We like new things, don’t we? We celebrate “new” often in our lives. January 1, we celebrate a new year. At wedding showers, we celebrate a new marriage. At baby showers, we celebrate a new child. We give cards and have parties to celebrate new jobs, friendships, and opportunities. Around mid-August each year, people celebrate the start of a new school year. We like new things.
This Sunday at Wildwood Community Church, we will be celebrating something new . . . new life in Christ! 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” This Sunday 15 people will be water baptized (see who is baptized in which service here.) Praise God! Though their new life in Christ does not begin in the waters of baptism (they were “born again” to a new spiritual life the moment they believed in Jesus), we CELEBRATE their new life and God’s grace through baptism. Just as the wedding shower celebrates the new marriage, so the baptism celebrates the new life in Christ.
At Wildwood, we are so excited about these baptisms that we are having an “ALL IN” service this weekend. That means we are not having any support programming (no adult, student, or children’s ministry classes on Sunday). Instead we will all be in the worship service together. We will sing praise to Christ, look at 2 Corinthians 5:17 together, then hear the stories and watch the water baptisms of a number of people. I can’t wait!
Make plans to join us this Sunday morning in either our 9:45 or 11:00 worship service.