http://www.academyofthecross.org Spiritual reflections that can be helpful for places along the way in your journey of Christian discipleship. Wed, 23 May 2012 23:05:01 GMT en-us Manual RSS Feed Generator (c) Academy of the Cross, St Charles, IL Ich taufe dich in den Namen des Vaters und des Sohnes und des Heiligen Geistes. With those words, one more child was baptized into the name of God. One more child can now learn the meaning of hope in God's words: I have called you by name; you are mine. One more child now has a new name: Child of God. This baptism has added meaning given its close proximity to Ascension Day. It was then that the disciples were commissioned to go into the entire world and preach the Gospel, speaking the message of salvation and baptizing everyone, everywhere, in every language. That commissioning applies to each of us, also. As disciples of Christ we are called to speak HIs Gospel words everywhere, both far and near. We are to tell of His goodness to those we know and those we don't by helping them understand how vast and deep and wide the love of God is. What a blessing it was for me to be able to travel thousands of miles to witness this baptism! It was important for me to be reminded that the Gospel message is spoken all over the world, in different languages, and in different churches. The heart of the Christian message is the same everywhere, however, because the message isn't ours; it is God's! So where do we learn how to speak His message? Where do we find the words to say and the courage to say them? That answer comes to us next Sunday on Pentecost. The Holy Spirit comes to us and gives us the power, the strength, and the words so that we may speak to all people everywhere and tell them that they are named and forgiven...that they are called by God to be His people...and that they, too, are sent to do His work! Yes, we are each blessed to be: Named as children of God and therefore numbered among the saints!]]> http://www.academyofthecross.org/reflection.php?btnRec= http://www.academyofthecross.org/reflection.php?btnRec= Tue, 22 May 2012 09:00:00 GMT