Baptized with Spirit and Fire: Jesus’ Burning Call

There are truths we believe we know—truths we’ve heard countless times, sung in our hymns, and recited in our confessions of faith. But sometimes, these familiar truths strike us with renewed force, like a sudden light piercing darkness, or like embers we thought dead suddenly flaring to life beneath the ashes. In Luke 3:15-17 and 21-22, we find John the Baptist speaking with characteristic boldness. His words aren’t meant to flatter or persuade; they announce and warn. He points to One “more powerful than I,” whose sandals he declares himself unworthy to untie. Then he proclaims something remarkable—something that shatters...