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The Gift Table - Week Two

January 11, 2026 0 0

 

The gift received — Baptism

 

Introduction:

Jesus’s baptism was a gift that sustained him with the knowledge of God’s presence and his own status as a beloved child of God. In the same way the gift of our baptisms sustain us and reminds us that we are also beloved children of God.

 

Seeds to sow:

Have you been baptised? If not is it something you would like to learn more about? If so, what does your baptism mean to you?

 

Read Matthew 3: 13-17

The gift of baptism! Jesus — firstborn of creation — cannot baptise himself, for baptism must be a gift. He receives this gift and as he does he opens up baptism for all of us to hear those words — that we too are chosen and delighted in.

Q: If you were going to summarise this reading in one word what would it be?

Q: Illustrations of this scene often depict a literal dove, but what do you think Jesus saw when he burst out of the water?

 

Read Isaiah 42: 1-9

Chosen, delighted in, called, sent. This paradigm of God’s servant: chosen-delighted-called-sent is the one Christ followed in his baptism and we can follow as we emulate Christ. We are not called to be Christ, but rather to follow in his footsteps as what C.S. Lewis called ‘Little Christs’ who gradually become more Christlike.

We are of course not the servant in this reading, but the same God chose us, chose us to follow after Christ — to ourselves reflect the light and bring liberation.

Q: God has chosen you! Baptism celebrates this fact. What are some of the Christ-like qualities you have seen in other people in your life? How have the actions of Christ-like people affected you?

 

Read Acts 16: 11-15 

The Gift that keeps on giving.

Lydia and her household get baptised very quickly! Everything moves fast. Today in most church traditions when someone enquires about baptism for themselves or a loved one it’s a fairly long process often involving classes or a series of conversations.

Q: This is not to say that Lydia got baptised too quickly or that we tend to get baptised too slowly — but let’s discuss the difference! What do we gain by giving people time to learn more about their baptism? And what might we lose by drawing out the process too long?