Water (pt 2) and Affirmation

The readings in the "Christ in our Home" booklet for the rest of this week all center around water and/or baptism. I have already written one post on the importance of water, including my own personal experiences with this element (http://psychosermons.blogspot.com/2012/12/water.html); however, I want to address another part of these verses. 

The readings: 
Isaiah 43:1-7, Psalm 29, Acts 8:14-17,  Luke 3:15-17, 21-22


As I state in my previous post regarding water, this element is what Christianity is about. Water plays an integral part of the Bible, in both the old and new Testaments. But, one of the main purposes of water in Christianity is baptism. Through the water, our sins are washed away and we receive the Holy Spirit, becoming a part of God, a receiver of his love, one of his beloved children. In all the readings above, water and the Holy Spirit are important themes. 

However, that is not the only theme. Another theme found in a couple of these readings is the affirmation of God's love for us. 

"Since you are precious and honored in my sight, and because I love you..." (Isaiah 43:4)

"And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”" (Luke 3:22)

We all need this affirmation. We all need the reminder that we are a beloved child of God. We need the pat on the back that we're doing right by God (or, as right as we as humans can do). But this affirmation is not just in regards to God. 

 We need the reminder from those whom we look up to that they care, and that we're doing a good job. Maybe this is a parent, or a teacher, or a preacher. An older sibling, or a boss, or a mentor. Or some combination of any of these. Most of us have, or have had, someone we look up to, someone we want to please, someone whose opinion matters. This is the same as God - we look up to him, we want to please him. And so we need to hear that we are doing well, and that we are still loved.

Through water, we can be reminded of God's love for us - we can feel the Holy Spirit move through us. Although we are only baptized once (generally), we can allow ourselves to remember that event, and remember that we are indeed beloved.