Sunday will be a very special day!!
We
will worship at 9:00 and after worship we will have the opportunity to browse
the 50+ Community, Service and Outreach Groups of CLC and plug into where
God’s place of belonging and growth for each of us in 2014
will be.
will be.
The
Message will be God’s Greatest Adventure.
At the conclusion of the message you will have the opportunity to renew
your baptismal vows if you wish. Here’s
what doing so means.
1.
Baptism
means “to immerse”. The
water on your forehead will symbolize your having been immersed in the
cleansing waters of God’s forgiveness and your having emerged cleansed,
forgiven, and in God’s eyes “just-as-if-you-never-sinned”.
The old is gone and the new has come.
“Or didn't you realize we packed up
and left there for good? That is what happened in baptism.
When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of
the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That's what
baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of
Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is
raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new
grace-sovereign country. Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with
Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we
believe is this: we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his
life-saving resurrection." Romans 6:3-8 (MSG)
When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of
the water, we entered into the new country of grace—a new life in a new land! That's what
baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of
Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is
raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we're going in our new
grace-sovereign country. Could it be any clearer? Our old way of life was nailed to the Cross with
Christ, a decisive end to that sin-miserable life—no longer at sin's every beck and call! What we
believe is this: we get included in Christ's sin-conquering death, we also get included in his
life-saving resurrection." Romans 6:3-8 (MSG)
2.
Baptism
renewal is much like the renewal of your wedding vows.
It is a recommitment to the one I have chosen to love forever.
But it is also a remembering.
It is remembering that the one to Whom you are recommitting is the one
who Himself has made a covenant in His own blood to never leave or forsake you.
Philippians 3:12b relates this to how we should live on a daily basis.
3.
It
is also a sign of who you are,
your actual identity. You were
born into a family and given a last name.
In Baptism you were reborn into a new family whose Father is God.
Your baptism is the sign or marker that you are a son or daughter of God
and that your ultimate home will on the New Earth with God your Father and
Christ, your Brother, Savior, and Lord.
Baptism
is not magic. The acts of
initial baptism and baptism renewal are signs.
They are the sign and symbol of what God has done for you, is doing for
you, will do for you and, ultimately, will have done for you.
It’s all God. Therefore
baptism is a sign that you proudly wear by living in gratitude to God who has
first loved and chosen you.
Pretty
amazing isn’t it? I’m
looking forward to being with you on Sunday!
For
more:
follow on Twitter @jefflampl
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