January 8, 2012
First Sunday after Epiphany
Baptism of the Lord Sunday
Theme: Water and Spirit
Genesis 1:1-5
Acts 19:1-7
Mark 1:4-11
Water and Baptism
Have you ever thought about how important water is in our lives? We need water to drink and replenish our bodies. We use water to take a bath and clean our dishes. We use water for fun. . . to play in a pool on a hot day. . . we ride on the waves of water in our boats. As a matter of fact. . . without water we wouldn’t exists You see. . . up to 60% of the human body is made up of water. . . the human brain itself is made up of 70% water. . . the lungs are 90% water. . . we need it for muscles and bones. . . yup. . . water is real important in our lives.
We use water to help us. Some use water to make machinery work as in mill with a water wheel to work its machinery. We especially use water to put out fires. This may be one of the most important ways we use water. Without it. . . a fire could burn out of control. . . we need to quench the fire to save lives.
But there is one instance where water and fire work together. It’s when the water of our baptism works with the flame. . . the fire. . . of the Holy Spirit. You need both in baptism, both fire and water. In our baptism of water. . . our rebirth. . . we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. . . the flame within us. We are re-created into a new person. God, through Christ, recreates us into a new creation.
God loves to create. In the Genesis scripture this morning we heard about how God created light over the waters. God created. . . the earth was birth, out of the waters that covered the earth. Something new was created out of the water. But in our baptism there is yet another element that is added to the creation. Fire is added. . . the Holy Spirit. . . to complete the new creation.
In the Acts Scripture this morning, we heard about how Paul was to some disciples. He asked them if they had rci3ved the Holy Spirit at their baptism. Now. . . this question that Paul asked them makes me wonder. What was it about these disciples that Paul had to ask this question? He knew they were disciples but there must have been something wrong about them, something missing that made Paul question them. Maybe he just didn’t see that “Pentecost Fire” in these disciples. Maybe they were “lukewarm” not on fire for the Lord. I am not sure but he did notice something was missing. Even John. . . the one who had baptized these disciples knew there was more needed. Listen to what he says in Mark 1 verses 4-11. (John got it. . . he knew that fire for the Lord was needed. After all. . . he was full of the Spirit himself. . . full of the fire for God)
(Read from the Gods Word Translation)
John knew you need both the water of repentance and the “fire” of the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately in these days, there are many who have one. . . not both. They have their baptism of repentance but no “fire”. They are very lukewarm and they are happy just the way they are.
Beloved brothers and sisters, we need more fire in our lives. We need to allow the fires of Pentecost consume us and not let the world around us quench that fire within us. This fire and water we have received work together to invigorate and inspire. This fire needs to burn out of control in us and we need to not only share that fire but encourage others to light the flame of love, peace, joy and hope. Unless we do our part. . . the world in which we live will continue to be the dark abyss. . . the chaos that was there before God created. We need to rekindle the flame within us.
This morning. . . on the Sunday called The Baptism of the Lord Sunday. . . we are going to do just that as we remember. . . reaffirm our own baptism. Let us rekindle that fire and take the light out into the world around us. Lest us start those brush fires for the Lord that cannot be contained. . . let us go and light our world on fire. . . (Reaffirmation of Baptism Service)
AMEN!
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edited July
22, 2017
Our rebirth –
v10
(editing
original again)
Edited
November 10, 2013
“Our rebirth –
v9”
(editing
original again)
Edited
September 26, 2013
“Our rebirth –
v8”
(editing
original again)
Edited August
9, 2013
“Our rebirth –
v7”
Edited
December 4, 2012
Our rebirth –
v6
edited
February 19, 2012
Our rebirth –
v5
edited
February 19, 2012
Our Rebirth –
v4
(there were
244 page views of “Our rebirth” between 1/11 and 2/19)
Mark 9:2-9
Transfiguration
Sunday
&
edited January
31, 2012
Our Rebirth –
v3
(there were
109 page views of “Our rebirth” between 1/11 and 1/31)
edited January
30, 2012
Our rebirth –
v2
(there were 89
page views of “Our rebirth” between 1/11 and 1/30)
January 11,
2012
“Our rebirth”
Worship Theme
– “Water and Spirit”
Mark 1:4-11
God’s WORD Translation (GW)
Genesis
1:1-5 Common English Bible (CEB)
Acts
19:1-7 Common English Bible (CEB)
Call
to Worship (Psalm 29:1-4 NRSV Bible)
Unison
Prayer
Prayer
of Dedication (GBOD (Psalm 29))
Reaffirmation
of Baptismal Covenant
hymn,
“When Jesus came to Jordan”, UMH #252
Matthew
3:13-17
Luke
3:21-22
Mark 1:9-11
and sermon,
“Water and Baptism”
by Pastor Ruth
Foss
sermon blog
meditation blog
Suncook United
Methodist Church
Suncook, NH
First Sunday
after Epiphany/Baptism of the Lord Sunday
January 8,
2012
All of my
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2015, 2016, and 2017. All rights are reserved. Contact me at Ray Foss (raymondafoss@gmail.com) for usage. See
all 44,570 of my poems at www.raymondafoss.blogspot.com
Poetry Where You Live.
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