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Knox Presbyterian Church

Week ofOctober 11, 2020

A Baptism-shaped Life

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Welcome to this week’s

Hello, Friends!

I’ll admit that I get a bit teary-eyed at weddings. Lately, I’ve been reaching for a tissue when I watch someone being baptized, too. That’s not a bad thing, I think. “With every baptism we celebrate as a church, we have an opportunity to remember our own baptisms.” So starts the latest sermon from Jana Reister, which she delivered online on October 18.

Jana’s sermon, entitled “A Baptism-Shaped Life,” reminds us that with each baptism we observe, we need to remember that the water is a sign of OUR being forgiven and renewed and claimed as God’s own beloved children. That’s worth a few tears of joy, don’t you think?

Pray for one another, stay healthy, and be the church to all you meet!

Glenn Williams, Editor

Editor: Glenn Williams;Art Direction & Photo Editing: Christina Miller

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Letter from the Editor

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This year's meeting will take place online, Sunday, October 18 through October 25.

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SCRIPTURE5 Luke 3:21-22; 4:16-21 Acts 2:37-47 New Standard Revised Version SERMON6 A Baptism-shaped Life by Rev. Jana Reister14 PRAYER LIST

TOUCHpoint!point!Week of October 11, 2020

5knox Presbyterian Church

these individuals George, MartyGilman, BarbaraGinocchio, JamesGoering, JohnGrapes, Christine

these families The Fronczek Family: Adam, Anna, harlie, Mac, Teddy, SamThe Getgeys.Family: John, Amy, John, Andrew, Lauren, MollieThe Gibbs/Mulder Family: Becky and AnneThe Gieseke Family: Karl, Maggie, James, Henry, Anna, Mary, Lilly, RosieThe Gilhart Family: Jenny and BobThe Gilman Family: Tom, Nancy, Nathaniel, ElizabethThe Gimberts Family: Wes, Ann, Edmund, LeslieThe Gimpels Family: Paige, John, Ben, ElizabethThe Ginsburg Family: Pam and DavidThe Gonzales Family: Marc, Jane, AlexandraThe Adams/Good Family: David, Martha, ElizabethThe Graham Family: Todd, Carolyn, Jack, Madeline, Will, Ann and with love remembering RobThe Graham Family Brent, Evelyn, David, Will, CarolineThe Zests Family Graham and TiffanyThe Grgas-Kersey Family John, Jessica, Kirk, Bodie, MakennaThe Grout Family Tim, Karen, Sarah

Romans 15:7 reads, “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” As we pray this month, we pray in a spirit of welcome; we make space in our hearts for these friends in Christ and we pray that each one knows God’s deep welcome.

PRAYERS FOR EVERYONE

21 Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 22 and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved;[g] with you I am well pleased.

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He un-rolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the

This Week's ScriptureFirst of all, I ask you to pray for everyone. Ask God to help and bless them all and tell God how thankfulyou are for each of them. (1 Timothy 2:1, Contemporary English Version)

Luke 3:21-22; 4:16-21 Acts 2:37-47

poor.He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”

37 Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and to the other apos-tles, “Brothers,[i] what should we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ so that your sins may be forgiven; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you, for your children, and for all who are far away, every-one whom the Lord our God calls to him.” 40 And he testified with many other arguments and exhorted them, saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added.

being the church

Support a Knox mission partners. Bring your trunk load of donations to the Knox Observatory Avenue parking lot. Members of Mission

and Social Concerns will be there to receive them.

Third Church: new or gently used coats,

sizes infant through child's 20 and adult

sizes. Hats, gloves and mittens are also needed.

Center for Respite: men and women's socks and thermal

sets sizes M-2XL, and individual packs of instant oatmeal and hot

chocolate.Childhood Food Solutions: ramen noo-

dles, breakfast bars, and 1 lb. containers of peanut butter for food bags.

Crossroads Health Center: baby supplies, including onesies and sleepers (newborn and infant sizes),

bibs, pacifiers, baby blankets, towels with hoods and baby wash-cloths.Interfaith House of Adam’s County: any non-perishable. food for pantry shelves.Interfaith Hospitality Network: individual packs of chips, crackers and fruit snacks, pop tarts, juice boxes, microwaveable soup cups and mac and cheese cups, as well as gift cards of $20.00 for Tar-get, Walmart or Amazon.

The KNOX Earth Care Team

Tailgate for MissionsOctober 3110am - noon

Join Us!

exploring God's call to be good stewards of the worldHelp

our congregation grow in awareness of clim

ate

justic

e issue

s and their intersection with other justice iss

uesl

He

lp our congregation respond to our interdependence w

ith c

rea

tion

an

d o

ur c

all

to c

are

fo

r the w

orld that God loves

Help our con

greg

atio

n re

spo

nd

to

our

inte

rdep

endence w

ith creation and our call to care for the world

that G

od

love

s

For more information, contact Ann Gimbert at anngimbert1@outlook.comUnable to deliver donations? Please call the church to arrange an alternate delivery.

