First Thoughts: Jesus' public ministry begins with his baptism. Today we think of baptism as being a rather respectable rite primarily contained and understood within the context of the church. This was not true in Jesus' time however. When John was baptizing people, it was a public demonstration. John's baptism was performed in the open air in the presence of believers, critics, and even curious onlookers. Being baptized was a profound statement of repentance, of changing your life path, which was witnessed by family, friends, strangers, employers, and rulers. It set you apart and made you an outsider to the rest of the population. When Jesus is baptized, he's "coming out of hiding." He leaves behind his carpenter life to become a prophet, a healer, an itinerant rabbi. Just as Jesus chooses this moment to "go public," so does God: "This is my son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased." This is how faith seems to work. We receive great instruction, a lot of support from others, a true anchoring in the lessons of faith, but at some point we have to take action and make that faith our own. We have to decide if we're going to bet our lives on the truth of what we've heard. God doesn't pressure, threaten, or cajole; God simply waits for us to make the decision. Once we do, though, God is quick with encouragement and acknowledgment that we're on the right path. Reflect on a time in your life when you felt God affirm your path, when you knew you were exactly where you were supposed to be, doing exactly the work God equipped you to do. Carry that experience with you in your time with the children.
Teaching On Your Own: Hey everybody! Guess what I did this weekend? I was in a ping-pong tournament playing for the state championship. It was intense! I played great and was just about to win the final point when I realized something. I forgot to put on socks that morning! It's very clear in the Table Tennis rule book -- all players must wear socks. Now, the judges hadn't noticed, so I knew I could just keep my pant legs down and still win. But I remembered my dad once told me that "if you can't win fairly, it's not a real win." So I turned myself in and gave up the trophy. That was tough, you know. But then something great happened. My dad came up to me and smiled. He put his arm around me and said, "That's my boy/girl." Have you ever had anyone say that about you? That they were proud of something you'd done? It's pretty great, isn't it? It reminds me of our passage today.
Jesus was ready to start his ministry, so he came to his cousin John to be baptized in the Jordan River. After the baptism, suddenly a voice came from heaven. It was the voice of God, and it said, "This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased." It sounds a little like what my dad said to me, right? I think what I did was brave, and it showed my dad that I had listened to what he taught me and that I wanted to live my life like he did -- trying to be fair. What Jesus did was brave too. He showed the world that he was going to spend his life doing his Father's work --teaching scripture, caring for the sick and hungry, challenging rich people to share their wealth with others -- just the things his Father wanted him to do. It feels pretty good when you make someone proud of you, and it makes you want to work harder to do things the right way. So not only are others proud of you; you can be proud of yourself too!
Teaching As A Team:
Leader 1: Hey, (name). What did you do this weekend?
Leader 2: I was in a ping-pong tournament playing for the state championship.
Leader 1: Wow, that sounds intense.
Leader 2: It was. I played great and was just about to win the final point when I realized something.
Leader 1: What?
Leader 2: I forgot to put on socks that morning!
Leader 1: You forgot to put on socks? What does that have to do with anything?
Leader 2: It's in the Table Tennis rule book -- all players must wear socks.
Leader 1: Oh no. So what happened?
Leader 2: Well, the judges hadn't noticed, so I knew I could just keep my pant legs down and still win. But I remembered my dad told me once that "if you can't win fairly, it's not a real win." So I turned myself in and gave up the trophy.
Leader 1: That must have been hard for you.
Leader 2: It was, but then something great happened. My dad came up to me and smiled. He put his arm around me and said, "That's my boy/girl."
Leader 1: You're right, that is pretty great. It reminds me of our passage today. Jesus was ready to start his ministry, so he came to his cousin John to be baptized in the Jordan River. After the baptism, a voice suddenly came from heaven. It was the voice of God, and it said, "This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased."
Leader 2: That's sort of like what my dad said to me.
Leader 1: Yes. What you did was brave, and it showed your dad that you had listened to what he taught you and that you wanted to live your life like he did -- trying to be fair. What Jesus did was brave too. He showed the world that he was going to spend his life doing his Father's work -- teaching scripture, caring for the sick and hungry, challenging rich people to share their wealth with others -- just the things his Father wanted him to do.
Leader 2: You know, it feels pretty good when you make someone proud of you.
Leader 1: Yeah, and it makes you want to work harder to do things the right way. So not only are others proud of you; you can be proud of yourself too!
Closing Prayer: Loving God, help us to learn your lessons of kindness and forgiveness and to live them in our daily lives. Help us also to know that when you look at us, you say the same thing about us that you said about Jesus -- that we are your beloved, and you are pleased with us. In Christ's name we pray, Amen.
Follow-Up Lesson: To reinforce this message in a home or classroom environment, spend some time reviewing the Bible story, perhaps leading the children on a guided meditation on the scene. Emphasize the sights, sounds, smells of the Jordan River and encouraging the children to place themselves in the scene. When you get to the action, encourage them to picture Jesus coming to the water to John. Talk about how John knew Jesus was special. John thought he wasn't worthy to baptize Jesus, but Jesus insisted. Then spend some time describing the blessing incident and how a dove seemed to descend from heaven, accompanied by the voice of God saying, "This is my Son, my beloved, in whom I am well pleased." Ask the children to share which part of the meditation struck them the most, and what it tells them about God or Jesus or themselves. Ask the children to share a moment in their lives where someone expressed pride in something they did, or when they have felt proud of themselves. Point out that the way we feel about ourselves when we do something great is also the way God feels about us. Just as God calls Jesus the beloved, God gives us the same title. (Make sure the children understand that "beloved" means to "be loved.") The amazing thing about God is that God loves us when we do wonderful things but continues to love us when we don't. When we do great things, though, we can bet that God is encouraging us to do even greater things, to be even braver in being kind and loving.
As a craft idea, print out a template for each child on cardstock and allow them to color or decorate with glitter, colored sand, and other materials. Make two hole punches on either side of the top of the picture and run a piece of string through the holes and tie it, so the picture can be hung up. (You can also use wire hangers for this, attaching each hole to the hanger to give it support.) Finally, allow the children to glue colored streamers to the bottom of the picture. Encourage the children to find a place in their room where they can hang their dove, such as in their doorway, so as they walk under it they can feel the streamers touching their head. Each time this happens, they can remember the words of God that they are beloved of God wherever they go, whatever they do. They can also use it as an encouragement to do their best to make God proud in their actions that day. Close in prayer.
