I had the amazing honor of baptizing my friend’s newborn. Baptism is so awesome because no matter if you were baptized with just water gently poured on your head, or if you were fully immersed, or even if a fire hose was shot at you. When you are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, you are adopted by God.
Jesus, in the gospel for this Sunday, says, “You have one father in heaven.” At the moment of baptism, the Father adopts you. You have a dad in heaven. One of my favorite moments at baptism is when I get to hold a baby, and we all pray to our Father because that’s the first moment this child can claim God as a dad. So, no matter your relationship with your biological Father, you have a perfect Father in heaven. He claims you, and he chooses you. Have confidence in your Father in heaven. And if you still need to be baptized, put that on your to-do list for this week.
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Jesus Vs. The Worst of You
If you are a human being, you’ve probably used this phrase before, “I told you so.” I don’t use that phrase often, but it’s told to me a lot. In the gospel for this Sunday, Jesus has the perfect opportunity to say to Peter, “I told you so. Peter, I said you would deny me. I told you so.” Instead of rubbing Peter’s sins in his face, Jesus takes the worst moment in Peter’s life and redeems it into the most beautiful moment of his…
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The Woman At The Well
You can often spot American tourists by one simple thing: the water bottle they carry everywhere. We’re always searching for the perfect way to stay hydrated, the next bottle, the next solution.
In this Sunday’s Gospel, the woman at the well has a different encounter. When she meets Jesus, she leaves her water jar behind. In His presence, the thing she once clung to suddenly doesn’t matter anymore.
That’s what happens when we stay close to Jesus. The things we hold onto so tightly begin to lose their grip, and we discover that He alone is enough.
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God Is Proud Of You
There’s a powerful moment in Rocky Balboa when a wounded son is healed by the simple words of his father: “I’m proud of you.” Those words change everything. In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus does something just as striking. He praises John the Baptist. It’s a quiet but profound reminder that God doesn’t just correct or challenge us. He also delights in us. This Advent, consider a simple but healing question: When was the last time you allowed God to tell you He’s proud of you? As sons and daughters, we’re invited to receive those words and let them restore our hearts.
