So, this past Sunday we read about the wedding at Cana for our Scripture, and we talked about God caring about the little things. Later, I was thinking about how that idea could influence our relationship with others. If we are the body of Christ in the world, and if Jesus loves people in the little things, then so should we.

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!

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.