The Art of Community 
Season 4, Session 1 
Baptism Curriculum

Scripture: Luke 3:21-22
Podcast Episode: Did You Know Jesus Was Baptized? 
Song: We Will Rise Up (Prepare the Way of Love)
Meditation: Water
Art: Welcome to Our Family 
Book Suggestion: Life of the Beloved

Curriculum

Theme

You are God’s beloved!

Welcome and Opening Prayer

Loving God, we give you thanks that we are gathered here today. That we have a community of people with
whom we can celebrate life, ask big questions, wrestle with Scripture, and encourage on the journey. We thank you that you call us children and that you love us so radically, unconditionally and completely. We pray that our lives will be lived in response to this deep love. 

Amen. 

“To be chosen as the Beloved of God is something radically different. Instead of excluding others, it includes others. Instead of rejecting others as less valuable, it accepts others in their own uniqueness. It is not a competitive, but a compassionate choice. Our minds have great difficulty in coming to grips with such a reality. Maybe our minds will never understand it. Perhaps it is only our hearts that can accomplish this.”

~ Henri Nouwen, “Life of the Beloved 

Gathering Exercise 

Pour water into a bowl. Pass the bowl to each person. Ask them to name something water symbolizes for them. (No explanations.) 

Feasting on the Word/Group Discussion

All four gospels have an account of Jesus’ baptism. All four place it at the beginning of his ministry. There are slight differences in how each gospel writer tells the story. John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit, a Voice from heaven and the words, “You are (this is) my beloved Son” are found in each story. John the Baptist preached repentance (a turning away from sin) and a new and holy kind of living. The Church’s sacrament of baptism is based on these accounts. It’s seen both as a gift of grace and an invitation to discipleship.

  1. When you hear the story of Jesus’ baptism, what questions does it raise for you? What did you notice in the scripture reading?

  2. Why do you think baptism is an important part of Jesus’ story? 

  3. How do you feel/react when someone says, “You are a beloved child of God”? 

  4. In the podcast, Dana and Chelsea talk about sin in relation to baptism. How do you understand the word “sin”? How do you respond to their understanding?

  5. If you are baptized, what difference does it make in how you live? If you aren’t baptized, what difference do you think it might make in your life/living?

  6. Baptism is seen as a gift of grace. What does that mean to you?

Closing Exercise 

Pass the bowl of water around again. Invite each person to touch the water and offer a word that represents the evening’s gathering for them.

Closing Prayer.

Give the group an opportunity to share joys or concerns.

God, as we leave this place may we know, in the depths of our souls, that we are loved by you. When You made us, You called us good. And yet our hearts so often default to shame, resentment and brokenness. Restore our hearts, our lives and our relationships so that we may live into the fullness that you desire for each of us. And when we forget, may one of our siblings remind us. For we all are Your beloved. 

Amen.