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With every baptism we celebrate as a

church, we have an opportuni-ty to remember our own bap-tisms. Those of us baptized as infants or very young may not remember our actual baptism, of course. But we are called to remember that the water of baptism is a sign of our be-ing forgiven and renewed and claimed as God’s own beloved children. We remember the baptismal vows taken at each baptism, to renounce sin and evil, to be faithful disciples of Jesus Christ, seeking to follow the Way of Christ and to share God’s love in all we say and do.

Whether we are baptized as infants, children, or adults, whether we are baptized by immer-sion in a bathtub or river, or with a few sprin-kles of water, what really matters about baptism is what happens after baptism. We are called to live out our baptism, to live a baptism-shaped life. What does that “shape” look like?

In her commentary on Luke’s version of Je-sus’ baptism, the Rev. Dr. Barbara Lundblad points out that there is no mention of the actual moment of Jesus’ baptism, no mention of water at all. About those details Luke doesn’t seem in-terested. But what Luke is interested in telling us about is what happened next, about the shape Jesus’ life took after the baptismal water had dried. (Day1@75 broadcast, 1/7/07)

Luke 3:21 says, “…when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying,…” Here we are shown the first characteristic of a bap-tism-shaped life— prayer. Jesus centered his life in prayer in his relationship with God. Through-out his life, he was ever going off to quiet places to pray for wisdom, strength and guidance for his path; to pray for his disciples, for those he healed, and for all of God’s children entrusted to him. He prayed to God with thanksgiving and praise. While he was praying his post-baptism prayers, Jesus received the gift of the Holy Spir-it which descended upon him in the shape of a dove accompanied by the word of God: “You are my son, whom I dearly love, with you I am well-pleased.” Jesus was now empowered by the Spirit for his earthly ministry.

Message by Pastor Jana Reister of Knox Presbyterian Church. The full video message delivered on Sunday, October 11, 2020 can be found at knox.org/sundayoctober 11.

what really matters about baptism

is what happens after

A Baptism-shapedLife

what really matters about baptism is what happens after baptism

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Jesus’ first act of his public ministry reveals something more about a baptism-shaped life. We’re told he traveled to his hometown of Nazareth and entered the synagogue on the sabbath to pray. And then, being handed the scriptures, Jesus unrolled the scroll and read this passage from Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Along with a prayer-centered life, another characteristic of a baptism-shaped life is actively help-ing realize God’s beloved community here on earth by studying God’s word and acting upon it. This includes doing acts of justice, healing, liberating and relieving the burdens of the poor, the enslaved, the blind and oppressed.

In Luke’s second book the Acts of the Apostles, the story of the first followers of Christ—the first church—reveals again that a baptism-shaped life is a life shaped by prayer. Our reading from Acts 2 describes the reactions of the crowd to what happened at the festival of Pentecost. The Jesus-fol-lowers were prayerfully gathered and suddenly they received a “baptism” with the Holy Spirit, which Jesus promised they would. Suddenly, a fierce wind blew and tongues of fire appeared above the apostles heads and the Holy Spirit enabled them to speak in the unknown languages of the other

nationalities present there in Jerusalem. It was a miraculous display. Those who witnessed it were amazed and astonished. Wanting to be a part of this wonder, they asked the disciples what they should do. Peter replied, “Repent, believe the Good News of Jesus Christ, receive forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit.” They did, and about 3000 people were baptized that day.

What was the first thing those newly bap-tized believers did? They prayed. Their bap-tism-shaped life was marked by prayer. And, just as Jesus was devoted to the Word of God in the scriptures, they too devoted themselves to the Word of God and the apostles’ teachings. And, they broke bread together often, generous-ly sharing all their possessions with one another, and with any who had a need, while having the goodwill for all and praising God for all things.

Lest we think it was simple for the first Jesus followers to choose to live a baptism-shaped life,

let’s recall a few verses back when Peter exhorted the amazed and astonished crowd saying, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.”

As citizens of the world, our faith ancestors faced daily choices between good and evil. Their choices were that which leads closer to God and that which leads away from God, that which leads to growing in faith, hope and love and that which leads to the diminishment of faith, hope and love. From the beginning of time this has been true. There is righteous living and there is corrupt living, with corruption often disguised as good, easier and more appealing. We live to-day with the same tension.

