Becoming (Like) Jesus
March 9, 2025 - April 6, 2025
Luke’s gospel has a more fulsome origin story for Jesus than the other gospels. How does he become the person God intends for him to be?
Growing Up Jesus. What is it like to grow a child into a messiah? And what does it mean that we, too, are growing? “Wisdom” is not something we gain suddenly, but a slow ascent toward maturity that takes our whole life long. (The song referenced at the beginning of the sermon is Sunday Mornings by Susan Werner)
Building on a Legacy. Jesus doesn’t invent his “reign of God” preaching from whole cloth; he builds it on a legacy of teaching and prophecy that comes before him, including from John the Baptist, his single biggest influence. Did they have a friendship before? Did he listen to John’s preaching before the day of his baptism? What did he take from it? What did he leave behind? These are choices we all are making… (As in premarital counseling, when I ask couples to think about what they’ll leave behind in their FOO as they form their new family…)
Double lineage: Born of God, Born of Adam. Where does Jesus come from? From the transcendent God… from the human community of his ancestors… from the cosmic materiality of creation (water, dove) – and these all converge to make him completely human, as are we.