Saturday March 14th, 2015 Ephesians 2:1-10
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God. (verse 8)
Sometimes when you are bone weary and grubby, you need to just sit in a bathtub and have a good soak so you can be refreshed and renewed.
Lent is traditionally a time to prepare for baptism and to immerse ourselves in baptismal meaning. If your Bible is still open to this passage, take some time to bathe yourself in the contrasts in this passage that one author calls a “magnificent compendium of Lenten baptismal proclamation.” Look back and forth to spot the contrasts: dead/alive, this world/heavenly places, trespasses/grace, wrath/kindness, works/faith. Let the meaning of these words soak into your soul.
Then remember why we are baptized, why we receive this gift, what God has made us. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works. This is our way of life which God prepared for us. Baptized in Christ, as God’s gifted, God gives us a role in creating heavenly places, bringing life, grace, kindness and faith.
Gracious God, help me walk wet in the water of my baptism every day so that others may know life, grace, kindness and faith. Amen. — KW
Contributed by The Gift of God
Sometimes when you are bone weary and grubby, you need to just sit in a bathtub and have a good soak so you can be refreshed and renewed.
Lent is traditionally a time to prepare for baptism and to immerse ourselves in baptismal meaning. If your Bible is still open to this passage, take some time to bathe yourself in the contrasts in this passage that one author calls a "magnificent compendium of Lenten baptismal proclamation." Look back and forth to spot the contrasts: dead/alive, this world/heavenly places, trespasses/grace, wrath/kindness, works/faith. Let the meaning of these words soak into your soul.
Then remember why we are baptized, why we receive this gift, what God has made us. We are created in Christ Jesus for good works. This is our way of life which God prepared for us. Baptized in Christ, as God's gifted, God gives us a role in creating heavenly places, bringing life, grace, kindness and faith.