The kind of living demonstrated by Jesus and the apostles will lead to a baptism-shaped life. The kind of living the world promotes like-ly won’t because it’s not meant to. Professor of Theology Dean Brackley describes the shape of the world as a ladder—hierarchical, consumerist,

the first characteristic of a baptism-shaped life—

prayer.

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below may pass us and take our share of whatev-er it is we are climbing after.

Are we going to live a ladder-shaped life or a baptism-shaped life?

“We are insecure by constitution,” Brackley writes, and our ladder-shaped world “aggravates our fear and insecurity. We worry about crime, environmental disaster, [the effects of structural racism, and COVID-19.]; whether rich, poor, or in between we are all subject to the [vagaries] of [financial] markets. Capitalism [serves] to weak-en traditional bonds, so that we also feel more alone than our forebears did in stable rural com-munities and tight-knit neighborhoods. Individ-ualism reigns, but without wider social support, individuals and families sink into crisis” (p. 91,92).

We all want a sense of security. In the US, we’re told that ladder-shaped living will give us that. If we keep climbing, we’re promised we’ll get the degree, the high paying job, a home of our own, a car, and more and better of everything and at last, one day, a sense of security.

Along with money and possessions, we’re told guns can grant us additional security. In these days of heightened anxiety due to the pandem-ic and racial injustice, gun sales in the US have exploded. *This past spring, an estimated three million more guns were purchased than the es-timated “normal” amount. But do people feel more secure?

Even if we are climbing higher up the world’s ladder, loneliness and insecurity can haunt us. In a ladder-shaped life, we don’t journey side by side, but single file, rarely making eye contact with others above or below. It is fear-driven and stressful. In a baptism-shaped life, we are not

climbing but are grounded on the earth, travel-ing side by side with others, and because we are in prayer, we remain close to God and discover more each day about the faithfulness of God to provide for us. No longer fearing for our security, we become aware of others and their needs and how we can help them. We live in solidarity with one another. We live in the freedom for which God created us.

Christian theologian and mystic St. Teresa of Avila demonstrated the freedom of a bap-tism-shaped life. She was dedicated to a life of

contemplation and action. Contemplation is searching and finding God in all things, giving thanks for God’s gifts and for sustaining us in all things. Action is when out of gratitude to God, we carry out works of justice mercy and kind-ness; seeking the welfare of the City—the com-mon good—in every word and deed.

In her prayer-steeped life, St. Teresa grew ever closer to God and was sustained by the truth that God lives within us and that nothing will ever separate us from the love of God in Christ.

capitalistic and upward mobility based. This is not to say that this way of life is by nature cor-rupt, but it can easily lead us away from God to a diminishment of faith, hope and love.

In his book, The Call to Discernment in Troubled Times, Brackley describes what lad-der-shaped living looks like. "Our hierarchical society," he says, "is structured like rungs on a ladder. Some people are [believed to be] more important than others. It is not just that some perform more important functions than others, or that some exercise authority. Rather, some are [considered] more human than others—more valuable as persons.” This is what the world of capitalism tells us, sells us, and is dependent upon for its survival (p.94). As people living in this ladder-shaped world, we live as if hemmed in by parallel sticks of wood, our hands on one rung of the ladder above, our feet on another below. We hope the people above us don’t step on our knuckles as we cling tightly to our rung, trying not to fall off. We feel we need to keep climbing no matter the cost, and as we do we step on the hands of those below us. But we keep climbing, anxious about losing our spot, fearful that those

James Finely, in the podcast, "Turning to the Mystics," says that Teresa was then free to ask herself, “How [am I to live, then], here with all these people that God is utterly in love with, just as Jesus walked the streets, mountainsides, and valleys with God’s ordinary people whom God so loved?” On her spiritual journey, Teresa at last came to the one question remaining for her bap-tism-shaped life, “How can I be helpful?”

As God’s own, we are heirs to the promised gift of the Holy Spirit just as those first disciples in that first church we learn about in Acts. Bap-tized by the Spirit, God empowers us to live a Jesus-shaped life, doing justice, loving kindness, walking humbly and asking each day, “How can I be helpful?” In the name of God our True Love, of Christ our Salvation, and of the Holy Spirit our Guide and Friend, may it be so.

*https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/07/13/three-million-more-guns-the-spring-2020-spike-in-firearm-sales/

". . .if we are climbing higher

up the world’s ladder, loneliness

and insecurity can haunt us."

AFTER SERMON DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

• What does a baptism-shaped life mean to you?

• Based on your gifts, your sense of call by God, what does a baptism-shaped life look like for you?

• How might God be inviting you to stretch and to serve in new or unfamil-iar ways?

• What do you need from God today?

