Many people claim that they never hear about a loving, caring God in church. Paul’s letter to Titus reveals God’s motive for initiating our salvation—kindness and generous love.

The people were filled with expectation”—and so are many of the people who file into church this weekend and every weekend. In the hearts of many, each Sunday is not just another Sunday; they come as if it’s the first Sunday.

Who are the future leaders in your community? Invite those younger than 20 to stand in your assembly. These children and teenagers are the hope of the future. They may not seem like leaders at the moment, with roving eyes, poor posture, questionable taste in fashion, and a universal reluctance to be scrutinized by grown-ups.

A friend shared this story with me: “I had really goofed up.  I had hurt my wife badly. She was angry at me, but mostly hurt. And I knew it. There was nothing I could do to undo what I had done.

Why did Jesus need to be baptized? Certainly he had nothing to repent, and he was already filled with the Spirit. So why did he bother? Perhaps it was for the same reason that doctors-in-training record their experiences as patients and lawyers in mock trials with law students serve as judge and jury.

Have a special great niece, less than a year old, appropriately named Grace. I was fortunate enough to baptize her. I had been told by my niece and her husband that had Grace been a boy, she would have been named after me. Maybe the next one.

The kindness and generous love of our savior prompts us to give voice to our needs. We turn to the Lord with confidence because like a shepherd, he feeds his flock.

When Israel crossed the Red Sea, the angels were about to break forth in song, but the Holy One rebuked them, “My children are drowning, and you would sing?” —The Talmud