Scripture Lesson
1 John 5:1-6
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves the father loves his child as well.
This is how we know that we love the children of God: by loving God and carrying out his commands.
In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome,
for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.
Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.
This is the one who came by water and blood—Jesus Christ. He did not come by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth.
Here ends this reading of the Word of God for the People of God. Thanks be to God. Amen.
Let us pray...
Sermon Spirit is the Truth
Friends, our gathering this morning included an incredibly special event – we have come together to witness the baptism of Tennaley Rosa Mace. Tennaley is the most recently baptized member of this family of Christians. Even before any of us had the opportunity to meet Tennaley in-person, God knew Tennaley. Psalm 139 reminds us that God was present to“knit Tennaley together in her mother’s womb...” Before Tennaley was born, God’s eyes saw her unformed body and “all the days ordained for her were written in God’s book before one of them came to be.”
Tennaley made a surprising entrance into the world – Tennaley was born a little earlier than her parents and the doctors expected, and everyone was worried about her health struggles when she was a little baby. When we look at Tennaley now, we see her as a smart, musical, and kind young woman, but she is also a strong and resilient warrior who has overcome many obstacles already in her life.
Even when Tennaley was too young to know about God, God knew all about Tennaley. She is not only Lee and Melissa’s precious daughter, but Tennaley is also a child of our loving God. Over the past few weeks, we have been focusing on the First letter of John in our worship services. The writer of this letter, nick named “The Elder,” emphasized the relationship Christians have with God....when we accept the Christian faith for ourselves, we stop being regular people, and start being the adopted children of God.
Today, we who have witnessed Tennaley’s baptism, also witness her formal adoption into the family of God as she makes her own confession of faith – Tennaley has said for herself that she is a follower of God and is now God’s child. She pledged to love and serve God and to share with others the story of our faith. So, now Tennaley has decided that the faith of her mother and father, the faith of her sister and grandparents, the faith of her Sunday School teachers and choir director, the faith of this church, is also Tennaley’s faith.
In the First Letter of John, the Elder writes that is it important for us to be steadfast in our Christian faith.... our faith and the support of the Christian community will work to protect us from the pressures of the world. As we live our lives, we must make many important decisions and choices....in our school days, we choose what to study and which extracurriculars to focus on—sports or arts or community service. We choose our careers. We find the person we want to spend our lives alongside. We may decide to have children. We choose to either stay in the community we have grown up in or to move to other places. Our lives will have many unplanned and unexpected occurrences.... despite our best laid plans, things may go awry.
The Elder writes in the letter of 1st John that the people who believe in Jesus “overcome’ the world...this means that no matter what challenges we face, no matter our joys or our trials, Christians will overcome the trials the world throws at us. We can be confident in the promises of our faith – God loves us and works with us for good in our lives. Though God’s love and Jesus’ sacrificial grace, our sins are forgiven. Even when our earthly lives end on this planet, we go to live on forever with God. God’s Holy Spirit supports and sustains us even when we feel alone. Nothing we do can separate us from the love of God and the nurturing grace of Jesus Christ.
Children of God, this morning we welcome Tennaley’s formal embrace of her faith for herself. And, we pray that she will always remember the love and support of the people who gather here today – family, friends, and church family. We pray that we all remember that our shared faith in God and the love of God will help us overcome any challenge we may face, and that the Holy Spirit of God supports and sustains each of us.
Amen.
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