It’s the beginning of a new year. This is the time for us to lay out our expectations, hopes, and
On January 9 & 10, we will be celebrating the Baptism of the Lord, and in the 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship service we will be installing new officers. In preparing for those worship services, it struck me how much the vows we take at baptism sound like resolutions.
I then began to wonder what would happen if we made our baptismal vows into resolutions for 2016? What if we took a few moments each day to consider our baptismal vows? What kind of affect might that have on our lives? In what ways would these sort of resolutions change your approach to the coming year?
As we begin 2016, you are invited to spend a few moments each day, or week, or however often it feels right to you, to contemplate the vows taken in baptism and to pray about living them out. The baptism vows listed here have been rewritten in the form of a statement or resolution:
In 2016, I resolve to trust in the gracious mercy of God, to turn from the ways of sin and renounce evil and its power in the world.
I resolve to turn to Jesus Christ and accept him as my Lord and Savior, trusting in his grace and love.
I resolve, with God’s help, to be Christ’s faithful disciple, obeying his Word and showing his love.
I resolve, with God’s help, to be a faithful member of this congregation, share in its worship and ministry through prayers and gifts, study and service, and so fulfill my calling to be a disciple of Jesus Christ.
Plan to be in worship on January 9 & 10 to celebrate the Baptism of the Lord and to contemplate your own baptismal vows. And be sure to let Pastor Susan or me know what the experience of regularly contemplating these vows is like and how it affects your faith journey in 2016.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jim
No comments:
Post a Comment