Baptism of the Lord

Year 3: January 8, 2017

Preaching Text: Luke 3:1-22

The Mitten Tree by Candace Christiansen

(Written for ages 4-8)

Comment: John describes what it might look like to live a fruitful life shaped by repentance and baptism. This description was helpful for those being baptized and is helpful for us, too. After the season of Christmas, where our culture pushes getting, it’s good to be reminded that God’s desire is not for us to have more and more, but for us to share what we have, so that everyone will have enough. The Mitten Tree expresses this concept beautifully. Sarah knits mittens for the children in town. Her act of sharing connects her to the children, like family, even though they don’t know where the mittens come from. This text, story, and liturgical day remind us of our identity as part of God’s family and the way God calls us to live in response to our identity. May we know the joy that comes from a life filled with sharing love with all of God’s children.

Thanks to Union Presbyterian Seminary alumna Noell Rathbun-Cook for writing the Narrative Lectionary Links for Year 3.

Lectionary Links (NL): January 8, 2017 by Storypath is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.