A Famine Not of Bread

"The Baptism of Jesus" by James Tissot Click here to listen to this sermon. Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:13–17). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! God’s plan for your salvation, first decreed in Genesis 3, has reached a milestone with the incarnation of His Son. Conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary, He takes on human flesh. At eight days of age, He is made a son of Abraha...

Click here to listen to this sermon.   “And when Jesus was baptized, immediately He went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on Him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17). 

"Flight into Egypt" by Jean-Francois Millet Click to listen to this sermon. Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy Him.” And he rose and took the Child and His mother by night and departed to Egypt and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt I called my son.” Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men.   Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah: “A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she...

"St. John the Baptist Preaching" by Salvator Rosa Click here to listen to this sermon. [John the Baptist said:] “I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Matthew 3:11). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Our Advent journey began last week with Jesus headed into Jerusalem on a donkey on Palm Sunday. Today we back up a few years and take a detour through the Jordan where Jesus began His public ministry in baptism, much as we begin our discipleship in Holy Baptism. The way of the Lord is a rigorous one because we always journey “in Christ.” But we know where we are going, and we know who we are. In this second week of Advent, we remind ourselves that we have been baptized with the Holy Spirit for a life of repentance. We will soon celebrate Christ’s birth in Bethlehem, but already on these f...

"The Baptism of Christ" by Leonardo Da Vinci Click here to listen to this sermon. “Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented Him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?’ But Jesus answered Him, ‘Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness’ (Matthew 3:13-14). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It all started at the Jordan. Clothed in camel hair and leather, eating locusts and wild honey, John was the very picture of the prophet Elijah, who had called Israel to repentance in the days of King Ahab. The people who flocked out into the wilderness believed he was the forerunner of the Messiah, as Malachi had foretold. John identified himself as the “voice of one crying in the wilderness.” Centuries before, Isaiah had predicted such a messenger would appear to “prepare the way for the Lord” (40:3). And so, John preached his ...

"John the Baptist Preaching" by Rembrandt Click here to listen to this sermon. But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matthew 3:7-8). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! John the Baptist is preaching in the wilderness of Judea, down by the Jordan River. This is a big deal. And Matthew wants you to realize this, so he gives you some of John’s credentials. John is the fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 40:3, “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; make His paths straight.’” John is there to flatten mountains and fill valleys, to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah—and the saving comfort that He brings. John’s wardrobe and diet is as coarse as his demeanor: a robe of camel’s hair and a leather belt tied around his waist, loc...