Jesus makes a new family out of us: on baptism and power structures (Ep 26)

Starting off with an email from a listener, reflecting on the podcast's recent conversations about guilt and shame. The listener reflects on A Christmas Carol and Ebenezer Scrooge, and what he must do in light of the three ghosts who bring him to a reckoning about his life. The pastors think on Scrooge and his confessions and choices. It's possible to make things right, even after you've been wrong. God's grace helps to transform us. The story also shows us how we can be the ghosts, prophetic voices showing ways of transformation and love.

We get into the tradition of Epiphany (the manifestation of God coming into the world) and especially baptism! The pastors share about their personal baptisms, but also the meaning of baptism, especially for Anabaptists like us, and, historically, the action in relation to state power. Baptism declares something that's really real, that we belong to God and Jesus is making a new family out of us. It's bigger than citizenship to a particular nation. Getting into the water with our bodies helps us realize our following of Jesus surpasses that of our linkages to state and political power. It offers a new idea of power structures, of love and compassion and servanthood as guided by following Jesus.

To wrap up the time, some Show and Tell: C.S. Lewis' science fiction, Disney-Pixar's movie Soul, the book Fire By Night, and journaling the bits of goodness and struggles of life, and how God is moving in them.

//Notes//

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol

Bean Dad, John Roderick apology:
http://www.johnroderick.com/an-apology

Two novels, Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra by C.S. Lewis:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Trilogy

Disney and Pixar’s Soul:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOsLIiBStEs

Jonny’s blog on Soul:
https://www.circleofhope.net/jonnyrashid/soul-captures-our-yearning-for-meaning-but-burdens-us-with-inventing-it-on-our-own/

New York Times Daily on the Georgia runoffs where Stacey Abrams talks about how church growth books helped her rebuild the Democratic Party:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/04/podcasts/the-daily/georgia-runoffs-stacey-abrams.html

Fire By Night by Melissa Florer-Bixler:
https://heraldpress.com/books/fire-by-night/

//About this Podcast//

Resist and Restore is a podcast by Circle of Hope. We're extending the table of our dialogue! Tune in bi-weekly as the Circle of Hope pastors—Rachel, Ben, Julie, and Jonny—sit down to dialogue about faith, God, Jesus, the spiritual life, and everything in between. Available on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Google Podcasts, Stitcher, and more.

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