Bethany
Lutheran
Church
A church FOR Menlo Park.
Recent Sermon
Baptized into the Name
In a world constantly telling us who we should be or demanding we construct our own identity, this message offers a radical alternative: our true identity is found in Christ through baptism. We're confronted with two cultural pressures—advertisers telling us we're not enough as we are, and social media insisting we must create ourselves from scratch. But Jesus words at the "Great Commission" provide a resounding 'no' to both. Our identity isn't something we achieve through the right appearance, behaviors, or self-construction. Instead, baptism marks us with God's own name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—declaring we are beloved children of God, created, redeemed, and sanctified.
In a world constantly telling us who we should be or demanding we construct our own identity, this message offers a radical alternative: our true identity is found in Christ through baptism. We're confronted with two cultural pressures—advertisers telling us we're not enough as we are, and social media insisting we must create ourselves from scratch. But Jesus words at the "Great Commission" provide a resounding 'no' to both. Our identity isn't something we achieve through the right appearance, behaviors, or self-construction. Instead, baptism marks us with God's own name—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—declaring we are beloved children of God, created, redeemed, and sanctified.