On the first Sunday in the new year, a theme of beginnings seems very appropriate. The gospel for the day is dominated by beginnings, the beginning of the universe and the beginning of the Christian era, that is, creation and incarnation. Although baptism is not mentioned, there is new birth and the beginning of life as children of God, which would also suggest the beginning of the church. The beginning of the church receives particular attention in the lesson from Ephesians. The Old Testament lesson focuses on the new beginning in Jerusalem after Babylonian exile.
