Signs and Grace
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22 and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased”
(Luke 3:21-22)
Baptism is often described as “an outward sign of an inward grace” to remind us of the significance of the waters of our baptism. While each of the four Gospels include detailed descriptions of Jesus being baptized by John the Baptist in the Jordan River, there are several consistent elements that are noted. After the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descends like a dive and the voice from heaven is heard saying “You are my Son….with you I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11; and John 1:33). As we prepare to celebrate the baptisms of several youth Sunday morning, the congregation participates actively in Sacrament of the church.
In the United Methodist denomination, we baptize infants to symbolize the availability of the redeeming grace of God for us all. Parents are sometimes joined by relatives and friends who serve as godparents and/or sponsors to publicly acknowledge their commitment to surround the baby with love, instruction and encouragement to help lead the child to the point of declaring for themselves their decision to live as a disciple of Jesus. Confirmation is the ritual in the United Methodist church in which those who were baptized as infants confirm the decision to follow Jesus for themselves. If youth were not baptized as babies and have never been baptized, they are baptized as part of the confirmation ritual to become a member of the church.
Following several months of instruction and activities, the youth being confirmed have embarked upon a continuing journey of learning and growth that lasts throughout our lives. They have learned about the Bible, the history and structure of the United Methodist denomination, the various United Methodist congregations, and the leadership of the Illinois Great Rivers Conference. The youth have also had a chance to spend time with the United Methodist bishops.
Just as infant baptism initiates a child into a relationship with God that includes the parents and the congregation, some youth who were not baptized as babies begin a similar pattern of growth and development at a slightly later age. Most importantly, the process of learning and growth is never ending. Over the last several months, the youth have also learned a lot about John and Charles Wesley and their lifelong journey of faith. The journey of experiencing and sharing the grace of God led John and Charles to not only to establish a new denomination, the grace of God also allowed them to expand the denomination internationally. The confirmation youth have also learned how the convictions of John and Charles led them to establish schools, hospitals and orphanages.
This Sunday, we will recognize 13 youth who’ve completed the confirmation process.
Donald Gamon
Travonte Johnson-Tinker
Abigail Kellenberger
Katalena Kellenberger
William Kellenberger
Zay Millard
Tinley Reyes
Macey Schaver
Arden Sim
Larsen Sim
Chase Summers
London Williams
Ronin Williams
The lifelong journey of discipleship is filled with reminders that we are never alone. The grace of God that has been with us since we were being formed in our mothers’ wombs (Psalm 139:13) abides with us all the days of our lives. On his deathbed, John Wesley is noted to have said “best of all, God is with us.” We rejoice in this new beginning of church membership, growth, leadership and service for our new class of confirmands.
We will worship and celebrate together Sunday!
In Christ,
Jon McCoy
