Dear Friends in Christ,
I have recently been saying around lunch tables and in sermons that my answer to just about everything in this moment is, remember your baptism. As you participate in the life of your congregation, remember your baptism. As we celebrate our country’s 250th birthday, remember your baptism. As you read the news, remember your baptism. As you interact with neighbors, businesses, family members, and friends, remember your baptism. Remember that you are not alone out there living as a disciple of Jesus Christ; in baptism you were united with the same Jesus Christ. Remember that the power of death was defeated by Jesus’ death and resurrection, but the forces that defy God are still present in the world—that’s why we renounce them in each service of Holy Baptism. Remember that you are freed by God’s grace and mercy once and for all and again each day when you remember your baptism. Remember the promises you made in baptism or affirmation of baptism that do not need to be lived out in one grand gesture, but through hundreds of small acts that few people will witness: to live among God’s faithful people, to hear the word of God and share in the Lord’s supper, to proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed, to serve all people, following the example of Jesus, and to strive for justice and peace in all the earth.
The longer I serve as bishop, the more humbled I am to hear more and more stories of you living out your call to daily discipleship—in your places of work, volunteering, family, and community. Remember that you can continue to grow as a disciple but that often that growth is cyclical—we grow, we forget, we have an insight, we hurt someone, we receive God’s mercy again and again. You already have everything you need through the gift of the Holy Spirit: the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, the spirit of joy in God’s presence. Often these gifts come to us through other people, sometimes we receive them anew in worship or while reading scripture, and sometimes they come when we quiet our hearts and minds and simply listen to God in prayer. You are already disciples, followers or Jesus Christ living your faith out each day. Freed by God’s grace to live faithfully, witness boldly, and serve joyfully.
Bishop Meggan