Messy Church is this Wednesday at 5pm. There are crafts, songs, and dinner. It’s great for the whole family. The theme this month is “Baptism.”

Baptism marks the entry of a person into the Christian community, but it is more than a community, it is a family, and, through Christ we are all sisters and brothers. Baptism is the beginning of a new life in Christ.

Water is used in Baptism to symbolically wash away the darkness within us so that we can become the person that God created us to be. Water is also the basis of life and the water of Baptism is a promise of a new and abundant life through Christ and in Christ. Baptism occurs in the midst of a community that promises to help the parents and sponsors guide the child toward a life in Christ.

Another symbol is the giving of light. The light is to remind the newly Baptized that they are to be a light in the world, but it is also given by the community to assure the person that in the times of darkness that come in every person’s life, the community will bring light into that person’s life.

We have just celebrated the beginning of a new year and many of us have made new year’s resolutions marking January 1 as a time of a fresh start, a new beginning. The new year can be an opportunity to focus on the things we have identified in our lives that we would like to change. We have acknowledged to ourselves there are things that need to be washed clean. There are dark areas that need to have light. Often times the success of our resolutions are determined by the support of those around us. The idea of new beginnings and Baptism are not dissimilar.

As we begin 2017, thinking of Baptism, of new beginnings may be the perfect way to mark a new beginning in your life. It is hard to juggle all the demands and needs of our busy lives. It is hard to make time for ourselves. It is hard to add something into an overfull day but taking a bit of time each day to be in God’s presence can make a difference in your day and in your life. God has promised to be with us in our tragedies and our joys. Spending some time each day with God helps us to recognize God’s ongoing presence in our lives. Spending time with God does not have to be complicated. Thanking God for something good in your life, asking for help for yourself or someone else, simply talking to God about your day are all ways that you can invite God into your life.

Consider making 2017 the year you reconnect with God and with the promises made at your Baptism, to make a new beginning in your life.