John not only pointed towards Jesus, he also told us that things would change gear significantly when Jesus came on the scene. John would baptise in water. Jesus would do it with the Holy Spirit. Keep in mind that the Greek word 'baptise' means to be totally sunk in (hence our preference for full immersion!). With Jesus we can be sunk in all who God is: Father, Son and Spirit.
Recently we've seen river and tidal flooding across the country. Its a scary thing: furniture or even cars are swept around, things dislocated. The Spirit's coming can be like a flood: when He comes it can seem disconcerting, things happening we wouldn't normally expect, surprising us, maybe even worrying us as to what is actually taking place.
Yet whilst we have seen on the news how a water flood leaves destruction and ruin, the flood of the Spirit is quite different. When things have settled back down we find that the coming of the Spirit has brought healing, restoration and good things to a person's life. The moment of that work can bring out stuff deep within us, occasionally in a noisy fashion, but the result is release, peace and purpose.
So the baptism of the Spirit is not something to be afraid of. Quite the opposite, in fact, something to be welcomed and invited. Let us look for Jesus and his baptism just as John did.
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