Volume XXVIV, Issue 23 | July 6, 2025 - July 20, 2025
From Tara's Desk
Dear Church,
On the bookshelf next to my desk, there is a picture of a creek in Robbinsville, North Carolina. It is a small creek surrounded by the full trees of a summer day. I know that the waters there are very cold, as they have come down off the top of the mountain just behind it. The creek sits next to a white clapboard church. This is the creek in which I was baptized.
In my last two sermons, I have mentioned our baptismal vows. These are the vows our parents make on our behalf when we are infants, and then we reaffirm them in confirmation. Or if you joined a church as an adult, you made a profession of faith by taking these vows.
The importance of these vows in our life of faith cannot be overstated. They are to be the guiding principles in all that we do. It is said that the early church reformer Martin Luther would wake every morning and say to himself, "Remember Martin--you are baptized." At the bottom of the picture of the creek where I was baptized, I have written, "Remember Tara--you are baptized."
I forget my baptism a lot. And I am grateful for God's grace when I mess up. But each day, I hope to remember the promises I have made to God and the church. I hope to live into what I believe.
Here are the baptismal vows of our tradition for you to remember:
Trusting in the gracious mercy of God,
do you turn from the ways of sin
and renounce evil and its power in the world?
If so, please say, "I do."
Do you turn to Jesus Christ
and accept him as your Lord and Savior,
trusting in his grace and love?
If so, please say, "I do."
Will you be Christ's faithful disciple,
obeying His Word and showing his love?
If so, please say, "I will, with God's help."
Having publicly professed your faith,
will you be a faithful member of this congregation,
share in its worship and ministry
through your prayers and gifts,
your study and service,
and so fulfill your calling to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
If so, please say, "I will, with God's help."
May we each remember that we are baptized!
In faith, hope, and love,
Tara
On the bookshelf next to my desk, there is a picture of a creek in Robbinsville, North Carolina. It is a small creek surrounded by the full trees of a summer day. I know that the waters there are very cold, as they have come down off the top of the mountain just behind it. The creek sits next to a white clapboard church. This is the creek in which I was baptized.
In my last two sermons, I have mentioned our baptismal vows. These are the vows our parents make on our behalf when we are infants, and then we reaffirm them in confirmation. Or if you joined a church as an adult, you made a profession of faith by taking these vows.
The importance of these vows in our life of faith cannot be overstated. They are to be the guiding principles in all that we do. It is said that the early church reformer Martin Luther would wake every morning and say to himself, "Remember Martin--you are baptized." At the bottom of the picture of the creek where I was baptized, I have written, "Remember Tara--you are baptized."
I forget my baptism a lot. And I am grateful for God's grace when I mess up. But each day, I hope to remember the promises I have made to God and the church. I hope to live into what I believe.
Here are the baptismal vows of our tradition for you to remember:
Trusting in the gracious mercy of God,
do you turn from the ways of sin
and renounce evil and its power in the world?
If so, please say, "I do."
Do you turn to Jesus Christ
and accept him as your Lord and Savior,
trusting in his grace and love?
If so, please say, "I do."
Will you be Christ's faithful disciple,
obeying His Word and showing his love?
If so, please say, "I will, with God's help."
Having publicly professed your faith,
will you be a faithful member of this congregation,
share in its worship and ministry
through your prayers and gifts,
your study and service,
and so fulfill your calling to be a disciple of Jesus Christ?
If so, please say, "I will, with God's help."
May we each remember that we are baptized!
In faith, hope, and love,
Tara
Lectionary
July 6:
Isa. 66:10-14 & Ps. 66:1-9; Gal. 6:(1-6) 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
July 13:
Deut. 30:9-14 & Ps. 25:1-10; Col. 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
July 20:
Gen. 18:1-10 & Ps. 15; Col. 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
Isa. 66:10-14 & Ps. 66:1-9; Gal. 6:(1-6) 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20
July 13:
Deut. 30:9-14 & Ps. 25:1-10; Col. 1:1-14; Luke 10:25-37
July 20:
Gen. 18:1-10 & Ps. 15; Col. 1:15-28; Luke 10:38-42
