Baptism of Our Lord

Baptism of Our Lord Accepting the Invitation 1/4 & 7/07

God has committed Himself to us! God gave us His Only Begotten Son at Christmas, although we more often associate this with Good Friday and/or Easter. God has committed Himself to us and God desires our personal response, this day and every day to come! God created us in His own image; God gave us His Son, whose birth we have celebrated; God gave us the gift of this new day and this new year; God has provided for us, and through us, this beautiful facility on these 35 acres; God prepares and presents for us the holy supper we receive as Holy Communion; God continues to provide us the privilege, the power, and the promise of prayer; God has brought from nothing this created world; God continues daily to provide for us the gift of His Holy Spirit, whose very latest accomplishment is gathering us together for this time of worship!

God has committed Himself to us and we, each of us, are invited, encouraged, yea, required to respond. We either accept God’s proposal for a loving relationship that nothing in life nor death can sever…or, we fail to respond, thereby rejecting the offer. God, through the life, death, and resurrection of His Son and, now, by the prompting of the Holy Spirit, invites all the earthly world into His heavenly kingdom! Have you received God’s invitation? Have you accepted God’s invitation?

We have a wonderful ministry here at Grace most every Wednesday evening, beginning at 6 p.m. We call it our WHOA dinner, with these 4-letters serving as an acronym for “Wednesdays Have Opportunities for All!” The truth of this acronym will apply all the more as we move our Thursday evening worship to Wednesday evenings this coming March. Cathy Brink, the “master chef” of our WHOA dinner ministry, puts together and publicizes the menus, purchases and prepares and presents the food, and does so with such ease and grace. I take this opportunity to say before God, “Thanks to Cathy for her faith and her faithful service!” What do our WHOA dinners have to do with the kingdom of God? Namely:

1) Everyone is invited!

2) All who accept the invitation are glad they did!

3) There is plenty for everyone!

4) The fellowship and provisions are great!

5) Most of the work is done for us, rather than by us!

6) The atmosphere is one of celebration and happiness!

With all of these similarities between our WHOA dinners and God’s invitation to follow His Son through the power of His Holy Spirit, there is one critical difference. With our WHOA dinners you can just show up…no response nor reservation is required…we never know how many are coming because no prior commitment is requested. Not so with God’s kingdom! God extends His invitation to everyone of every age and generation, but we each must indicate our desire to be included. We do not turn anyone away from our WHOA dinners simply because we did not know they were coming. On the other hand, if God does not have clear indication of our intention and desire to be with Him…in this life after birth and in the next life after death…we may well find ourselves shut out of the party! God makes His commitment and extends to all an invitation to be His family, His children, and His people. But, all who plan simply to show up at the Kingdom doors one day, having seldom or never “darkened the church doors” nor opened their hearts to the love of Jesus…will sadly be turned away. So, what’s a major difference between attending a Wednesday evening dinner at Grace and entering the kingdom of God? Unlike Cathy Brink, God wants to know of our plans to join Him and God would like to know today!

Many are “moved” by the emotional outburst from the highest heavens at the moment of Jesus’ Baptism. “Heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended upon (Jesus) in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3: 21-22) How great is that?! Jesus is baptized and God the Father cannot keep silent!

What God, from heaven, pronounced upon His Son Jesus that baptismal day, God announces to each of us through Holy Baptism…God initiates this Covenant of Commitment which begins the journey that offers grace and peace, meaning in life, and victory over death! God, by His very hands, created you and formed you! God, by His very Son, redeemed you! God, by His very Word, promises to be with you always! God, by His every action and word, loves us more than we can ever deserve or understand! God knows your name and God “ called you by name.” (Is. 43:7) God has committed Himself to us, holding nothing back, offering the tender assurance: “You are mine”! May all who have heard this say “Amen.” So shall it be!

Amen.