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I recently visited in the...

Illustration
Proper 10 | Ordinary Time 15 - A
Romans 8:1-11
I recently visited in the home of a family that had requested that their two daughters be baptized. So, as I usually do, I had one of the church's elders along with me, and we talked with the whole family about the meaning of baptism. I explained how Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, how baptism is a symbol of how our sins are washed away, and how baptism marks the start of a new life with God. And I probably spent fifteen or twenty minutes going through all of that. When I finished, I asked if they had any questions. The seven-year-old girl who was to be baptized answered: "No.
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Proper 10 | OT 15 | Pentecost 5
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Proper 11 | OT 16 | Pentecost 6
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Object: The object of the lesson is a gesture you will teach the children.

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This story begins with gift -- with blessed gift -- with miraculous, blessed giftedness. And I will even tell you now the theme of the story: if you keep your eye on the giftedness of everything, then you yourself can be a gift, you can be a giver, rather than a hoarder.
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