A wind from God

At every Sunday worship service we read four scriptures: An Old Testament Lesson, a Psalm in response to that lesson, a portion of an Epistle (such as Paul's letter to the Ephesians, etc.) and finally, a reading from one of the four Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John).

Sometimes our scriptures for the day contain an obvious thread that connects them, and sometimes we have to dig deeper to find it. Tomorrow's scriptures have an obvious connection even at first glance. In case you want to read ahead, they are: Genesis 1:1-5; Psalm 29; Acts 19:1-7; and Mark 1:4-11.

These scriptures are about the power of God and about new beginnings. We start with Genesis 1:1-5 which begins the creation story:

". . . the earth was a formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God swept over the face of the waters. Then God said, 'Let there be light"; and there was light.' And God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness."

Here's a sermon I'll preach sometime: Only God can separate light from darkness and name them as such.

The responsive Psalm celebrates God's awesome power and our privilege of praising God who is all-powerful. The Epistle is about baptism and confirmation in the Early Church. St. Paul baptized some believers and laid hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.

Our Gospel celebrates the baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. In fact the name of the day tomorrow is properly called: The First Sunday After the Epiphany: The Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you might guess, my sermon for tomorrow is about Christian Baptism. Please come and allow a wind from God to sweep over you.


In peace,
Linda+
The Rev. Linda McCloud
Vicar, Holy Cross Church Episcopal
Billings, Montana
406-208-7314
www.holycrosschurchbillings.org
photo: wind art - a gift from friends