Epithany 1 January 11, 2026 “Immersed in the Faith”

Baptism is an important rite of the church. Whether you have been baptized or not, what does baptism mean to you? As I was reading this week, I learned that in some evangelical traditions, baptism is a sign of stepping out of the world. Baptism is a denial of your former life and a denial of the world. I wondered about this, and I think I understand how that fits in with the way some religious people think.

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​Christmas 2 January 4, 2026 “The Light of Christ”

The question arises, “Why was the Holy Family in Egypt to begin with?” According to the Gospel of Matthew, and only the Gospel of Matthew, the Holy Family was escaping persecution by King Herod. As Matthew tells it when the Magi were following the star to Bethlehem to see the child whose predictions would be the King of the Jews, they stopped in Jerusalem. There, they met King Herod. They told him of their prophesies. Herod got worried. Was this child king going to grow up to lead a rebellion against him and his family? There was only one way to prevent that: he would kill the child.

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