Pastor Gail Whitcome Linstrom – “Baptism – a Practice as Old as Time” – Verdugo Community Church January 21, 2024

In her sermon, “Baptism – a Practice as Old as Time,” Pastor Gail looks at the background and meaning of Jesus’s baptism as found in Mark 1 and Matthew 3 by looking at the deep roots of this practice in the Old Testament. From the earliest days of Exodus God required that men and women immerse themselves in living water before coming before him to worship, or, to signify a change in their lives: One goes down into the water by one set of steps and comes up, renewed, by another. It is easy to miss the connection with baptism because is a Greek word without a Hebrew equivalent. Thus when John was reluctant to baptize Jesus for the repentance of sins, Jesus reminded him that it was a requirement in the Law for other reasons. When Jesus was baptized, he saw the heavens open and his Father affirming him and saying he was well pleased with him. When we acknowledge the baptism of the holy spirit by changing our lives, we are likewise opening ourselves to God’s love and affirmation.

 

Verdugo makes its Sunday sermons available to you on Facebook and posts audio copies of the service and sermon at https://verdugochurch.podbean.com.

 

Verdugo Community Church is a Free Methodist congregation serving the Glassell Park, Eagle Rock, and Glendale areas in Los Angeles. It is located at 4300 Verdugo Road, Los Angeles, CA 90065. Our email address is verdugofmc@gmail.com. Contact Pastor Gail at (323) 500-3343.

 

Verdugo is online at www.facebook.com/verdugochurch and www.verdugochurch.org.

Sermon copyright 2024 by Gail Whitcome Linstrom and Verdugo Community Church.