Last week Pastor Dave shared the 5 blessings that flow from your baptism into your daily life. These blessings form the basis for this life-giving water that finds its power in the word of God. But now we need to get really practical. How do you live each day in your baptism? If we as Luther says, “should each day remember” that we are baptized, what does that look like? And how can our baptism be something that we use everyday of our life? This is part 4 of our series, “Washed in the Water: Baptism - Our New Life In Christ.”

There used to be a tag line that goes like this, "the gift that keeps on giving". This is a gift that provides continuous benefits or enjoyment over a long period of time. This morning, we are going to see how our Baptism is this gift that keeps on giving. A gift that provides 5 spiritual blessings that are needed throughout your life in very practical ways. May God bless our time together!

Last Sunday we laid the foundation of our Baptism with 5 powerful scenes in the Old Testament. This foundation will help us embrace our identity that is given to us in our baptism and discover the unique blessings of that baptism. Today we are going to look at what gives Baptism the power to do such great things. How the Word of God when combined with water forms our Baptism. May the Lord bless our time together!

This morning we kick-off our brand-new Sermon Series called "Washed in the Water". In this series we will unpack all the God has to say about the gift of Baptism, so that we can deeply appreciate this "treasure" that God has given to us. In part 1 we will look at the call to Baptism and why God likes to use water as a way of bringing us into his family and his promises. May God bless our time together.

This weekend we are blessed to have Pastor George back with us as he brings the word while Pastor Dave is with our teens leading the District Youth Gathering. Today we are going to look at the powerful message from Paul to the Corinthians about what it means for Jesus to be our Lord and the Spirit to empower us with his Gifts. May the Lord bless our time together this morning.

The baptism of Jesus, which is celebrated on the first Sunday after Epiphany (Jan 6th), is a significant day that draws us deeper into our life with Christ. The theme of Jesus’ baptism is that salvation is extended to all people. that sin is under an ultimate judgment, and at that Jesus is proclaimed God’s Son, the Lamb of God who removes sin, the one anointed to be the Messianic King. For these reasons the church Celebrates the Baptism of our Lord as a major feast marking the season of Epiphany.

The New Year is a great time for new beginnings and fresh starts. It’s a time to give thanks for what God has done, and to ask the Lord to give us strength in the new year. As we start our New Year we as a church we want to do three things 1). Give thanks for all that God has done. 2). Seek his forgiveness for all that was left undone. 3). Ask the Lord to bless the work to be done in the year to come.

What comes to mind when you think about the word "joy"? Sometimes we think about events such as the birth of a child. The graduation of a relative. A friend or family member is getting married. Sometimes we think of accomplishments such as buying your first car or house. Other times they are moments with friends and family like sitting on a beach and enjoying the sun. But what is real joy? What is the joy that the angels speak about when they say, "I bring you good news of 'great joy' that will be for all people"? What is the joy that comes when we sing, "Joy to the World”?

Gentle Mary Laid Her Child is our carol for today. It is one that is not as familiar but one that we hope will be an encouragement to you as we unpack the story, message, and blessing of the carol. Today we are also excited to be having our Children's Christmas play as they tell the story of the birth of Jesus! May God bless our time together.

Tonight we continue with our Mid-Week worship as we explore the history, meaning, and blessing of the Christmas carol, "O Come, All Ye Faithful".