Baptism of Jesus is like a tie-dyed t-shirt

Jesus Baptism: Mark 1:9,

In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11 And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.

As I was packing supplies …and specifically craft and art supplies for our trip to CHE, …knowing that water was our theme…my conscience said, “You can’t take tie-dye to Nuevo Laredo. It’s a place where it is dry and water can be scarce ...and water pressure at the orphanage can sometimes be very low. And then that inner prayerful thought, which can be called the Holy Spirit, said, “Of course you take tie-dye! …That’s the whole point J The children will love it…it will be a reminder to them how much they are loved by God and how we are all living in community even though we are over 1200 miles away.”

Baptism was going on long time before John baptized Jesus. Baptism is about water… water is cleansing.  As we bathe in water it washes away dirt. When we say “I’m sorry for our wrong doings and let go of things that keep us from God…we feel better, we feel clean. Another word, for this is repentance. That’s what John the Baptist was up to.

Jesus gives us the gift of baptism in him, which is the Holy Spirit!

It’s like a tie-dye t-shirt! A t-shirt must be washed and cleaned first, before it is dyed. And through water the dye is absorbed into the shirt. Each t-shirt is beautifully unique in color and design. Through Living Water, (spiritual water) the Holy Spirit (inner spiritual voice) is absorbed in us J Jesus invites us to be a live, with God's love and joy of the Holy Spirit and the to live in community with Him. As each t-shirt is different, so is each one of us, and the Holy Spirit dances and swirls uniquely in us all J How beautiful is that?!

And with a play on words, as dye gets on our hands while tie-dying, let it be a reminder that Jesus wants us to "dye or die" with him is his baptism. Let things that keep us from God, die,...meaning let them go, so that we can truly live, and be alive with God through Jesus and the Holy Spirit.     

Today we are tie-dying t-shirts with the children at CHE, and may the Holy Spirit soak in…  here at CHE and in you today J

   

Where do you see community ?

Where do you feel the Holy Spirit speaking to you?

Where do you see God working in others?

Enjoy the day, love peace and Joy be with you:)

Penny