2nd Week After Epiphany

This week’s episode had a lot to do with chaos to order , but we didn’t have a chance to talk about the Baptism of Jesus. That week is a great time for the remembrance of your own baptism. Let me take a second to say why I think that’s important.

Many different denominations view baptism differently. It probably exists on a spectrum between–baptism is only necessary for salvific reasons (often in Believers Baptism circles) to baptism is a community event (often in Infant Baptism circles). It is probably helpful to reflect on both sides, but I find it particularly helpful to reflect on how a community has helped shaped who you are. Communities can shape us in really good ways. Communities can also offer us the sort of systems and plans I talked about in this weeks episode of the podcast–ones that mask the chaotic.

So, here are the questions for reflection this week:

1. If you were baptized in the Christian church, share about the community you were baptism in. How did you understand baptism at the time? How has that changed over time?

2. How did the community you were baptized into shape your worldview? What were you taught? How were you discipled?

3. Share an example of something that you have woken up to because of your commitment as a Christian. Maybe you believed one way because you were shaped by a community but connection to Jesus changed your view. Share that example. Was there some level of chaos existing behind the system you had inherited?

4. What systems or plans do you have in place now that might be supporting “good” behavior, but aren’t actually consistent with a connection to Jesus, the source of order? If you need help with a topic, consider how you spend your money. There’s usually something there ;)

5. What exactly does it mean to be connected to Jesus, to believe Jesus is actually alive and present in your life, to allow Jesus to order the chaos you try so hard to manage?