This week is the first of a four-part series focusing on mental health. There are three major points I want to establish this week:

1. Mental health affects us in some way, directly or indirectly
2. The Bible offers many examples of folks who had mental health struggles
3. We love God best, and promote our own mental health, when we help our soul, heart, strength, and mind.

Scriptures references include: 1 Kings 19:1-10, Psalm 42, and, John 9:1-10.

This is Baptism of the Lord Sunday and the gospel reading for this week is Matthew 3:13-17.

I decided to share some of my thoughts on the sacrament of baptism. I'll spend some time talking about the differences between Christians over time about what the best way is to baptize. I'll reflect on what baptism signifies for us. I'll finish by expressing some of my concerns about living out our baptismal faith.

Remember...

...baptism is not a box to check off. It is not an ending. It is the beginning of a life-long journey!

Focus Text: Isaiah 60:1-6

This week's sermon comes on Epiphany Sunday, remembering that time when the wise men came to visit the young Jesus. Matthew 2:1-12 chronicles this account.

The Old Testament Reading for this Sunday comes from Isaiah. I chose to focus on this reading for the service. We'll do the following:

• Understanding the context for the reading and how it fits into Epiphany
• Reflect on glory, what it is and how we can live into it
• Remember the gifts we have in Jesus
• Conclude my looking ahead to a new year