Episode 769
From Water to Spirit: The Significance of Baptism | Ep 769
In this engaging episode of "Daily Bible Refresh w/ Rev. Dr. Brad Miller," we journey through a meaningful exploration of the baptism of the Lord, offering insights that aim to make Scripture understandable, relatable, and applicable to our daily lives. Hosted by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller, the episode unfolds with deep reflections from the Revised Common Lectionary, focusing on Luke 3:15-17, 21-22. Using the vivid and contemporary language of the Message translation, Dr. Miller brings the sacred text to life, highlighting its enduring relevance.
Dr. Miller begins by setting the context for today’s scripture, emphasizing the powerful moments leading up to and including Jesus’ baptism. As we delve into John the Baptist's prophetic actions and Jesus' transformative experience, several key themes emerge. Through this episode, listeners are encouraged to ponder these critical points and consider practical actions they can take to embody the teachings in their lives.
Takeaway Points:
- The Politics of Liberation: John the Baptist’s message is not just a call for personal moral change but also a profound critique of the socio-political status quo. Dr. Miller elucidates how John’s call for a "clean sweep" extends beyond individual purity to a systemic transformation. This insight challenges us to recognize and confront oppressive systems, advocating for collective liberation and justice.
- Divine Affirmation of Identity: A voice from heaven proclaims Jesus as the beloved. This divine affirmation underscores the inherent dignity and worth of every individual. Dr. Miller highlights how this narrative counters contemporary issues of social rejection and prejudice, reminding us that divine love embraces all people, irrespective of their social, racial, sexual, or gender identity.
- Environmental Sacredness: The imagery of water, sky, and the descending dove in the baptism narrative underscores the sacredness of creation. Dr. Miller draws attention to the environmental implications of this passage, urging us to view environmental justice as integral to our spiritual journey. The interconnectedness of all life through water invites us to actively participate in efforts to protect our environment.
Action Step:
Dr. Miller offers a practical exercise for listeners: a baptismal remembrance. He encourages us to reflect on our daily interactions with water, whether it's washing hands, showering, or drinking. This mindful practice can deepen our connection to the sacredness of creation. Additionally, he urges listeners to engage in community initiatives focused on clean water and environmental justice, fostering a deeper sense of stewardship for our planet.
The episode concludes with a heartfelt prayer, encapsulating the themes discussed and invoking the transforming spirit to guide us in our endeavors for justice, love, and environmental stewardship. Dr. Miller reminds us to claim our identity as beloved individuals, grounded in divine love that renews every morning.
Listeners are also directed to voiceofgoddaily.com, where they can access show notes, transcripts, and a complimentary Bible study guide, making it easier to delve deeper into the Scriptures in a relatable and simple way.
Join Rev. Dr. Brad Miller every morning for the "Daily Bible Refresh" and let the Scriptures inspire and transform your daily life.
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The "Daily Bible Refresh" is presented each day by Rev. Dr. Brad Miller who has a goal of speaking a bit of the bible into two million ears (one million people) in three years (2025-2028).
He is the author of "The A, B, C-1,2,3 Bible Study Guide" Free to you by clicking HERE.
Brad served as a local church pastor for forty years and has a background in radio and podcasting. Moreover, he is a life-long student of The Bible.
He believes in the words of Jesus that “scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21)
The "Daily Bible Refresh" is available seven days a week by 6:00 am ET. The episodes are no longer than ten minutes long and are...
- Understandable: A reading from the New Testament (usually the Gospel) selected from the Revised Common Lectionary using "The Message" translation.
- Relatable: You will have a couple of "points to ponder" from the text which will relate to your life
- Applicable: Every episode includes a way you can take action based on the reading
- A recommended resource to help you go deeper in biblical study and spiritual direction.
- A prayer for your day.
A companion resource to the Voice of God Daily Podcast is the “ABC Bible Study Guide” available by clicking HERE.
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Remember… “All scripture is God-breathed and useful”(2 Timothy 3:16)
Transcript
Hello, good people, and welcome to the daily
Speaker:bible refresh brought to you by voice of
Speaker:god daily.com. My name is doctor Brad
Speaker:Miller, and this is the podcast where we look to offer you
Speaker:a fresh expression regarding the daily
Speaker:reading of the Trimble, of the scriptures. We
Speaker:do so by offering it in under in 3 ways, as
Speaker:an understandable way, relatable, and applicable.
Speaker:It is understandable as that we in as much as we use
Speaker:the revised common lectionary. We're in year c,
Speaker:and today, the particular reading for the day is all about the baptism of
Speaker:the lord. And we read it from the message
Speaker:translation of the bible and the new testament reading only for
Speaker:this day. We make it relatable by offering you a couple of
Speaker:points to ponder to think about regarding this regarding this passage of
Speaker:scripture and applicable by offering you an action
Speaker:step that you can apply to your
Speaker:life. We have a prayer. We do all of this in under 10 minutes.
