Friends, these next few weeks will be filled with anxiety for all the people called United Methodists around the world. I know some of you are tired of me talking so much about the United Methodist Church, but that is my context: that is the church I know. This is the church that has nurtured me and, truth be told, I love it! Another reality is, everyone is watching and waiting anxiously to see what the United Methodists will do in a few weeks in St. Louis, Missouri! Not just United Methodists!

I receive a devotional from the Henri Nouwen Society, every morning. Today’s devotional is titled, ‘Freedom is our Goal.’ Most of us are still trying to live into our New Year resolutions or are attempting to make a change in our lives for good. I felt this devotional speaks to it, so I share it with you:  

So, this past Sunday we heard one of the accounts of Jesus’ baptism from the gospels, the episode as told by Luke. Baptism is one of the great hallmarks of Christianity and the Church, back to our earliest days. (Side note: if you feel like you need some exciting biblical exploration in your life, feel free to check out and compare the various versions of Jesus’ baptism across the gospels, Matt. 3:13-17, Mark 1:9-11, Luke 3:21-22, and John 1:29-34—although Jesus technically is not baptized in John’s gospel if you read the text closely enough.) But anyway, baptism.