The first Sunday of the Epiphany we return to the baptism of the Lord - Luke's account in Year C. Luke treats us to the marvelous picture of the dove descending, and those beautiful words "This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." What is happening here? See "God Believes in You" by the Rev. Dr. Joanna Adams.
I especially liked the following story from the Fred Craddock Stories about the man who lived ashamed and ostracized because of the status of his paternity: "One day, before I could escape, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was the minister. He looked closely at my face. I knew that he too was trying to guess who my father was. 'Well, boy, you are a child of. . .' and then he paused. When he spoke again he said, 'Boy, you are a child of God. I see a striking resemblance.' Then he swatted me on the bottom and said, 'Now, you go on and claim your inheritance.' I left church that day a different person," the now elderly man said. "In fact, that was the beginning of my life." "What's your name?" Dr. Craddock asked. He answered, "Ben Hooper. My name is Ben Hooper." Dr. Craddock said he vaguely recalled from when he was a kid, his father talking about how the people of Tennessee had twice elected a fellow who had been born out of wedlock as the governor of their state. His name was Ben Hooper.
Finally, Janelle Hiroshige, evoking the passage from Isaiah, reminds us we are so loved, God calls us by name. Read her "By Name."
How often do you tell our children, grandchildren, or for that matter, all God's children, "You are a child of God, whom he loves, claims, and calls by name?"
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