What have been the most significant moments in your life? You probably celebrate your birthday every year, so the day you were born must be pretty important. How about elementary, high school, or college graduations? Hopefully you do something special on or around your wedding anniversary if you are married. Do you have children? The birth of each child is probably near the top on the list of moments you will never forget. Then there are the sad moments of life: deaths, breakups, and tragedies. As you reflect on all these moments, you can see that you would not be who you are today without having experienced them. Of course as a Christian, you have one moment in time that has had an even greater impact on you and perhaps it didn't even come to mind: your Baptism.
     You might say you don't remember it because you were an infant. Perhaps you do not even know the date it took place. You might not feel like it has had much impact on you at all. However, it has made all the difference.  Whether you feel the difference or not, on that day you were made a new creation in Jesus Christ. You were marked for Him with an indelible mark that no one can remove, not even you. On that day, you inherited a tradition and lineage of faith that has changed the face of the earth. Today, that baptismal grace  beckons you to a real and substantial relationship with the One whose name was invoked on that day. It also calls you to respond with a stewardship way of life, where your gifts make a difference and glorify God. If today is the day you start taking all this seriously, you get to add a new moment to your list.

-- Tracy Earl Welliver, MTS