Praying Together 15th January 2023

Collect For Epiphany 2

Almighty God, in Christ you make all things new: Transform the poverty of our nature by the riches of your grace, and in the renewal of our lives make known your heavenly glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Corinthians 1: 1-9

John 1: 29 – 42

The Bible is full of stories about people being called by God and accepting His invitation/ command – sometimes willingly, sometimes less so.

Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Isaiah and others among others in the Old Testament; Mary, John the Baptiser, Andrew, Simon Peter, Paul in the New. All different – but each story life-changing, as I suspect would also be the case for each of us. We accept and proclaim Jesus as Lord, whatever our journey towards the confession of faith in our Baptism/ Confirmation.

We do, however, share one attribute in common. No matter who we are, however sincere our commitment, sooner or later – probably sooner – we’ll blow it. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’, Paul tells us in Romans 3:23.

Fortunately, that’s not the end of our Christian life – it’s just the point at which Jesus picks us up and tells us to start again. Baptism is not a single event – it is a continuous blessing.

If people were asked what happens in Baptism, most would talk about water. Certainly that’s a part – but actually, it’s not the most important bit. Baptism has three elements.

First, the gift of a candle. No matter how deep the night, even a tiny candle flame dispels the darkness. The light allows us to find our way home, back to the river, back to the beginning.

We go back to that place where we accepted Jesus – and we are washed clean again in the name of Father, Son and Spirit. Doesn’t matter how far we’ve gone astray, doesn’t matter who we are, the water of Baptism sets us back on track. Forgiveness will always be there, all we need to do is ask for the chance to start again with a repentant heart.

And that symbolic washing enables the most important part, when our forehead is marked forever with the sign of the Cross. We leave our sin at its foot, through the grace of the one crucified for us. That sign may appear to be invisible – but it ain’t. Our life continually proclaims Jesus through our actions, our service and our love.

The act of Baptism is a once-off – it never needs repeating; it remains an integral part of our life. We do well to be aware of that. The way home is always lit – the water is always there to wash us; and we carry the sign of Jesus’ salvation and redemption through every moment of our daily life.