This month, at Messy Church, we explored baptism. Jesus was baptised by John the Baptist to signal the beginning of his public ministry. This was a key public declaration demonstrating that he was the Son of God. In effect, he was beginning a new journey of faith and teaching. The word baptism is derived from the Greek word for washing; the act of pouring water three times onto a forehead or via submersion symbolise being cleansed by the Holy Spirit – ready to take on our new journeys.
Acts 16:33
At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptised without delay.
We focused on water in all our activities. We used our hands to paint with jelly, played hook-a-duck, explored an underwater world and baptised our dollies in baby baths. We decorated a large cross in blue and silver, and made named headbands to symbolise and celebrate being named members of the Messy Church family.
Our Celebration took us on a journey through an aquatic landscape, where we met watery obstacles including a shower. We ended the worship at an altar containing water and our beautiful blue and silver cross. As part of our journey to the altar, we had made promises in the shape of rain drops, which we hooked on the promise tree. What promises can you make for 2013?
John 3:5
Jesus answered, “Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit”.
We take strength from Jesus' baptism and draw similarities with our own lives; at the start of this new year, we are all part of a team, taking our new Church, our Messy Church, forward into 2013. This is our new journey, with new teaching. We are publicly declaring our own beliefs to our community here in Hanwell; not hiding in pews on a Sunday morning, but talking about God in new ways.
Matthew 28:19
Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
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