“We are having guests!”, that one sentence puts the whole house on high alert: cleaning, shopping, one last wipe of the dust. But how would we prepare for the visit of a Guest who knows us better than anyone else, including what is hidden in our closed drawers? This sermon from the third chapter of Luke’s Gospel (Luke 3) presents John the Baptist as a herald announcing the coming of the King and calling for fruit worthy of repentance. Listen and decide for yourself who this Guest is to you, the one no one can simply pass by unmoved.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- Luke carefully lists Emperor Tiberius, Pilate, Herod, Annas and Caiaphas, and then says the word of God came to John in the wilderness. What does this contrast tell us about how God works?
- John calls Jews to a baptism that was used to bring Gentiles into Israel, and says that having Abraham as father is not enough. Why was this call so humbling for its first hearers?
- The crowd, tax collectors and soldiers ask John, "What should we do?" and he answers very concretely. What would fruit in keeping with repentance look like in your own work, home or circle?
- The sermon warns that Sunday services, small groups or prayer can become for us what descent from Abraham was for the Jews. What are you tempted to rely on instead of a real change of life?
- At Jesus' baptism the Father says, "You are my beloved Son", and Luke traces the genealogy all the way back to Adam. What do these two pictures tell us about who Jesus is and whom He came for?
- The speaker compares Jesus to a guest who looks into every drawer and every room of our lives. Which "drawer" do you want to put in order this week, and how can we support you?
