Pennyrile Church of Christ

06/17/2026

06/17/2026

“They Are My People”

Matthew 3:13-17

Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfil all righteousness." Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased."
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Misreading the Bible leads us to some very strange questions. Ones that the Bible does not answer because the writers of the Bible could never have imagined the sort of distortion their spiritual descendants would be capable of arguing. If we read the books of the Bible as they were written and not piecemeal, we might find much more texture to our faith – and more resilience.

As Matthew is walking us through who Jesus is “according to the Law and the Prophets”, we see him coming from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. We see the humility of both Jesus and John as they argue over who should be baptizing whom. Jesus wins – he always does.

Here we see confirmed a primary reason for baptism – “to fulfil all righteousness.” This is sandwiched between the preaching of John and of Jesus that “the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” This is Jesus declaring that he is bringing the kingdom of heaven to earth – it is here! Jesus is identifying with a rebellious and sinful people.
Was Jesus baptized for the forgiveness of sin as Peter states in Acts 2:38? Well – sort of. Not his sin, but he is identifying with a sinful and rebellious people. He is part of the nation, and his baptism makes him part of the probl... nope... the solution! After Jesus emerges from the water, God speaks loudly and clearly – “This is my beloved son, with whom I am well-pleased.”

Paul uses different words for the same idea in 2 Corinthians 5:20-21, “So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We beseech you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

The writer of Hebrews (also telling us who Jesus is) is more explicit in 2:11-12, quoting Psalm 22:22. “For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying,
"I will proclaim thy name to my brethren,
in the midst of the congregation I will praise thee."

Jesus is declaring his allegiance to God and the Kingdom of Heaven – he no longer answers to Herod or Rome. And yet, he is identifying with us! He is bringing the Kingdom of Heaven here! Perhaps we should listen to him.

The message of Jesus’ baptism as identifying with a fractious and difficult people should shout to believers who believe the “hypocrites” or “sinners” or . . . choose any adjective to describe those whom you do not deem worthy to share worship – “stop it!” If Jesus can identify with me or you, surely you and I are not too good to identify with . . . anyone. This is counter-cultural and as radical as anything we can do – offensive even. (And I find it nearly impossible for me to do.)

Jesus did this and did not compromise the law one bit. He demanded much of those who followed him but barred the door to no one. He is our older brother.

Prayer: Thank you God for Jesus, the one who brought salvation down to us. The one who identifies with us as we walk in this world. The one with whom you are well pleased. Thank you for showing us the kingdom of heaven and help us to work with your will, that it will be done.

Reflection: If Jesus was not ashamed to stand with us, call us his people, and enter our story in order to fulfill all righteousness, how might I imitate him by stepping toward others — especially the flawed, the overlooked, or the difficult — in a way that declares, “These are my people too”?

Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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06/17/2026

Jon Partlow will be speaking tonight for Summer Series at 6:30 PM.

06/16/2026

Holy Spirit or Fire?

Matthew 3:7-12
But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bear fruit that befits repentance, and do not presume to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father'; for I tell you, God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham. Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. "I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
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By the time Matthew’s Gospel was being read in the gatherings of God’s people in Antioch, Jerusalem, Damascus, and the region, the force and truth of John’s message would have been felt. They now understood the message of what it meant to be baptized with either the Holy Spirit or fire. The fire here is not the powerful confirming message of Acts 2. Here, it is judgment. One would have only needed to visit the ruins of the temple to understand that.

When we read “unquenchable” perhaps we should think “irresistible.” I would not argue that John is talking about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem but these lines from Josephus describing the sacking of Jerusalem are fascinating, “One of the soldiers, without waiting for any orders and without any concern for the consequences, snatched a brand from the burning timber and, hoisting it up, hurled the flaming missile through a low golden window.” [And when Titus saw the flames,] “Titus ran to the Temple and shouted to the soldiers to quench the fire.” (Jewish War 6.252-4).

The incident between John and “the establishment” is a precursor to the near-constant conflict Jesus would have with the “Pharisees and Sadducees.” We should be careful, however, in condemning them. I suspect that most Christians today would feel right at home being among the Pharisees. I suspect that most Christian politicians and businesspeople would have been an important part of the party of Sadducees. They were a varied group of people, as we learn from the rest of the New Testament. We know that many of the Pharisees were believers and I suspect even a few of the Sadducees would have been won over as well.

We will only feel the force of John’s message if we understand that we are the Pharisees and Sadducees. We are part of “the brood of vipers” who are destined for judgment. We may think that we aren’t because of our Christian heritage, or because we go to church, or are generous – that we somehow can stake our claim to the kingdom of heaven because of who we are.

That, according to John, is not the measure. The measure is to repent and then act like one who has repented. Bearing fruit here is not production. It is transformation followed by actions that demonstrate a transformed life. There is plenty of doing involved, but the source is not from self-righteousness. It is from allowing ourselves to be bathed in the Spirit of God. The alternative – being bathed in judgment. Those who heard Matthew’s Gospel read for the first time knew exactly what John meant – they had seen it unfold before their eyes.

Prayer: To the God who offers forgiveness, we thank you for the transforming power of your Spirit. Help us to understand who we are without repentance. Help us to stop assuming we are the heroes and the righteous in the gospel story so that we can better hear what you are saying to us.

Reflection: Where in my life am I relying on heritage, habit, or assumed righteousness instead of the fruit that comes from true repentance? How might opening myself to the Spirit’s transforming work become an invitation for others to do the same?

Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

06/15/2026

Why Repent?!

Matthew 3:1-6

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
"The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight."
Now John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. Then went out to him Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan, and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins.

I have had the experience in my life when I thought, “Why bother, it isn’t going to make any difference.” It is as though the effort to do or say the right thing is too tiring, too taxing, or appears to cost too much. In a world where injustice often has the upper hand and those who are supposed to be looking out for others are corrupt, going along with the “system” is the path of least resistance. Sometimes survival depends upon it.

Even when things are going well for most people, there are others who are living in circumstances that make doing the right thing nearly impossible. Even if they did, what next? We tend to focus on the first word of John’s message to the people who came to hear him in the wilderness. Shouting “Repent!” is not that hard – especially for those who are self-righteous enough to have a list of what needs repenting. There are plenty of places today to go to hear that we should repent or go to hell if we don’t.

There are certainly dire consequences for not repenting – judgment, for one. Jesus did say, twice, in Luke 13, “. . . unless you repent, you will likewise perish.” But, taken as a whole, repentance in the New Testament has as least as much – I would say more – to do with turning toward life and forgiveness than fearfully turning from “fire and brimstone.”

Whatever one may think, it is noteworthy that the first cry of repentance in the New Testament is followed by the most fantastic message of hope ever delivered – “. . . for the kingdom of heaven has come near!” Jesus’ call to repentance in 4:17 is word for word what John says here. This was a threat to the establishment, just as it was to Herod. More importantly, it was a reason for those who had long been groaning for the promised Messiah to repent.

It is much more promising to turn toward hope than away from a series of bad decisions. It is not a distant hope. It is near to us. There are clear expectations of what it means to live in that hope – but it is now possible to join others who declare that Jesus is King. Now there is a path that makes it worth the effort and the sacrifice. We follow the one who made all the difference as we join him in his kingdom, which is still making a difference.

Prayer: To the God who sent his kingdom to us, thank you for the opportunity to turn toward you. Thank you for giving us hope and a reason to repent of our sin. Keep our hearts and our minds on you as we live in hope and do our part to be expressions of your kingdom here on earth.

Reflection: How is a posture of hope — turning toward the nearness of God’s kingdom rather than shouting about people’s failures — an invitation for others to see that repentance is not condemnation, but the doorway into life?

Scripture quotations are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, and 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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