What Then Shall We Do?

El Greco - St. John the Baptist

Ah- the new year has begun! At least for the world, Christmas is over. (In the Church, we finish up our celebration this week with Epiphany Sunday.) Our decorations are packed away; our homes are less cluttered; we have returned to our "normal" routines. We are settling in for the long journey of winter - the season where nature rests and anticipates the new burst of life that is spring. 

From my study window at home, I see the forest bare. In the winter, I can see the tiny bit of lake behind our house that is otherwise hiding from view. Such a perspective reminds me that winter is a good season. It gives us a chance to see more clearly and take stock more deeply.

That may be something of what the Gospel of Luke will do for us this winter. At Seneca Presbyterian Church, we will be "with Luke" until the Sunday after Easter, which this year comes very early; only a few weeks into spring. Luke is a Gospel that doesn't hesitate to "lay bare" the realities of our lives and of our souls. It speaks the truth, but it is a truth spoken in love, so it is a truth we can hear and receive.

We see evidence of Luke's reality in the story of John the Baptist, the story that greets us this week. John is the gatekeeper of all the Gospels. In each one of them, we cannot get to Jesus without passing by John. I find Luke's portrait of John the most fascinating and rich of all. In Luke, John truly does hold center stage. (Just take a moment to read Luke 3:1-22.) We hear his preaching and his dialogue with the crowd. We hear his challenge and his fire. Just like the crowd, we are drawn to him - amazingly so. And just like the crowd, we should be changed by him: honestly confessing and tangibly embodying the reality of our salvation.

What then shall we do? It is the crowd's response to John's preaching. 

As we journey through Luke this winter, with the Narrative Lectionary as our guide, can we can make the crowd's question our springboard? 

• ·         What does a disciple do? 
• ·         What does a disciple think and ask? 
• ·         What does a disciple feel and believe?
• ·         Who does a disciple turn to? 
• ·         What does a disciple expect?
• ·         What does a disciple receive? 

 Our journey through Luke should change us if we listen intently and take what we hear to heart and to life. How? By helping us to see and understand and experience the path of authentic discipleship. John’s message and baptism provide just the beginning to that amazing journey of transformation. Jesus will provide us with the follow up challenge. Let's be ready to hear it. 

I invite you to follow along each week, reading what lies between the Sundays so that in the end, we we have taken the complete journey. A schedule is posted under the Reading Plan tab at the side of the page. For this week, the assignment is simple. Read Luke 3:23-4:13.