Celtic Odyssey

Luke 4.14-21 (CEB; adapted): [1] 14 Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit to Galilee, and news about him spread throughout the whole countryside. 15 He taught in their synagogues and was praised by everyone. 16 Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been raised. On the Sabbath he went to the synagogue as he normally did and stood up to read. 17 The synagogue assistant gave him the scroll from the prophet Isaiah. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,     because the Lord has anointed me. The Lord has sent me to preach good news to the poor,     to proclaim release to the prisoners     and recovery of sight to the blind,     to liberate the oppressed, 19      and to proclaim the year of God’s favor. 20 He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the synagogue assistant, and sat down. Every eye in the synagogue was fixed on him. 21 He began to explain to them, “Today, this scripture has been fulfille

I could barely walk down the sidewalk what with all the people scampering about. They were all running in the opposite direction from where I was wanting to go. I felt like I was swimming upstream. It reminded me of an old 1950’s horror movie. When I finally made it to our storefront church building — we had start really growing over the last couple of years and needed a larger space — the place was packed and it was standing room only. I made my way through the crowd and found a place next to Mary. “What’s all the commotion about?” I asked. “We got word that there are around 600 - 700 white supremacists marching in the town square,” she replied. My stomach sank. Sam, one of our deacons, was asked to come to the platform and tell us what he experienced. “In the forty years I’ve lived in this community, I’ve never seen anything like it. They were all wearing their red caps and chanting.” As I turned to leave, something came over me. I started wailing like a man possessed.

John 2.1-11(CEB): [1] 1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, and 2 Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the celebration. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They don’t have any wine.” 4 Jesus replied, “Woman, what does that have to do with me? My time hasn’t come yet.” 5 His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” 6 Nearby were six stone water jars used for the Jewish cleansing ritual, each able to hold about twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water,” and they filled them to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some from them and take it to the headwaiter,” and they did. 9 The headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine. He didn’t know where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. The headwaiter called the groom 10 and said, “Everyone serves the good wine first. They bring out the second-rate wine only when the gu

Luke 3.15-17, 21-22 (CEB; adapted): [1] 15 The people were filled with expectation, and everyone wondered whether John might be the Christ. 16 John replied to them all, “I baptize you with water, but the one who is more powerful than me is coming. I’m not worthy to loosen the strap of his sandals. He’ll baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 The shovel he uses to sift the wheat from the husks is in his hands. He’ll clean out his threshing area and bring the wheat into his barn. But he’ll burn the husks with a fire that can’t be put out.” 21 When everyone was being baptized, Jesus also was baptized. While Jesus was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit came down on him in bodily form like a dove. And there was a voice from heaven: “You’re my Son, whom I dearly love; in you I find happiness.” Other readings: Isaiah 43.1-7; Psalm 29; Acts 8.14-17                                     What do we think about baptism? How do we understand it? A long time ago,