Our worship this Sunday will be rooted in the Celebration of Baptism. The United Methodist Hymnal introduces the covenant of Baptism in this way:
The Baptismal Covenant is God’s word to us, proclaiming our adoption by grace and our word to God, promising our response of faith and love…Baptism is an act that looks back with gratitude on what God’s grace has already accomplished, it is here and now an act of God’s grace, and it looks forward to what God’s grace will accomplish in the future.
Mark’s Gospel records the story of Jesus’ baptism in Chapter 1.9-11:
9 In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved;* with you I am well pleased.’
Take some time to reflect upon your own Baptism. Who was present? What was it like? Where did it happen? What significance, if any, was placed upon it? For those who haven’t been Baptized, what might Baptism hold for you in the future?
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