Tuesday, January 13, 2015

The Baptism of the Lord

Well, there has been another death in our family.  Four siblings have passed away in the last two years or so.  I hate to see it.  We've had other family members pass away in this time as well.  It just seems like so much.  We've also lost a few friends too.  It just seems so crazy to me.  Every time I turn around, someone has died.  It's just so sad for those of us left behind.

This past Sunday was The Baptism of the Lord Sunday.  I had the pleasure of being able to share a sermon with a lovely congregation in Kansas City.  I spoke on baptism and what it means in the United Methodist Church.  We took time to remember our baptism, to reflect on the baptism of Jesus. We remembered, and I think, feel renewed in the Christian Family.  We remembered that as Christians we get our identity from Christ, not society.  We remembered that in baptism we "put on Christ" and become a new person.  We remembered that through baptism we receive the Holy Spirit and that He is at work in us.  We remembered that through baptism, we enter into a covenant with God to use our gifts to strengthen the church and to transform the world.   We remembered that we are children of God and he loves us.

This was so comforting to me as I face a difficult week.

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