Jan 5 Mark Began a New Message Series: Baptism. This week’s message is: Baptism:

A Sacrament, A Sign, A Seal 
Genesis 17, Jeremiah 31, Matthew 28

This coming Sunday we will celebrate communion together.  God is continually calling a people to himself out of all the people of the world – giving them identity and purpose – bringing them from death to life.  God is at work in his world calling all things under his rule.  These statements may seem strong, but all together true.  

Over the past two weeks we have looked at the epic stories in the Bible of the Flood and the Crossing of the Red Sea.  Both stories speak powerful truth about God’s redemptive purposes for the world and for the calling of humanity to his created purposes.  Over the past two weeks we have made parallels from these stories to the sacrament of Baptism.  

This week we will explore the sacrament of Baptism from a pointed, scriptural and theological perspective.  I hope to bring a message about Baptism that reveals its beautiful, mysterious wonder.  Baptism is referred to in our liturgical practices of this sacrament as being ‘a sign and a seal.’  

What is Baptism a sign of?  Much like a road sign, what does it point to?  In what way is Baptism a seal?  These questions and more for Sunday.  Our texts for Sunday are: Genesis 17:1-11, 23-27; Jeremiah 31:31-34; and Matthew 28:16-20.  Read these before Sunday and you are ahead of the curve :).

In Jesus name,
Pastor Mark