Luke 3:15-22

This passage occurs in the RCL Epiphany Season, Year C, most recently January 2021.

Summary:  I get why the lectionary dismisses vs 18-20.  However, I would encourage you to add them back in.  John ended up in prison; all those who come near the waters of Baptism risk their health and life.  This is perhaps why Baptism for Luke is so tied to prayer -- because where there is Baptism, there is the cross, and where there is the cross, there will be prayer.  I also recognize why the lectionary separates out Jesus Baptism from Jesus' temptation.  But again, this is highly problematic because it robs Baptism of its fundamental character:  entrance into the Spiritual warfare of Christ against all evil in the world including in ourselves.

Four sermon ideas based on the Greek:
What are you waiting for?
3:15 Luke here uses the word, προσδοκωντος, (participle for of προσδοκαω) for "wait" or "expect." Interestingly, Luke uses this word a whole bunch (6x in Luke; 4x in Acts), far more often than anyone else. In this case though, the people are not waiting for Jesus, per se, but rather the Messiah, and wondering whether John would be it. Perhaps a reminder and a challenge -- what are we waiting for?  Jesus shows up when we were expecting something and offers us REAL life.

Power of prayer:
3:21 Once again the Gospel of Luke, we find Jesus praying. The word "praying" is here a present participle (προσευχομενου), which means it is a concurrent action.

[Note: I have modified a previous post because I've learned more about the grammar at hand].  The way the participles line up, Jesus is baptized, starts praying and continued to pray as these other events happen.  But don't let the grammar get in the way of the big point:  Jesus first act after baptism is prayer!  Prayer is bound up with Baptism for Luke.  You might even say that it "activates" Baptism; prayer brings us back to Baptism, to the waters.  Prayer opens heaven to us!

The word baptize is used four times in a few verses here. I think Luke wants to draw our attention to the actual action. Perhaps to tie it back to prayer, because of the act of Baptism, we always hear the answer to our own prayers: That we are a beloved child of God and brother of Jesus Christ, claimed in the waters.

Incarnation of the Spirit:
3:22 At Christmas we celebrate the incarnation of the flesh; in Baptism we celebrate the incarnation of the Spirit! The Holy Spirit fleshed itself -- it came "σομα" (soma; body) style!  The Spirit again become flesh in our Baptism into the body of Christ.

A fourth bonus: God's work of cleansing

διακαθαραι:  to thoroughly cleanse
παρακαλων ευηγγελιζετο: comforting/encouraging as he proclaimed the Gospel.

For John the Baptist, the idea that God is going to cleanse us is Good News.  This seems like the opposite of good news, this talk of things being cast in the fire!  Option 1:  See this as Good News in that God is going to take us, the chosen and beloved.  Sucks for others.  Option 2:  Or we can see this (through a Lutheran lens) that each person has wheat and chaff.  The sinner must be put to death in the waters of Baptism!  The end game is a cleansing for each of us though!