Beloved Children: Baptism's Gift of New Life

The congregation gathers with a clear, pastoral conviction: Christ’s baptism inaugurates a life that is both gift and calling. The service opens by connecting practical compassion to the gospel—raising support for clean water through Team World Vision—and moves into a liturgy that insists on human sinfulness, divine mercy, and the sure promise of forgiveness. Scripture readings center the Servant in Isaiah 42, the theological reality of dying and rising in Romans 6, and the Gospel account of Jesus’ baptism in Matthew 3. These texts are woven together to show one coherent thread: God identifies with sinners, inaugurates a new covenant people, and equips them for faithful living.

Baptism is presented not as a private ritual but as the decisive act that joins believers to Christ’s death and resurrection, rebirthing ordinary lives into newness and calling them to steady perseverance. The Isaiah text frames the Servant’s ministry as both gentle and just—tender toward the weak and resolute against injustice—setting the pattern for faithful community life. The Romans reading presses the moral logic of baptism: having died to sin in Christ, the baptized are to consider themselves dead to sin and alive to God, freed from slavery to the old way. The Gospel scene of heaven opening and the Spirit descending affirms baptism as divine adoption; the same voice that names Jesus beloved names the baptized as beloved heirs.

Prayers move from global compassion—support for clean water projects and the hope that gospel witness will follow practical aid—to intimate needs: healing, mourning, and the strengthening of families. The eucharistic prayers rehearse the great paradox of the faith: life given through death, grace received as food. Communion is set out as the sacramental means of strength for the baptized community as it goes back into the world to serve. The service closes with a benediction that reiterates God’s protective favor and the peace that comes from belonging to the triune God. Across preaching, liturgy, and sacrament, baptism anchors identity, fuels mission, and shapes a people called to patience, mercy, and active love.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Baptism unites believers to Christ Baptism is the baptizing into Christ’s death and resurrection, a real participation that changes moral identity. It does not merely symbolize forgiveness; it reorients loyalties so that sin’s claims are broken and the baptized live toward God. This adoption is ongoing—daily dying to sin and rising to new life becomes the rhythm of discipleship. [30:11]
• 2. Dead to sin, alive in Christ Union with Christ means the old self has been crucified so that sin no longer has dominion. This is not self-improvement but a theological status that calls for corresponding patterns of life: freedom from slavery to habit, attention to the Spirit’s power, and perseverance in righteousness. The conviction reframes failure as something the risen life can address, not a final verdict. [20:38]
• 3. Justice and mercy embodied in Christ The Servant of Isaiah moves with gentleness toward the broken and with unyielding resolve for justice among the nations. Christian vocation mirrors that balance: refuse cruelty and systems of oppression while tending the bruised reed and faintly burning wick. Such a posture resists both harshness and passivity, insisting that grace and justice are inseparable in God’s reign. [18:47]
• 4. Faith turns compassion into action Compassion rooted in baptism produces concrete solidarity—standing with those who lack clean water and bringing practical aid as an expression of the gospel. Service becomes sacramental when paired with witness: meeting bodily needs opens doors to proclaim and enact baptism’s promise. The assembled people are called to convert religious conviction into costly, sustained mercy. [03:34]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [03:34] - Team World Vision: Water Crisis
• [11:54] - Confession and Absolution
• [18:02] - Isaiah 42: The Servant Song
• [19:58] - Romans 6: Baptism and New Life
• [22:06] - Matthew 3: Baptism of Jesus
• [29:52] - Reflection: Baptism as Personal Story
• [46:32] - Prayers and Intercessions
• [51:21] - Eucharist: Lord’s Supper
• [67:36] - Blessing and Sending

Bible Reading

Matthew 3:13-17 (ESV)
Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to John, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized, immediately he went up from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him; and behold, a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

Romans 6:3-11 (ESV)
Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died, he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives, he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.

Observation questions

1. According to the Gospel reading in Matthew 3, what three specific things happened immediately after Jesus came up from the water?
2. In Romans 6, Paul uses strong imagery to describe what happens to a believer during baptism. What does he say happens to our "old self" and our relationship to sin?
3. During the message, the stained-glass window of Jesus’ baptism was highlighted. What specific connection was made between the story of Jesus in the window and our own personal story? [30:11]
4. The service began with a video about the water crisis. How did the speaker in the video describe the purpose of providing clean water, beyond just the water itself? [03:34]

Interpretation questions

1. In Romans 6:11, Paul instructs believers to "consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God." What does this look like in a practical sense? How is "considering yourself dead" to something different from simply trying to avoid it?
2. At Jesus' baptism, the Father speaks words of identity and love before Jesus has performed any miracles or started his public ministry. What does this suggest about the basis of God's love for his children?
3. The sermon connects the physical act of running for clean water with the spiritual reality of the Gospel. How does meeting a physical need (like water) open the door for "new things" and spiritual witness? [03:34]
4. The summary mentions that the Servant in Isaiah (Isaiah 42) is both gentle ("a bruised reed he will not break") and just. How does this combination of gentleness and justice challenge the way we typically view power and authority?

Application questions

1. In our baptisms, the Spirit comes to give us faith and the Father adopts us, saying, "This is my beloved son" or "This is my beloved daughter." [30:45] Do you struggle to believe that you are God's beloved child, especially when you have had a bad week or failed in some way? What makes it hard to accept this identity?
2. We are told that our old self was crucified with Christ so that we are no longer enslaved to sin. [20:38] Is there a specific "old habit" or sin pattern in your life that you feel enslaved to right now? What would it look like to trust that you are actually "dead" to that sin because of Jesus?
3. The way we look at clean water is not as an end in itself, but as a beginning to a number of new things. [03:34] Sometimes our faith can feel too private. Is there a physical need in your community or a cause (like the water crisis) that God might be calling you to support as a way to live out your baptism?
4. We are called to daily die to sin and rise to newness of life. [46:32] This suggests that repentance isn't a one-time event but a daily rhythm. What is one thing you need to let "die" this week (perhaps anger, anxiety, or pride) so that you can walk in the newness of life that Jesus gives?
5. The Servant of the Lord does not break a bruised reed or quench a faintly burning wick. [18:47] Who in your life feels like a "bruised reed" right now—someone who is hurting, weak, or discouraged? How can you show them the gentleness of Christ this week instead of judgment or impatience?