Luke 3:7-18
John’s preaching is a gut check back to reality. John, like many hermit preachers of his day, proclaims the Apocalypse with a doom and gloom message, a warning of repentance, a call to change our ways. John is not just hitting the crowds of the poor, of tax collectors and of soldiers with this guilt trip, but his message hits at home with us as well. He might as well be telling us, “Do not say yourselves that you are Christians, or Lutherans, or Germans, or Albertans” because these things are not what save you, these things are not what determine God’s love for us. John lays before us an epic warning of what is to come, and yet John’s preaching is truly standard apocalyptic fair. It is not any different than that of Isaiah or Jeremiah. John is lining up behind the prophets of old in order to hand over the same message about the end of time.
As we hear John the Baptist’s preaching about the coming wrath and judgment, we find ourselves with the crowds asking, “What then should we do?”. How do we get ourselves out of this mess? How do we save our skin from the coming wrath? What follows does not seem like the right recipe. Certainly, John could have given the desperate crowds more. Certainly, the people who have not gotten up and left by this point, the people who have endured John’s radical message deserve to know how to save themselves. And yet John gives advice on how to live together, not salvation. Share with one another, be fair to others, don’t bully your way through life.



The last couple nights out here on the spike, the moon has been very bright and low. Its almost like someone has put a street lamp in the sky. Its nice. When the moon is new, than its almost pitch black out here, even with outdoor house lights or even flashlights.
John 8:31–36
So one of the projects that I decided to undertake for St John. the congregation where I am the pastor, was to create a website. So, I sat down a couple of nights ago and tried to see how far I could get. This is what I came up with. Check it out, and let me know what y’all think!
Medsted*




