1-10-16: Called by Name, Called by Love

Scripture: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

On this Baptism of the Lord Sunday we encounter water, fire and Spirit. Through these means, God names and claims us. This day reminds us that we belong to God in a deep and intimate way. God loves us with a fierce tenderness, no matter what. God claims us as God’s own. This identity—sealed in water through baptism, sealed in fire through testing, sealed by the Spirit through growth and rebirth—this identity is transforming and calling us forth. Our only authentic response is one of love—love of God and of God’s people. If we do this, we will never be the same, and the world will never be the same. See you Sunday.

Yours on the journey,

Pastor B.J.