The day on which we are baptized is a likewise momentous occasion.
And the day on which we join a local church is equally significant.
On both of these days, we make solemn, holy promises in answering the following questions:
.
·
Do you renounce the powers of evil and desire
the freedom of new life in Christ?
·
Do you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?
·
Do you promise by the grace of God, to be
Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and
evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus
Christ as best you are able?
·
Do you promise, according to the grace given
you, to grow in the Christ faith and to be a faithful member of the church of
Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s mission in
all the world?
These are big questions,
important questions, solemn questions.
They may make us pause and think.
And that’s a good thing.
And for those of us who
made these promises at some point in the past, there is value in revisiting them
to remember their power to shape our lives.
That is what we will do on Sunday, when we not only commemorate Jesus' baptism but also celebrate the sacrament of baptism, reaffirm our own baptisms, receive five new members into the First Congregational Church of Stoughton, and confirm our membership vows.
