He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire

Something strange happens to you when you are away from your home country for a while. The media news that reach you from back home seems to be very sad and chaotic. This is why talking to my son, who is at home, I remarked ‘the news sounds very disturbing’. He replied ‘you are sounding like a foreigner and you have only been away for two weeks’. He went on to say ‘but yes, things have been disturbing’.

It brought to mind this week’s Gospel statement by John the Baptist Luke 3: 10-18 ‘He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his treshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’

Great theologians like Karl Barth have interpreted John’s words as pointing to the in-breaking of God’s kingdom through Christ. The baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire signifies the new creation, where humanity is drawn into the transformative life of God.

This led me to wonder if, in the midst of the seeming bad news, a transformation was ongoing. Today, the world media saturates us with bad news. We fly from one hot spot to another, one injustice to another. And while this is necessary, we can lose hope and believe the sky is falling. Probably this is what John meant when he said, “His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire” (Luke 3:17).

Even in our own lives, we witness a collapse of sorts but also a blossoming in other areas. Transformation is not easy; it requires a breaking down to build up. The metaphor most often used is that of the caterpillar and the butterfly. Within the cocoon, the elements of the caterpillar are broken down, dissolved into mush. Then, imperceptible to the eyes, a new creation is being given birth.

We must be willing to let go of the old to embrace the new—new wine in new wineskins. Just as John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ, we too are called to prepare our hearts for His transformative presence. This Advent season, let us invite the Holy Spirit to kindle the fire of renewal within us, trusting that even through trials, God is bringing about a new creation.

In this time of preparation, may we hold fast to hope, knowing that God’s winnowing is not destruction but purification, separating what is lifeless from what will bear fruit. Let us be the wheat gathered into His barn, ready to be a part of His kingdom of love and light.

As we journey toward Christmas, may we open ourselves to transformation, embracing the fire of the Spirit and the promise of new life. Let us be patient in the cocoon of change, trusting that God is working all things for our good.

Come, Lord Jesus, and make all things new.