John saw Jesus coming toward him and declared, “Here is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
John 1:29
Jesus was a lamb of God like us - He was one of us! Like us, He was baptized by John (even though He had no sin) just as all of us were baptized. For all of us and for Jesus too, baptism reaffirms God's love for each of us and reminds us of our inherent worth. We need to remember this message every day!
During all baptisms, we, the congregation, promise to nurture and support the newly baptized. The Godparents promise to take special care of the person. As a Sunday school teacher of three, four, and five year olds, I take this promise very seriously. I want all my children to absolutely know that Jesus loves them and that they are marked as God's own forever! In a sense, I am their Godparent for awhile on Sundays.
Jesus is our shepherd, always taking care of us—never abandoning any of us. We can have total faith in his love and care. This is the kind of commitment I try to bring to my class each week. We learn about Jesus' life - His birth, His teaching (as shown in the Parables), the Eucharist, and His death and resurrection. We emphasize over and over that Jesus is the Good Shepherd and He loves us unconditionally and forever.
It is an awesome responsibility and a wonderful privilege to be entrusted with the first church teachings these children receive. I pray I always let them know with words and actions how much Jesus loves them. In truth, they show me God's love every Sunday!
Julie Cornellier