Speaker:Our particularly our particular reading for the day regarding the
Speaker:baptism of our Lord is from Luke
Speaker:chapter 3. We begin with verses 15 through
Speaker:17, reading from the message. The interest
Speaker:of the people was by now building. They were all beginning to wonder,
Speaker:could this John be the Messiah? But John
Speaker:intervened. I'm baptizing you here in the river.
Speaker:The main character in this drama to whom I'm
Speaker:Amir Stejian will ignite the kingdom life, a
Speaker:fire, the holy spirit within you, changing you from the inside
Speaker:out. He's gonna clean house, make a clean sweep of
Speaker:your lives. He'll place everything true in its proper
Speaker:place before god. Everything else he'll put out with the
Speaker:trash to be burned. It can to
Speaker:continue in the reading with verses 21 and 22.
Speaker:After all the people were baptized, Jesus was baptized.
Speaker:As he was praying, the sky opened up and the Holy Spirit,
Speaker:like a dove descending, came down on him. And along with the
Speaker:spirit, a voice, you are my son,
Speaker:chosen and marked by my love, pride
Speaker:of my life. What a wonderful and powerful
Speaker:imagery we have here about the radical nature of
Speaker:baptism. We have John the Baptist's powerful words
Speaker:and the actual transformative image
Speaker:of Jesus's baptism. Here's a few points to ponder.
Speaker:One of them is the politics of liberation. John gives this message here
Speaker:about clearing house and making a clean sweep, And I
Speaker:don't think that was just about personal morality. It is in the context of the
Speaker:Roman occupation and religious hierarchy. This is
Speaker:a call for systematic change. It reminds us that authentic
Speaker:spirituality sometimes demands challenging
Speaker:oppressive systems and working towards collective
Speaker:liberation. Another point. There is
Speaker:a divine affirmation of identity. There's a voice
Speaker:from heaven declaring that Jesus is the beloved, and it
Speaker:carries with it the profound implications for human dignity.
Speaker:We live in a world where many people face rejection due to their
Speaker:identity, socially, racially,
Speaker:sexually, gender. This story reminds
Speaker:us that divine love transcends human
Speaker:prejudices. Each person is
Speaker:chosen and marked by love. Get that?
Speaker:Every person is chosen and marked by love exactly as they
Speaker:are. And we also have the point here, which I think is important of
Speaker:environmental sacredness. This has to do with the imagery of water.
Speaker:Then the the the image of the sky and the image of a dove
Speaker:descending. This creates a powerful picture of
Speaker:creation and its role in a
Speaker:sacred moment. This passage invites
Speaker:us to see environmental justice as a part of our
Speaker:spiritual imperative. Baptismal waters
Speaker:connect us to rivers and oceans and lakes that are
Speaker:facing pollution and climate crisis.
Speaker:Here's your action step for the day. I would like to invite
Speaker:you, whether you've been baptized or not, to practice
Speaker:baptismal remembrance. That is,
Speaker:how do you personally interact with water?
Speaker:Do you interact with with water by washing your hands or showering or drinking
Speaker:water? Pause to connect
Speaker:to how you connect with water and how that connection with you
Speaker:personally is connected to every living being,
Speaker:which all have water as a commonality
Speaker:through which life happens,
Speaker:and choose something that you can do to be connected to that personally or
Speaker:maybe environmentally in your community. Maybe you can do
Speaker:something about clean water initiatives or environmental
Speaker:justice. Get involved. We're gonna pray
Speaker:in just a moment, but before we do, I want to remind you that we
Speaker:do have a resource for Trimble study as a gift to you
Speaker:from the daily Trimble refresh. You just go to voice of god
Speaker:daily.com. That's our website. In there, you can get the show notes
Speaker:for this particular show, transcript, and other aspects of that
Speaker:which can be helpful to you. And you can get there also our Bible
Speaker:study guide. We call it the ABC 123
Speaker:Bible study United because it simply makes Bible study
Speaker:simple and relatable, as easy as
Speaker:C. You'll find it at voiceofgoddaily.com.
Speaker:Let's pray. Source of living
Speaker:water. We come to you as we are carrying both
Speaker:our certainties and our doubts, our commitments and our questions.
Speaker:Remind us daily that we are your beloved,
Speaker:that our identity is grounded in your unconditional love.
Speaker:Give us courage to challenge systems that harm,
Speaker:wisdom protect your creation, and compassion to see your
Speaker:image in all people. May we be agents of your
Speaker:transforming spirit, creating ripples of justice and love
Speaker:in our communities and in the world.
Speaker:Amen. Well, it's been good to be with you. My name is
Speaker:doctor Brad Miller. It's my pleasure to come to you every morning to
Speaker:hear the daily bible refresh. I'll be with you again tomorrow morning.
Speaker:Until then, remember that God's loyal love doesn't run
Speaker:out. His merciful love hasn't dried up.
Speaker:It's created new every morning.
