Luke 3:15-17, 21-22: "He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

John answered all of them by saying, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

Luke's gospel asks us to see the connection between baptism and the fearless prophetic calling of John the Baptist. John was so outspoken and so effective in challenging the ruling powers of his society that they saw his growing influence as a threat. In fact, the verses omitted from the middle of today's lesson (Luke 3:18-20) tell us that Herod decided to silence John, shutting off his dangerous truth-telling by locking him up in prison. Later, of course, Herod would have him killed. In this context, just think how frightened people like Herod must have been by John's promise that he would be followed by a much more powerful prophet, one whose followers would be baptized not only with water, but with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Clearly there was something revolutionary about baptism at that time– and there still is, if we stop to think about it. Our baptismal vows demand that we take sides, pledging allegiance to Christ's Lordship above the claims of all other leaders and power structures. When we promise to "follow and obey Him as our Lord" and to "put our whole trust in His grace and love," we commit ourselves to follow in His dangerous footsteps (and those of John the Baptist), speaking out against injustice even if that puts us at odds with the powers-that-be– or with our own families, friends, and neighbors. We can do this with courage, for we have been "sealed by the Holy Spirit in Baptism and marked as Christ's own forever."