Collect For Epiphany 2
1 Corinthians 1: 1-9
John 1: 29 – 42
The Bible is full of stories about people being called by God and accepting His invitation/ command – sometimes willingly, sometimes less so.
Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Gideon, Isaiah and others among others in the Old Testament; Mary, John the Baptiser, Andrew, Simon Peter, Paul in the New. All different – but each story life-changing, as I suspect would also be the case for each of us. We accept and proclaim Jesus as Lord, whatever our journey towards the confession of faith in our Baptism/ Confirmation.
We do, however, share one attribute in common. No matter who we are, however sincere our commitment, sooner or later – probably sooner – we’ll blow it. ‘For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’, Paul tells us in Romans 3:23.
Fortunately, that’s not the end of our Christian life – it’s just the point at which Jesus picks us up and tells us to start again. Baptism is not a single event – it is a continuous blessing.
If people were asked what happens in Baptism, most would talk about water. Certainly that’s a part – but actually, it’s not the most important bit. Baptism has three elements.
First, the gift of a candle. No matter how deep the night, even a tiny candle flame dispels the darkness. The light allows us to find our way home, back to the river, back to the beginning.
We go back to that place where we accepted Jesus – and we are washed clean again in the name of Father, Son and Spirit. Doesn’t matter how far we’ve gone astray, doesn’t matter who we are, the water of Baptism sets us back on track. Forgiveness will always be there, all we need to do is ask for the chance to start again with a repentant heart.
And that symbolic washing enables the most important part, when our forehead is marked forever with the sign of the Cross. We leave our sin at its foot, through the grace of the one crucified for us. That sign may appear to be invisible – but it ain’t. Our life continually proclaims Jesus through our actions, our service and our love.
Praying Together 10th August 2025
And while we think of the things we value most, do we remember that we are of such value to God, that His Son was prepared to go into the flames for us?
Praying Together 27th July 2025
In a word, it is all prayer, a rich sequence, choreographed in different moments of gathering, praise, listening and communion.
Praying Together 20th July 2025
Jesus comes to us in many ways and with many faces. Are we aware we may ‘entertain Angels without knowing it?
Praying Together 13th July 2025
May we never miss meeting your gaze,
in the eyes of our sibling, the stranger.
Praying Together 6th July 2025
Always remember that ‘success’ is simply doing His will – it’s not necessarily achieving the outcome we would ourselves consider to be ‘successful’. Leave that definition with Him.
Praying Together 29th June 2025
Jesus is looking for commitment. Absolute, unconditional, commitment. When I think of what that means, I’m always minded of Martina Navratilova’s remark: “The difference between involvement and commitment is like ham and eggs. The chicken is involved; the pig is committed.”
Praying Together 22nd June 2025
As Christians, may we never regard mercy and compassion towards others as weakness, naivety or gullibility, but display the traits which demonstrate that we follow a Saviour who came to rescue those left behind.
Praying Together 15th June 2025
You couldn’t fly a kite inside a church building –for the Kite to fly you’d have to go into the windy street outside. Where does that place the need for the Spirit to act?
Praying Together 8 June 2025
Of all the strange things happening on the Day of Pentecost, perhaps the most puzzling is when God appears to have second thoughts. In Genesis 11, He makes it difficult for people to understand each other’s language
Praying Together 1st June 2025
The song by Mary Black, ‘Bless the Road’, while written as from a parent whose child is leaving home alone for the first time – maybe first day at primary school, going to college, beginning an independent life – always puts me in mind of the thoughts and blessing of Jesus as He prays for His disciples before His Ascension.
Praying Together 25th May 2025
‘Peace I give to you… do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not be afraid.’
His peace is not remote and only there at the end of things – His Peace is with us now.
Praying Together 18th May 2025
So the commandment is a challenge. To love those who betray you. Those who jeer. Those who wield the whips embedded with flint, hammer in the nails, pierce your side.