On Sunday, January 8, 2023, Pender Lead Pastor Will White preached on "The Water’s Fine" based on Matthew 3:13-17.

The Baptism of the Lord is a perfect time to remind ourselves of the commitment to living a life of grace and hope outwardly. If you observed Epiphany Sunday last week, then this week follows in the usual pattern. If you focused on New Year’s last week and saved the Epiphany recognition for this week, then you can combine the two.

"The Water’s Fine" is the first sermon in the series titled "Glimpses of the Kin-dom". We are counting the weeks after Epiphany and attempting to get a glimpse of what life as the people of God might be like. We consider some of the most famous passages of scripture to help us shape a vision of the life we are called to live—not just a special, rise-to-the-occasion kind of life, but an everyday life, an ordinary life that isn’t ordinary. Because we believe that followers of Christ who live their faith day by day are anything but ordinary. They stand out; they become models and mentors; they are examples of what life is all about. At least that is our hope and our belief: that our lives represent the kin-dom of God. We are the evidence that our faith is true and our God is at work in the world. In other words, we are now the epiphany, the light shining forth for the world to see. And of course, we will fail from time to time. But how we deal with failure is also a sign of that presence and glimpse of the kin-dom. So, this ordinary time is extra-ordinary in the living of it. Let us embrace the call with grace and with joy.