As we enter the new year, we pray God’s blessings on each of you.  There is a church council meeting, Jan 18 at 3pm.  We are participating in the Souper Bowl of Sharing project once again.  We are collecting food and/or monetary donations to support the local food pantry.  We challenge other Bourbon churches to participate in this endeavor to help those in need in our community.

Sunday’s sermon theme, by Pastor Todd Holman, was the baptism of Jesus.  The  scripture reading was Matthew 3:13-17.  There is infant baptism and other issues surrounding baptism in today’s church. There are various techniques for baptism,  sprinkling, pouring and bodies of water used for immersion.  The Methodist liturgy emphasizes the trinity: Father, son and Holy Spirit. It is not about the body of water, it’s about Jesus.  Jesus was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist.  He was showing us an example of how to become part of the body of Christ. We don’t know why Jesus wanted to be baptized. Was it repentance or turning towards something? This was a sign of something new.  It was a new way of living together in community.  Baptism is a corporate act, a community of believers must be present. The Methodist belief is that you only need one baptism.  You are joined with the body of Christ.  You are never alone afterwards. Each of us is called to serve the lord. What does justice mean in the Bible? Living according to God’s righteous character which involves fair and impartial treatment, showing compassion. It is about setting things right. About loving others as God loves us.  Baptism is an invitation to love and live like Jesus.  We pray that we may get closer  and be changed. 

Please join us for worship every Sunday at 9 a.m. We celebrate Holy communion the first Sunday each month. All are welcome at the Lord’s table.