Friday, July 6, 2018

TIM Good morning, I’m Tim Wise, Clergy for Senior Adults Ministry and Choir Director at Central. Water is a sign of cleansing and renewal. We recognize one of the first accounts of this in the book of Genesis in the story of Noah. God flooded the earth for 40 days and nights to cleanse the world of its corruption, but he also recognized Noah for his righteousness and his faith. We see God using water, yet again, in the story of the Israelite exodus across the Red Sea. Again, God uses the resource of water to rid corruption. God allowed the Israelites to cross over safely to the Promised Land just before swallowing up the armies of Pharaoh. Water is continually used to represent cleansing. As Christians, we are called to experience this cleansing in our lives through the ritual of baptism. And while some churches may not recognize each other’s baptism, at Central, we recognize that baptism is an outward sign of something that is happening internally. It doesn’t matter what building it took place in, when it happened, or which denomination, all that matters is that once you have taken that step, you then invest your soul in building God’s kingdom in your own life and in others. I pray the Holy Spirit finds you where you are and you make a choice to follow its lead.