Baptism and Fatherly Encouragement
In baptism, God opens His heart and receives us into His family as His beloved children. With that baptism, each one of us who are baptized are served with a call to action, a call to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ with the world around us. By going forth into all the world and proclaiming the Good News to the whole creation, we fulfill our purpose as ambassadors of Christ’s love, hope, and salvation. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and ‘proclaim’ the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.” Mark 16:15-16. When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, he was coming out of the water when he saw clouds above being torn open. Evidently someone was seriously interested in coming down. Through those open skies Jesus saw the Holy Spirit of God floating down like a dove and coming directly onto him. Then God spoke to him in the divine moment saying “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.” How Jesus must have been so encouraged in that moment hearing those words for all of us. God was backing His son Jesus to tackle the work of redeeming the world. And so this is so true for each of us today, as we come forward to be baptized “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” We are welcomed into God’s family, not because we are perfect, because we know that only Jesus was perfect, but because we enter into the family of God by the forgiveness of sins. We are real children of God. The words you hear in baptism are the very words spoken to Jesus that day. In our baptism God opens His heart and we are received into His family as His beloved children. Now that means that any of those around us can be encouraged to tell about God’s love for them. Through the grace and love of this special time, Hope Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church has welcomed two groups into the family of God in recent days in the rite of Holy Baptism. It is quite an understatement for each of those who came forward in faith accept the promise of forgiveness of sin through the rite of holy baptism. It is a calling to faith. It is a testimony of the old self being taken out and replaced with a new one. We thank and praise our God for using pastor Van Ravy to serve His sacramental(The Holy Baptism) to his English students from Hope Lutheran School two special occasions who baptized at Hope Lutheran Evangelical Church:
-February 11, 2024 February 11, 2024
1-Nhun Meyling
2-Nhun Meylang
3-Sambo Liya
4-Yon Nany
5-Lor Sarom
6-Phal Sreyna
7-Veasna Channy
-March 24, 2024
1-Hol Minea
2-Vin Phalin
3-Teacher Porng Sreyneang
4-Mot Meymey
5-Thea Chantou
6-Sak Saina