At our baptisms, we’re welcomed into the family of God, and our church family promises to journey beside us. But many of us have walked a long way since our baptisms, through different religious traditions and denominations, through crises of faith, through deaths and through transformations. When Jesus was baptized, he came up out of the waters and the heavens opened. God’s voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17) I wonder if Jesus thought back on that moment when he was persecuted; he must have struggled with his faith, wondered if he was doing the right thing. But he could always remember his baptism and say, “Yes. I am God’s beloved.” This is why we baptize in community, so that we can remind one another of our baptisms and hear once more, that we too are God’s beloved with whom God is well pleased.
Gracious God, thank you for the gift of baptism and for your never-failing promises. Help us to trust we are your beloved children today and always. Amen. —