Jan 7, 2013
Focus readings: Acts 8:14–17 Luke 3:15–17, 21–22
I guess the take home message, or the thing for each of us to think about is this. You are a beloved child of God. What makes you one of God’s people is not your family background, or your moral rectitude, it is God’s love, which you receive by faith.
To be a Christian you do not have to obey a complex set of rules, be of a particular race or class, be a Nelson Mandela, a Mother Theresa, a William Wilberforce or a Francis of Assisi, you do not have to be a man or a woman. All you have to be is someone who acknowledges that you are deeply loved by God, and so turns back to God in faith.
Questions for thought or discussion
What makes a person a Christian? Why do you think Jesus was baptised? What is the significance of Jesus receiving the Spirit at his baptism?
For previous sermons on the Baptism of Jesus see 2011 and 2012 efforts.