Words of Welcome

  Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Parents tend to be proud of their children, at least most of the time. We celebrate the big moments in their lives. It can be an award ceremony or a graduation. Cheryl and I would watch with amazement at Brett’s precision marching during half-time shows while playing his tenor sax. Of course, when he graduated from college, we were again tearfully proud. That’s what parents do. According to Luke, God can be a proud parent as well. Today is Baptism of Jesus Sunday, and this morning’s scripture readings speak of parental pride. In Isaiah 43, God says to Israel, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you: I have called you by name, you are mine” ( Isa 43:1 ). I hear in that message a bit of parental pride, especially since a few verses later, God tells the people of Israel they are loved and precious in God’s sight. God says something similar in Luke’s version of Jesus’ baptism.   On this second Sunday of the new year, we celebrate Jesus’ baptism. Whil...

  Lorenzo Scott, Baptism of Jesus Matthew 3:13-17 Who do you think you are? That question might sound a little harsh, but I mean it in a positive way. Since this is Baptism of Jesus Sunday, we get to reflect on Jesus’ baptism as well as our own. In our reading from Matthew 3 this morning, God reveals something important about Jesus, but also about each of us. Paul writes in Romans 6 that baptism allows us to participate in the life of Jesus. So how might the word that God speaks concerning Jesus’ identity at his baptism help us define our own identity? Might we also be numbered among the beloved children of God, with whom God is well pleased? It wasn’t that long ago that we were celebrating the birth of Jesus. We got to sing carols, light candles, and ponder the message of Jesus’ birth. That celebration continued through Friday when the season of Epiphany began with the magi’s visit to the Holy Family. This morning we jump forward several decades. The baby Jesus is now a full...

  Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 In the movie Oh Brother, Where Art Thou, three convicts break free from a chain gang and head off on a journey. Everett, Pete, and Delmar have many interesting encounters and adventures that mirror Homer’s story of Odysseus. Along the way, the trio comes upon a group of people lining up to be baptized in a river.    When Delmar hears the people singing Down to the River to Pray he runs down to the river and jumps to the front of the line so he can be baptized by the preacher without delay. When he rises from the baptismal waters, he believes that he is now a changed man. The old Delmar had been buried with Jesus in the waters of baptism and as he rose with Jesus he was a new creation ( Rom. 6:1-4 ). Filled with joy, he shared the good news with his companions:  Well that's it boys, I been redeemed! The preacher warshed away all my sins and transgressions. It's the straight-and-narrow from here on out and heaven everlasting's my reward! A...

This Armenian Gospel book was produced in (1455 CE) at the monastery of Gamałiēl in Xizan by the scribe Yohannēs Vardapet and was illuminated by the priest Xačʿatur. Mark 1:4-11 What does baptism mean to you? What does your baptism say about who you are as a person? As a Christian? How does it define your identity and the way you live in the world?  You may have heard this before, but I’ve undergone several different baptisms over the years. I’ve been told that the nurses at the Catholic hospital where I was born threw some water on me and blessed me just in case I didn’t make it. A bit later I was officially baptized at St. Luke’s of the Mountains Episcopal Church, where my parents made the appropriate vows to raise me in the faith. Because I wasn’t sure whether any of this had really taken hold, I decided as a teenager to redo things. So, I was immersed in a creek at summer camp. Then there’s that baptism in the Spirit thing that I experienced a bit later.  As you ca...