And There Was Morning

DOWNLOAD 'Becoming the People of God' Small Group Resources (PDF)

Fellowship – Snacks or a Meal (10 minutes with snacks; longer, obviously, if there is a meal).

Gathering Time (5-10 minutes). Have participants talk about the day of their baptism in pairs or groups of three. Provide the following questions: “Do you remember your baptism? Were you baptized as an infant or an adult? Who baptized you? Who was present? Who was missing?”

Group Dialogue (Approximately 30 minutes). Read Genesis 1:1-5 and Mark 1:4-11.

• Why is water so significant in the sacrament of baptism?
• The Preaching Notes say, “[John the Baptist was] someone who knew. Someone who had found what he (and they) was looking for. So, John gave it to them with water and with words. They glimpsed it in the gathering of the multitudes. …That was why they splashed into the river to be baptized by this crazy man. He had something they wanted. He saw what they were looking for.” Have you found what you were looking for? When did you realize that you had found it? Is there a time when you mistakenly thought you had found what you were looking for?
• Was Jesus’ baptism necessary if he did not need repentance? Is the biblical account of his baptism relevant for us today? Why?
• The author of the preaching notes says that we want certainty that God claimed us, that we are beloved children with whom God is well pleased. Do you have this certainty? If so, how did you gain this certainty?
• Like John the Baptist, how could you lead people to Jesus, our savior? How could you help others gain the certainty that they are beloved children of God?

Prayer (10 minutes). Share prayer requests and respond appropriately.

Sending Forth (2 minutes). End with the following prayer, a similar prayer, or the Lord’s Prayer:

God, our Creator, may we always remember that. through our baptism, you claimed us. We are your beautiful and beloved children. Thank you for the gestures of love we receive daily through your creation. Help us share these gestures of love with others. Amen.

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Rev. Dr. Alma Tinoco Ruiz is an Assistant Professor of the Practice of Homiletics and Evangelism and Director of the Hispanic House of Studies at Duke University Divinity School. She is a practical theologian whose work centers on the intersection of homiletics, pastoral care, and evangelism.