An Awkward Exercise

As part of the discussion of the first half of Mark 1, we discussed Jesus's baptism. When Jesus was baptized, a voice came from heaven, telling him, "You are my son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased."

The first thing we talked about was the encouragement that must have been to Jesus. Imagine your (human) father telling you "You're my son/daughter. I love you. I'm proud of you. You're good at what you do."

As followers of Christ, we have been saved by God's grace. And God now sees us as saints, washed clean by Jesus's blood. He sees us through Christ. God feels the same way about us now as He felt about Jesus.

To help make that seem a little more real, we tried an exercise:

• First, turn to your spouse. Tell him/her "You are God's beloved son/daughter. God loves you."
• Now, say out loud to yourself "I am God's beloved son/daughter. God loves me."

The second part felt a little awkward--and not just because some people don't usually talk to themselves. It seems presumptuous to claim God's love. But God has freely offered it, adopting each of us, and has freed us from guilt.

When you really wrap your mind around that, and your heart fully believes that, let me know. I'll want to know how you did that, and I'll want to celebrate with you.