our baptism services are coming up just around the corner, in later june. this is a very exciting time of year at the Crossing, considered one of our big-three calendar celebrations . . .1)easter 2)christmas and 3)baptism. each of these days is a celebration of the simple message of good news...
*God daily conquers our sin by giving us grace through the remembrance of Jesus' death on the cross, *God is alive in this world--here with us now--giving us unfailing love and *God is inviting us moment by moment to surrender ourselves to His presence.
baptism is an outward symbol of that inward surrender to God's saving presence in our lives. it's essentially a way to say to the watching world, 'down with the old me, and up with the new us...God + me.' when we get dunked under the water, we're saying--symbolically--"i don't want my life to be about me anymore, i want my life to show a watching world, through my actions, that God is alive in me." it's a huge commitment b/c it means we're saying "i will love boldly, serve daily, and give grace gratuitously to a broken world for the rest of my life...even when it costs me my pride, my time, my money, my energy...my life." pretty intense stuff huh?
the really cool thing is that no one who lives this life is expected to do it alone. God actually saddles up right beside us and changes us from the inside out--daily--so that we're constantly aware that He provides the strength we need to walk this new life. in many ways then, it's like being a little kid, following our Heavenly Father around, and simply doing what He's done for us . . .forgiving, loving, & serving others.
if you're still new to some of these ideas, come check out the new 'grace' series coming up starting may 30/31. you won't be disappointed. in fact you might even find out how much you're loved, and get a little excited, kinda like this kid...who just couldn't wait to tell a watching world he was loved by the God of the universe. ;-)
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