Matthew
3:13-17 (NASB) 13 Then Jesus arrived
from Galilee at the Jordan coming to
John, to be baptized by him. 14 But
John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do
You come to me?” 15 But Jesus
answering said to him, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill
all righteousness.” Then he *permitted Him.
16 After being baptized, Jesus came
up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and he saw
the Spirit of God descending as a dove and
lighting on Him, 17 and
behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
well-pleased.”
Matthew
17:5 (NASB) While he was still speaking, a bright cloud
overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “ This is My
beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!”
If all goes well this Christmas, when it is all
over we will be left with a warm feeling of well being. Whatever we call this
afterglow of the Christmas season, it is the experience that makes the
frustrations and difficulties of the season worth the effort. And it is this
after Christmas experience that gift giving is all about. The giving and
receiving of gifts feeds a sense of well-being. If we do not have that sense of
well being after Christmas then we feel cheated, and we will be right. For this
is the heart and soul of the Christmas experience.
And the experience is very close to the Good News
that Christmas brings. For God wills and desires that we have a sense of
well-being that leads to living well. There are many words in Scripture that
describe this experience of well being that leads to living well, but the one phrase
that seems to be important to Jesus and popular in the church is being beloved of God. The word beloved simply means one who has received
love. But that simple meaning does not tell the significance of the word. Beloved conveys a sense of well-being
that we are connected to God and have the awareness that we belong to God.
Beloved is a gift that God wants us to have because
it is true and because it is helpful. Hopefully we have received the gift. If
the Heavens have not opened for us, perhaps some people have … parents,
teachers, friends who had had that spark in their eye and that sound in their
voice that told us you are beloved.
Have you heard that message in your heart of hearts
that we call the soul? The God who spoke the message from Heaven came to us in
the flesh to speak that message and to demonstrate its truth and power. God did
this in His Son, Jesus. You are beloved.
Listen to Him.
From a sermon preached by Henry Dobbs Pope December
20, 1992
© Rhonda Hinkle Mitchell Broyles
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