How are you, mom and dad making out with your Bible reading? I know it is sometimes really hard to get into the habit of reading each day. I often wonder why bad habits form so easily while good ones seem so hard? But then I remember that sin thing ... and it all makes sense.
Adda, Zach and Aunt Cathy have picked three songs to play as we gather to worship God ... hope you like them?
For the next little while, we need to walk through your Baptism – which will follow a very old and beautiful liturgy. I really hope that mom and dad, your godparents, your grandparents, Adda and the worship team, Aunt Cathy, and Victoria will all be ok with the bits of the service they have been asked to do. I hope your Great Uncle is ready as well!
Ok – so the first thing to know is that your Baptism will be part of a Eucharist (sorry, fancy name for Communion) service.
Why? Well, because Baptism and Eucharist are sacraments given us by Jesus, each directing us to our salvation in Him. One might say Baptism is the first step on the Eucharistic path.
In Baptism, as we have said, we are embraced in Christ and we are made alive in Him – we realize our life in His crucifixion and resurrection. Baptism places us within God’s covenant people, His Church. If we say Baptism is the first step (or at least an “early” public step) toward being who God created us to be, then the Eucharist is our encouragement and nourishment on that journey. In the Eucharist we surrender ourselves, our souls, and bodies to God. In the Eucharist we lay down all that we are in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. In the Eucharist we continue our journey after Christ; we deny our self and we take up the Cross and we follow Him. In the Eucharist we lose our self in His death and passion so that we are made alive in Him – we lose our life for His sake so that we will find life. If this sounds familiar it is because we said all of this about Baptism!
So, Baptism within Eucharist is simply a natural celebration of God’s work in us and passion for us from beginning to end. You might say they are two sides of the same coin ...
Here is the last song chosen to open our worship together …
Be blessed,
Why? Well, because Baptism and Eucharist are sacraments given us by Jesus, each directing us to our salvation in Him. One might say Baptism is the first step on the Eucharistic path.
In Baptism, as we have said, we are embraced in Christ and we are made alive in Him – we realize our life in His crucifixion and resurrection. Baptism places us within God’s covenant people, His Church. If we say Baptism is the first step (or at least an “early” public step) toward being who God created us to be, then the Eucharist is our encouragement and nourishment on that journey. In the Eucharist we surrender ourselves, our souls, and bodies to God. In the Eucharist we lay down all that we are in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. In the Eucharist we continue our journey after Christ; we deny our self and we take up the Cross and we follow Him. In the Eucharist we lose our self in His death and passion so that we are made alive in Him – we lose our life for His sake so that we will find life. If this sounds familiar it is because we said all of this about Baptism!
So, Baptism within Eucharist is simply a natural celebration of God’s work in us and passion for us from beginning to end. You might say they are two sides of the same coin ...
Here is the last song chosen to open our worship together …
t HE
Wednesday, January 18, 2017
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