There are lots of things about being a pastor I enjoy. Out of all the things I enjoy, the one thing that ranks highest is being able to baptize individuals. This Sunday will be a special time as on this Father’s Day, I’ll be baptizing not one but four individuals – a father and his three step-children. Each time I do a baptism, I go to great lengths to talk about an important difference between the way I preside over a communion service and the way I preside over a baptism. That difference is in how I handle the elements. When I serve Communion, I go to great lengths to ensure careful handling of the bread and juice. As an act of respect, I don’t want to be careless and spill any of the juice or drop any of the bread. Things are different, however, when I baptize. Each time I pour the water into the baptismal font, I call the congregation’s attention to the fact that I purposely let the water spill over the sides of the font. This splashing is symbolic of the way God’s grace cannot be fully contained in any vessel. Paul makes pretty much the same point in today’s reading from Romans. In Romans 5:5 Paul wrote: “… we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” (The Message). For me this simple yet basic truth provides a model for the way I believe I am called to live my life: from a place of God-given abundance. I intentionally use that three-word phrase – God-given abundance – because each of those three words is critical. The words “God-given” ground me in the awareness that the resources I have at my disposal aren’t really mine; they’re God’s. The word “abundance” reminds me these resources aren’t just adequate or sufficient; they are abundant. When I center on these realities, I gain a perspective on life that brings me a tremendous sense of peace. My hope for you today is that your days will be ones grounded in those three words as well – God-given abundance. Til next time…
Help support the vision of Woodland Hills Community Church!
For those of you who would like to support the vision & ministry of Woodland Hills Community Church (the faith community I serve that continues to encourage me to minister outside the box), please click on the link just above.
Tuesday, June 10
There are lots of things about being a pastor I enjoy. Out of all the things I enjoy, the one thing that ranks highest is being able to baptize individuals. This Sunday will be a special time as on this Father’s Day, I’ll be baptizing not one but four individuals – a father and his three step-children. Each time I do a baptism, I go to great lengths to talk about an important difference between the way I preside over a communion service and the way I preside over a baptism. That difference is in how I handle the elements. When I serve Communion, I go to great lengths to ensure careful handling of the bread and juice. As an act of respect, I don’t want to be careless and spill any of the juice or drop any of the bread. Things are different, however, when I baptize. Each time I pour the water into the baptismal font, I call the congregation’s attention to the fact that I purposely let the water spill over the sides of the font. This splashing is symbolic of the way God’s grace cannot be fully contained in any vessel. Paul makes pretty much the same point in today’s reading from Romans. In Romans 5:5 Paul wrote: “… we can’t round up enough containers to hold everything God generously pours into our lives through the Holy Spirit!” (The Message). For me this simple yet basic truth provides a model for the way I believe I am called to live my life: from a place of God-given abundance. I intentionally use that three-word phrase – God-given abundance – because each of those three words is critical. The words “God-given” ground me in the awareness that the resources I have at my disposal aren’t really mine; they’re God’s. The word “abundance” reminds me these resources aren’t just adequate or sufficient; they are abundant. When I center on these realities, I gain a perspective on life that brings me a tremendous sense of peace. My hope for you today is that your days will be ones grounded in those three words as well – God-given abundance. Til next time…
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment