deal for Jesus to go through Samaria. Old hates and habits die hard. However, the word of God and the Holy Spirit break down walls of hate and separation. People who had been divided by distrust were united under the gospel. Before you reach for hate, remember the gospel. 
Bill T.


Acts 8:14-17
The Ken Burns documentary about the Civil War introduced audiences to several voices they perhaps had never heard -- individuals whose letters and diaries opened up the deepest thoughts from the heart of Northerners and Southerners alike.

Some of the most interesting snippets came from the diary of Elisha Hunt Rhodes. Rhodes (1842-1917) rose in the ranks from corporal to colonel in the Army of the Potomac, and he participated in and survived most of the major battles of that conflagration. In his diary he regularly records his worship life, attending services every Sabbath either in camp or in whatever town he is near unless he is actually engaged in battle. This included churches in the south, especially towards the end of the war, as a member of the occupying army. While he notes those occasions where he did not appreciate the slant of the message delivered by southern preachers, it is clear that he assumes that he is worshiping with fellow Christians, despite the fact that they and he considered each other the enemy. I wonder how much this matches the way the apostles must have felt when they heard of the work Phillip was doing among the Samaritans, leading them to send an official delegation that included John and Peter. Remember, Jesus did not tell the parable of the Good Samaritan because the first hearers thought Samaritans were good. In our own polarized age when people bring political, economic, and ethnic barriers from the larger society into the church, this text may speak very clearly about the power and presence of the Holy Spirit among people that we define as different -- while God recognizes us as one in Christ.
Frank R.


Acts 8:14-17
Baptism is a marvelous celebration of the church family, a welcome of one into the community and a promise of kinship with all believers. Now, how one is properly baptized is another question altogether. Are you to be immersed, sprinkled, poured, dipped? What’s the method? When is baptism real?

Our scripture tells us it is when the Holy Spirit comes upon someone, when more than the name of Jesus is called upon. Funny, there is no water involved in Peter’s and John’s actions. Rather, they lay their hands on the people and they receive the Holy Spirit. So apparently however water is used, it is not the only element involved in baptism. The Holy Spirit has a role -- and calling on God to bless the individual through the presence of the Creator, the Savior, and the Holy Spirit seems to be what’s necessary. So pause for a moment the next time you are ready to debate your own denominational perspective on what the correct manner of baptism is to be. Rather, seek the presence of God -- Creator, Savior, and Holy Spirit -- and the task will be completed.
Bonnie B.


Acts 8:14-17
All those present at a service have been baptized, except for some visitors or babies just born. That is something we can see take place, and there is a record of it. This Holy Spirit business is another bit. It sounds as though we need the Spirit in order to serve the Lord -- we need his power.

We can open a bank account, and it is ours. Nothing more happens until we write a check to draw money out. It sounds like the Holy Spirit is our check, and we have the power to use it as we are have need and are guided. The Holy Spirit’s guidance is not just for our desires, but for the desire to God’s will that he has placed in us.

It can be apparent when a member has the Spirit; but it’s also apparent when they do not, because they are not serving their Lord. Having the Spirit is something for pastors and fellow members to see. No, it is not just speaking in tongues! It is something that makes your fellow members praise you for what they see in you. If you don’t feel that power within you, then ask your pastor to pray for you.
Bob O.


Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Our Holy Land tour bus exited Jerusalem through an ancient gate and drove the twisting road up the Mount of Olives, stopping to see the Garden of Gethsemane. We left that quiet place of our Lord’s betrayal to drive over the mountain and down the steep Jericho Road, the setting for the parable of the Good Samaritan. In Jericho, we were reminded that this was where Jesus called Zacchaeus down from a tree. From there, we proceeded south through the wilderness. Our guide pointed to steep limestone cliffs, claimed as the traditional site of our Lord’s temptation. As tourists, we felt we were traversing holy ground.

Our guide announced that our next stop was the traditional site of the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan. It proved to be about as expected -- a parking lot crowded with other tour buses, gathered at a beautiful river setting complete with predictable tourist baptisms in the river.

Perhaps only a mile or so south of Jesus’ baptismal site, we were very surprised by a large group of teenagers tubing down the River Jordan. They wore brightly colored bathing suits, and they were laughing and yelling and pushing others off inner tubes. They were having a wonderful time, but a youth group tubing on the River Jordan seemed almost sacrilegious. The scene was certainly unexpected.

 In time, I came to realize that the sight was totally in keeping with the biblical account. Much of what happens in this passage must have surprised the crowd. For instance, they didn’t expect John to say he was not the messiah. They didn’t expect him only to be making the way for the messiah. Even for many modern believers, our Lord being baptized by John raises unexpected questions.

Our God continues to surprise us by doing the unexpected.
R. Robert C.


Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
John the Baptist has distinguished himself by refusing to be a crowd-pleaser, which paradoxically has led to large crowds gathering to hear him. Prior to these excerpts, John’s message is odd and even off-putting: Don’t count on your church credentials to save you! God is able to raise up children of Abraham from the stones! Those who take his words seriously ask what they should do, and the answer is clear -- practice justice according to the prophetic expectations of the scriptures. If you have two tunics, share one of them. If you are in a position of authority like the tax collectors, don’t abuse your position. Even soldiers of the occupying army ask what they should do, and they are told not to abuse their positions of power.

This leads some to wonder if John himself is the messiah, but he disabuses them of this notion. We ourselves who lead others to Christ ought to be wary of some considering us as their savior. We point to one who is mightier.

In Luke’s account, there is a sharp contrast between the prophetic words which John and we Christians must sometimes share with each other and God’s word following the baptism of Jesus, which is affirming and filled with delight. Jesus passes through the waters of chaos to a place of peace and divine favor. Trouble certainly lies ahead, as it does for all of us.
Frank R.


Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Martin Luther claimed that “When Christ was baptized and when we are baptized, there is so far as the act itself is concerned, no difference at all...” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 3, p. 87). The Holy Spirit had a role in Jesus’ baptism, and so likewise in ours. Again, Luther so well describes what the Spirit does and how he uses the baptismal waters: “As a hen broods her eggs, keeping them warm in order to hatch her chicks, and, as it were, to bring them to life through her, so scripture says that the Holy Spirit brooded, as it were, on the waters to bring to life those substances which were to be quickened and adorned. For it is the office of the Holy Spirit to make alive” (Luther’s Works, Vols. 1, 9). 

Using baptism, the Holy Spirit “hatches” us to live the Christian life. With that awareness about the baptismal gospel, we can think of baptism and life with the amazement Luther pictured in one of his sermons: “The gospel should instill such amazement in us that we too would exult and proudly assert: I have been baptized in Christ; there is no doubt, that through the Lord Jesus, I became a lord and can overcome death and sin, and heaven and all creation must serve my best interests” (Complete Sermons, Vol. 5, p. 156).

Despite appearances, life is good and the world is a friendly place for those who have been baptized.
Mark E.


Luke 3:15-17, 21-22
Laurence Olivier, observing his life after playing Hamlet, said, “Once you played it, it will devour you and obsess you for the rest of your life.” During the 400 years since Richard Burbage originated in London the role of the prince of Denmark, it has become the ultimate prize in a sort of eternal Olympics of acting. And all of the actors over those four centuries have come away feeling the same as Laurence Olivier.
Application: When John felt unworthy of being in the presence of Jesus, he probably experienced what the actors of Hamlet felt -- that the encounter will “devour you and obsess you for the rest of your life.”
Ron L.