Monthly Message | January

“That is what happened in baptism. When we went under the water, we left the old country of sin behind; when we came up out of the water, we entered into the new country of grace — a new life in a new land!

^“That’s what baptism into the life of Jesus means. When we are lowered into the water, it is like the burial of Jesus; when we are raised up out of the water, it is like the resurrection of Jesus. Each of us is raised into a light-filled world by our Father so that we can see where we’re going in our new grace-sovereign country.” — Romans 6:3­–4 (The Message)

Happy New Year!

Each second Sunday in January, the church celebrates the Baptism of Jesus. In many ways, it occurs at a perfect time for us. With January’s arrival, many of us think about goals for the how we would like the next twelve months to play out — what we may want to accomplish or do either professionally or personally. Whatever happened in the previous year is behind us, and we can just look ahead.

While Jesus’s baptism is, in many ways, different than anyone else’s baptism, it presents a chance to reflect on the sacrament of baptism in our lives, and how baptism gives us that “out with the old, in with the new” gift that the start of a new year tries to do, but usually doesn’t.

In his Small Catechism, Martin Luther writes that baptism signifies “that the old person in us with all sins and evil desires is to be drowned and die through daily sorrow for sin and through repentance, and on the other hand that daily a new person is to come forth and rise up to live before God in righteousness and purity forever.” In other words, just as the apostle Paul writes in Romans, we are made new each day because of Jesus, and the waters of baptism seal us with that promise of new life through Jesus Christ. We are truly made new with Christ each and every day. We don’t have to wait until New Year’s Day each year to have this newness in our lives. This is part of our daily lives of faith in Jesus. What a gift!

Having said that, it is still good to think about goals for our faith lives — whether personally or us as a church community. Are there ways you wish to grow in your faith in Jesus, and what does that look like? If you would like to talk about any of that, reach out to me.

We are coming off a big year for St. Mark where we celebrated the 200th year as a Lutheran congregation. Now, where do we as a church community wish to go next and grow in our worshiping God and sharing the love of Jesus with others? If you would like to talk about any of that or have ideas, reach out to me, as I am planning to work with some of you on putting together a list of goals for the church for the next few years.

As we enter into a new year together, my family and I want to wish everyone a wonderful 2026! I look forward to seeing where Holy Spirit leads each of you and St. Mark as a whole this year!

Pastor David