Cousin Crooning

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

You hear the word 'crooning' and you probably think of Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra.  Or maybe you even think of Michael Buble.  A crooner sings with that mellow, smooth voice that makes your heart skip a beat.  And what does that have to do with a wild man who wears animal hides and lives in the wilderness?  Surely, we can't call John the Baptist a crooner...

But, come on now, those famous words sing out to us like a love song don't they? I think they do.
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.

He goes into some stuff just after that about separating the wheat from the chaff that sounds more like a soundtrack to a Stephen King film than a love song, but there is something about that announcement he gives to the people that compels us to listen to his words, just like we feel pulled into a crooner's song.
He is in love with the very idea of his cousin, Jesus, coming to the world as a Savior, as one who will baptize us with the Spirit.  John sets the stage, puts the needle on the record, allows us to get in the mood to await the One who comes to save us.

Words matter. We talked in Free Thinkers this morning about the way what words you choose to use are vitally important to the message you are trying to convey.   In this interpretation of the gospel of Luke, we have the words 'powerful' and 'Holy Spirit' and 'fire,' among others, to set a tone of the energy that is coming with the arrival of the Savior.

John sings to us a powerful message, telling us we better get ready for something unlike anything we have ever seen before.  What song lyrics would you write to convey how you feel about Jesus and what faith in the Divine is brought to your life?  What lyrics would you write to convey how you feel about your struggles in the faith?  Croon your own song.  Email me or comment below.