Fear Not

"Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine."

Isaiah 43

At the start of Epiphany, we have a promise: God has called us by name. He claims us as His own.

We celebrate the baptism of Christ this week. His first act of public obedience. He modeled humility, by putting his salvation in the hands of a man, John the Baptist.

This act of baptism, this ritual cleansing and symbol of life after death, is the thing that seals us as God's own.

It's a new year. The point is: "fear not."