URC Daily Devotion 27 November 2024

St Luke 3: 21 – 22

Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.’

Reflection

So far in Luke’s Gospel, we’ve seen the Holy Spirit come upon Mary, Elizabeth, John, Zechariah, and Simeon. John the Baptist has prepared the way for Jesus, promising a baptism of the Holy Spirit, and now, as Jesus is baptised, the Holy Spirit descends like a dove and Jesus hears these wonderful words of affirmation.

If we’re honest, don’t we long to hear such words spoken over us? The good news is that in Christ, and through the Spirit coming to dwell within us, we can be adopted into God’s family too (see Romans 8:9-17). We can become sons and daughters of the living God. As Paul makes clear in Ephesians 1:3-14, we have been abundantly blessed, chosen, loved, predestined, adopted and redeemed in Christ – and the Spirit is the “deposit guaranteeing our inheritance.” So the Spirit is the presence and love of God, poured out into our hearts (Romans 5:5), reminding us both who we are (beloved sons and daughters) – and whose we are (God’s).

This is wonderful, but as Jesus will soon experience, God’s affirmation and Holy Spirit do not guarantee an easy path through life. In just a few verses, the Spirit will lead Jesus into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The Spirit leads Jesus to a place of extreme thirst and hunger, where his very identity, authority and protection will be challenged. But, the Spirit is clearly at work through this, for after resisting the devil’s attacks, we read, “Then Jesus, filled with the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee…He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.” Perhaps there’s some spiritual arithmetic here: Affirmation + Temptation = Effective Ministry and Mission. Like Christ, God blesses us – and allows us to be tested – that we might be a blessing to others.

Prayer

Holy Spirit, you stirred the waters of creation,
and you stir our hearts with your love.
We praise you for every spiritual blessing we have received:
that we are chosen, loved, predestined, adopted and redeemed in Christ.  
In every situation, remind us that we are beloved sons and daughters,
and help us to stand firm in your grace and truth when we face temptation.
In our blessedness, may we bless others, to your glory.
Amen