Open The Gospel – 11 January – The First Sunday of Epiphany, Matthew 3.13–end

11 January – The First Sunday of Epiphany, Matthew 3.13–end

Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. ¹⁴John would have prevented him, saying, ‘I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?’ ¹⁵But Jesus answered him, ‘Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfil all righteousness.’ Then he consented. ¹⁶And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on him. ¹⁷And a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’

Things to think about with the child at the centre:

Activities

If you can cope with the mess! Have a bowl of water and some dolls to practice baptism with. This is a great opportunity to talk to children about baptism – were they baptised? Have they seen other people baptised? Have they every experienced someone being baptized by full immersion?

Response

Jesus Baptism is one of the few moments in the Bible that the Trinity come together – like at the moment of creation, something amazingly powerful is happening here, a new moment of God’s power unleashed into the world!
Share some testimonies from people who have chosen baptism (or for their children to be baptised) – what led to that decision? Did they experience the holy spirit around the time of the baptism?