Sunday is Coming at Plymouth Church

The sermon for January 13th is based upon Matthew's account of the baptism of Jesus. It invites us to reflect upon our own baptism, and in some way relate it to the Baptism of our Lord. Perhaps more importantly, it raises the question as to why our Lord submitted Himself to a baptism of repentance? In these few verses Matthew stirs our imagination with his word picture of the Baptism of Jesus. These words have inspired artists to paint the scene. There is a painting by one of the famous artists whose work captures this passage of scripture in an inspiring way. In this painting, John the Baptist is in the river Jordan with Jesus who has just emerged from the waters of baptism; the dove is over His head, and the scene on the river bank is painted with skill to reflect the shore line and the multitudes witnessing this event. Reflections of the witnesses is as central to this painting as is the baptism itself. I've wondered if the artist intended that we see ourselves as witnesses to this event, standing on the shore of the Jordan and asking ourselves what exactly this all means. In the mind of Jesus, are all who will follow Him into the waters of baptism there?

Join us as at Plymouth Congregational Church as we consider the meaning of Jesus' baptism and reconsider the meaning of our own.