Who Are We?

A window on the south side of the sanctuary portrays Jesus' baptism by John the Baptist. John, wearing his "rough coat of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist", carries a shepherd's crook, and appears to be standing on a patch of grass. Jesus stands knee-deep in the flowing waters of the Jordan while the purple hills of Judea can be seen in the distance. He wears a simple cape and holds his hands palms together in prayer. The dove descends, deep blue waters flow from John's fingers, and beams converge at the at the nimbus around Jesus' head.

While only two of the Gospels (Matthew and Luke) relate nativity stories, all four describe Jesus' baptism, a crucial episode in the development of Jesus as the Christ. Jesus understood and appreciated the role of ritual, ceremony, and symbol. As Protestants we recognize two such rituals as sacraments: Baptism and Communion. Baptism is symbolic of the washing away of sin, but it is also a sign that one has joined the community of faith. Therefore, our baptisms are performed when that community is gathered together. When I was in college I worshipped at First Methodist Church, and as a part of each baptism Rev. Munden would dip his hand into the baptismal font and throw drops of water on the congregation: "Remember your own baptism. Remember who you are. You are the Children of God."

Prayer: Oh, God of Heaven and Earth, help us to remember who we really are - we are yours alone. Amen.

Bill Wehrbein (reprinted from the 2008 Eastridge Devotional)