Isaiah 43:1-7

Thoughts:         “She already knows my name!”
                             I have heard this delighted exclamation frequently since last July.
                             “And she knows my children’s names!”  More surprised pleasure.
                             We are blessed with a minister who learns names easily and remembers them.  Most church members won’t care if their minister cannot quote Psalm 119, but Melvin will care intensely if the minister calls him Mervin.  
                             The names our parents give us are a significant part of the Methodist baptism service.  The minister asks, “What name shall be given to this child?”  One parent replies, slowly intoning each syllable of the name they have chosen.
                             Careful to be precise, the minister repeats the name, adding, “I baptize thee in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
                             The prophet Isaiah told us of God’s promise to his people;  “I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.”
                             
Discussion:      When a baby is baptized in our church, the congregation repeats this promise:
                             “with God’s help we will so order our lives after the example of Christ, that this child, surrounded by steadfast love, may be established in the faith, and confirmed and strengthened in the way that leads to life eternal.”  How do we fulfill this promise?
 
Activity:            Smile at the children in our church and learn their names.
______________________________________________________________________________Remember Remember in prayer this week Ken Engelmann, Connie Gill, Vivian Hansard, Fred Laws at Heartland, and Bill and Eunice Kraase.
 
“Connections” begins this Thursday at 7:00pm.
 
Men’s Breakfast on Saturday at 7:30am.
 
Please come and help finish un-decorating the church at 9:00am.