Shepherd's Heart 6/13/25
‘You Are Claimed by God’
‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ -Matthew 28:19
This is the Great Commission that Jesus charges His disciples (which includes you and me) to live out! We are called and claimed by our Trinitarian God, and through the waters of baptism we are united with Jesus and all believers in our death to sin and resurrection to new life. When we are washed by the water, we are submitting to Christ and choosing to live the Jesus way. Baptism is certainly a life-changing and impactful Sacrament within the Church.
Many years ago, I remember sitting around a table with the Worship Team during a Creative Worship Meeting and we were dreaming up a way for people of all ages to remember and celebrate their baptism. What emerged out of much prayer and inspiration, was an event we called ‘Claimed by God.’ The team had the vision of holding it out in the parking lot for maximum exposure for our church and community. We would have multiple baptismal fonts and also pools where people could be fully immersed in the waters of baptism. With faith, we planned and carried out that first experience not knowing what to fully expect and we were blown away by the impactful ways in which God moved! That first year, we saw multiple people baptized and countless others stepped up to the fonts or were immersed in the pools to celebrate and affirm their previous promises to God! We all sensed it was a big milestone in the life of our Church.
This past Sunday, we held our latest ‘Claimed by God’ celebration and it was incredible! We had 17 new baptisms and more than 80 people affirmed their baptismal promises. The energy in our parking lot was off the charts. The buzz of conversations was so inviting and captivating and everytime we heard someone ring the ‘Baptism Bell’ (you just had to be there), after they were baptized, the celebration echoed in Heaven! If we live by the words of Zuzu Bailey that ‘everytime a bell rings, an angel gets their wings,’ then we were dishing out angels' wings left and right.
To all who participated and served on this special day, I say a giant thank you on behalf of the entire Good Shepherd community. The Spirit of Pentecost is alive and well. Let us lean into that Holy Spirit power to guide us in being for 1310, for our neighbors, and for the world!
I already can’t wait for next year's celebration!
Ryan Hammer
Creative Arts Executive Minister
‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit.’ -Matthew 28:19
This is the Great Commission that Jesus charges His disciples (which includes you and me) to live out! We are called and claimed by our Trinitarian God, and through the waters of baptism we are united with Jesus and all believers in our death to sin and resurrection to new life. When we are washed by the water, we are submitting to Christ and choosing to live the Jesus way. Baptism is certainly a life-changing and impactful Sacrament within the Church.
Many years ago, I remember sitting around a table with the Worship Team during a Creative Worship Meeting and we were dreaming up a way for people of all ages to remember and celebrate their baptism. What emerged out of much prayer and inspiration, was an event we called ‘Claimed by God.’ The team had the vision of holding it out in the parking lot for maximum exposure for our church and community. We would have multiple baptismal fonts and also pools where people could be fully immersed in the waters of baptism. With faith, we planned and carried out that first experience not knowing what to fully expect and we were blown away by the impactful ways in which God moved! That first year, we saw multiple people baptized and countless others stepped up to the fonts or were immersed in the pools to celebrate and affirm their previous promises to God! We all sensed it was a big milestone in the life of our Church.
This past Sunday, we held our latest ‘Claimed by God’ celebration and it was incredible! We had 17 new baptisms and more than 80 people affirmed their baptismal promises. The energy in our parking lot was off the charts. The buzz of conversations was so inviting and captivating and everytime we heard someone ring the ‘Baptism Bell’ (you just had to be there), after they were baptized, the celebration echoed in Heaven! If we live by the words of Zuzu Bailey that ‘everytime a bell rings, an angel gets their wings,’ then we were dishing out angels' wings left and right.
To all who participated and served on this special day, I say a giant thank you on behalf of the entire Good Shepherd community. The Spirit of Pentecost is alive and well. Let us lean into that Holy Spirit power to guide us in being for 1310, for our neighbors, and for the world!
I already can’t wait for next year's celebration!
Ryan Hammer
Creative Arts Executive Minister
Posted in Shepherds Heart