Pastor's Column July 2024

Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ: the One Who Is, Was, and Is to Come!

This summer, we turn our gazes outward as our worship pays attention to the light pouring
through the stained glass windows of our sanctuary. This summer, our sermons will trace
Jesus' encounters with a woman at the well, a rich young ruler, his visit with Mary and
Martha, his conversations with Nicodemus, and remembering the woman who anointed
Jesus in Bethany. We will close this year's series with "Holy Week in August" as we
remember the Palm Sunday procession, Maundy Thursday meal, Good Friday execution,
and Easter Resurrection!

We began the summer series with the two windows that face our baptismal font, which
beckon us to remember Jesus' baptism in the Jordan River and his welcoming the children
to come closer. We will pay attention in these moments to our baptism, so it would be good
to reflect together on our baptismal and membership vows. At baptism, the following
questions are asked of each individual:

• Do you renounce the spiritual forces of wickedness, reject the evil powers of this
world, and repent of your sin?
• Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, or
oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?
• Do you confess Jesus Christ as your Saviour, put your whole trust in his grace, and
promise to serve him as your Lord, in union with the church which Christ has
opened to people of ages, nations, and races?
• According to the grace given to you, will you remain a faithful member of Christ's
holy church and serve as Christ's representatives?

These first four questions are basic to our walk of faith as Christians. In the early church,
the first two questions were asked while facing the West to renounce, reject, repent, and
resist evil in all its forms. Candidates for baptism then turned face East (the rising sun) to
answer the next two questions as they affirmed that Jesus is our Savior, Lord, and sole
source of salvation and promised to serve others as a part of the body of Christ.

We then, as members of the universal body of Christ and citizens of God's kingdom, take
another step to join Haymount:

• As a member of Christ's universal church, will you be loyal to The United
Methodist Church and do all in your power to strengthen its ministries?
• As a member of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries
by your prayers, your presence, your gifts, your service, and your witness?

I invite you to continue pondering your answers to these six questions. Over the past few
weeks, I have invited you to remember your baptism and be thankful. As we celebrate our
nation's independence and reaffirm our role as citizens of the United States, may we
continue living out our promise to the Lord, trusting in God's amazing grace to empower us.

Grace and Peace,
Allen Bingham