Luke
and Matthew give us a few details about what happened after Jesus’ birth:
Jesus’ presentation at the temple, the arrival of Persian scholars, the
escape from Herod, an episode when Jesus was 12.
But all four Gospels record right away one central event, Jesus’
baptism.
At
that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the
Jordan.
10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love;
with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11 (NIV2011)
10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love;
with you I am well pleased.” Mark 1:9-11 (NIV2011)
This event marks Jesus as God’s chosen Son, chosen as God’s delight and for God’s mission on earth. Three years later He told his followers to baptize others, signifying that they too are chosen sons and daughters of God in whom God delights, chosen for a mission in this world.
On
Sunday January 26 we will conduct a service of baptism renewal and renewal of
commitment to the CLC family and its mission to reach the community and beyond
for Jesus Christ.
As
preparation for this service of renewal, we will begin a
21 day fast on January 5th and end the fast on January 26th.
I encourage you to choose something that gets in the way of your love of
God and love of people and give it up for three weeks, during which time you
practice “walking away” from that “idol”, whatever it is, and seek to
move more intentionally toward Jesus.
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