Mark 1:1-11
In this week’s reading of Mark, we read that Jesus’ ministry in the world begins with his baptism. Not the beginning of his life or his relationship with God, but the beginning of his ministry in the world. In the United Methodist Church, we believe that in our baptism we are born anew by this gift of God and placed within this family called church. Jesus himself receives baptism by John, thus joining a group of people who have ritually dedicated themselves to righteous living. The church initiation is not a requirement for salvation but the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace that was instituted by Jesus Christ (see Matthew 28:19) for the mission of the church.
When and if you were baptized it not only marked the beginning of your relationship with the church but the beginning of your ministry in the world. For those baptized in a different church or as a baby, you might be wondering if that relationship is still valid. It is. When you were baptized as an infant you may not have been able to decide to be in an active relationship with the church, but the church did and so did God. God through the power of the Holy Spirit and members of the congregation that baptized you have been actively working since your baptism to maintain that relationship with the baptized. In the United Methodist Church, we do not rebaptize. What mattered is that you were baptized in water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit by someone authorized to do so. If you were, we believe you have received Christian baptism. Rev., Dr. Mark Stamm in By Water and the Spirit, explains, "The power of the Spirit in baptism does not depend upon the mode by which water is administered, the age or psychological disposition of the baptized person, or the character of the minister. It is God's grace that makes the sacrament whole."
So what do you do now that you have understood the significance of your baptism and want to work on your relationship with God and the church? Well in our reading this week of Mark 1:1-11, I believe we find our answer. When the people came to John to be baptized they did so to show they were changing their hearts and lives and wanted God to forgive their sins. They then sought God’s forgiveness through confession. If we want to work on our relationship with God and the church we could do the same, by confessing our sins and seeking to live with changed hearts and lives.
This Sunday is Baptism of the Lord Sunday and we will all have an opportunity to reaffirm our baptismal covenant through confession and touching the water once again. We are not being rebaptized but reaffirming what was made true through the power of the Holy Spirit earlier in our lives. Come and join us as we reaffirm our commitment to God, the church, and our ministry in the world.
In God’s grip,
Pastor Chuck Church
If you are reading the Gospel of Mark with Pastor Chuck this year, below is a short and simple guide to doing so for this week:
Prayer: Heavenly Father, your words expose my innermost thoughts and desires. I am an open book before you when I read your book. May your truths work as I read of your holiness, truth, and love. May the power of your word be known in my life so that I might genuinely have the abundant life you came to give. Amen.
Read: Mark 1:1-11
Questions to guide your thinking:
Why do you believe it was important for someone like John the Baptist to lead the way before the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry?
What do you believe is the significance of John’s dress and lifestyle?
What do you believe is the difference between John’s baptism by water and Jesus’ baptism by the Holy Spirit?
In the Old Testament, the pouring out of God’s Spirit is sometimes a sign of or means of God’s salvation, do you believe Christ was “saved” through his baptism? If so, why would Christ need salvation? If not, does that mean baptism is not a requirement for our salvation as well? Why would the Holy Spirit pour out in this instance?