St. Teresa of Avila

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Week of October 11, 2020Invitation to Pray

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful. ~ Colossians 4:2

New Prayer RequestsVolz, Sue

Knox Members and FriendsAllgood, ShereeAshton, Jim and Micaela, son and daughter-in-law of Cathie and Bill AshtonBob and his sister Mary, friends of Sarah AldrichBruno, Adele, friend of Deland BasoraBunge, Janet Bunn, Nancy, friend of Foster and Kathleen WinterCarli, Patricia, mother/mother-in-law of Lou and Christi CarliColeCopella, John, friend of Karl Power and Gana Taggart Crossen, Ann, friend of Jan and Blair BattistiniDartnall, Lillian Davis, Susan and Craig and FamilyDeJah and Karen, cousin and aunt of Julie MorganDorosch, Brian, relative of Sarah AldrichDowning Family (The)Drummond, TaraDryer, SethEhrsam, Beth Eiler, Artie Fiorelli, Linda, sister-in-law of Liz HaradonFleish, Kara Kruger, friend of Beverly MaisenhalterGriffey, Keishna, friend of Mary Lou KrohnGriffin, NancyHall, ReginaHigh, Rachel

High-Reilly, Brian and Robin, son-in-law and daughter of Rachel HighIHN and the homeless families they serveJohnson, KathleenKautz, WalterKersey, Katlyn, and family, niece of Jeff and Pam KerseyKersey, Lynne, sister-in-law of Jeff KerseyKoenig, Joe, friend of Heidi PerryKuhlman, Art, father-in-law of Elisabeth KuhlmanLance, Beth, friend of Karen Wirthlin

Landen, BarbaraLyon, MaryMartin, Gina, friend of Sheree AllgoodMcCullough, NancyMcDonald, Mary Anna, sister of Ev LandenMcDonough, Marj, aunt to Mary NurreMcGill, EJ, grandson of Susan and TerryMelson, Leslie and Jim, niece and nephew ofBarry CorsMeyer, Esther, mother of Roger MeyerMorgan FamilyMorgan, MichaelMooney, CeceMorgan, GregNielsen, Sue Nurre, Bob and Doris, brother and sister-in-law of Jim NurreOoten, Janice, mother of Julie MorganPack, Amelia, daughter of Woody PackPfeiffer, LisaPierce, Lynda and RonPerkins, Talon, nephew of Jim Elkin Jr. and Brooke ElkinPeters, MarilynPursen, Dick Qualley, Steve, cousin of Karen GroutPreston, Dennis husband of Fay PrestonRaju, Sue, Family of, friend of Cathy RectorRutherford, Marvin, friend of KnoxSinger, Andrea, friend of Karen WirthlinSmith, MyrnaStallsworth, Abby, daughter of Becky StallsworthStearns, Sally Stefanik, Mim Steiner, Ace, friend of Kathy WallStewart, MaryStith, BetteStith, Jack

prayer list Tripp, KilaTrunick, Jim, brother of Mary Lou KrohnTurner, Lorie, friend of Maria AndersonVickie, friend of Karen GroutWaugh, CarolWiesjahn, Mitch, great nephew of Karl Power and Gana Taggart Wilson, Andrew, son of Anne Wilson

Our Global Outreach PartnersBoyd, Jeff and Christi and family, PC(USA) Mission Co-workers in Congo Seitz, Jonathan and Emily and family, PC(USA) Mission Co-workers in Taiwan

Men and Women in Military Active DutyMatt Anderson, Matt Buchert, Joseph Elkin, Will Farrar, Cody Ison, Martin Davis (nephew of Craig and Susan Davis), Jack Graham, Blake Lyon, Nick Robinson, Adam Smith, Timothy Sowder, Joe Sheedy (great nephew of Jim Nurre)

With Thanksgiving For Prayers Offered,Removed From the ListGulas, Jane, sister of Anne DaviesSteiner, Alice, mother of Katharine Korn and Joyce SteinerDonoho, Gideon, husband of Jill Morrison Donoho Helms, Mary

DeathsBowes Bridge, Sylvia, aunt of Tori Lowry, 9/5/20Dennis, friend of Deland Basora

Something to think and pray about this weekGive me only your love and grace for with theseI am rich enough and need nothing more.

  ~ St. Ignatius Loyola

Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

~ Colossians 4:2

Adam Fronczek Senior Pastor

Jana Reister Associate Pastor

David Annett Dir. of Youth Ministries

Pete Tuff Dir. of Operations

Tina Hubert Dir. of Faith Formation

Rènché leRoux Finance Manager

Glenn Williams Dir. of Communications

Pam Ward Faith Community Nurse

Even though our offices are closed, Knox staff members are still working from remote locations and are ready to serve you. We are mon-itoring the Knox telephone voicemail throughout nor-mal business hours and will respond to you quickly.

(513) 321-2573

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