Opening

• Hello, children of God! Do you see what I have here? What is this? (Hold up a glass or bottle of water.) That’s right, this is water! Now, what does water do? What can we do with water? (Encourage the children to come up with a variety of water uses, such as drinking, swimming, cooking, and bathing.)

• So, water is powerful and important stuff. And did you know that your body is made up largely of water? That’s why it is essential that you drink it and stay hydrated. But water also makes me think of baptism. Do you know what baptism is?

• Baptism helps us remember that God has saved us and washed our sins away! Some people do baptism in different ways… some sprinkle water onto people (feel free to demonstrate with a small toy and your water); some people dip into the water; some baptize people when they are babies; some when they are older…there are a lot of ways to do it. But it is a wonderful and important thing to be baptized because it shows us that we are new in Christ!

Bible Story

• January is an exciting time. It is the beginning of a brand-new year. Some people like to make New Year’s resolutions or promise to
  themselves about what they plan to accomplish in the new year. The number one resolution that people make is, “I am going to lose
  weight.” I don’t think too many people succeed, since it seems to be the number one resolution year after year. I know that it usually
  makes my top ten list of things I would like to accomplish in the new year.
• Even if you don’t make any New Year’s resolutions, this is an exciting time. It is a time that we can forget our past mistakes and look forward to new opportunities that lie ahead of us. It is a time of new beginnings.
• Jesus experienced times of new beginnings in his life too. One of those times was when he was baptized. There were a couple of very
  important things that happened when Jesus was baptized. First of all, the Bible tells us that the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove and landed upon him. The second thing was that God spoke and said, “You are my Son. I love you and I am well-pleased with you.”
• This event marked the beginning of Jesus’ ministry here on earth. Up until that time, he had not performed any miracles, but with God’s stamp of approval and with the spirit of God upon him, Jesus began to perform great miracles. From this new beginning, many people began to understand that Jesus was truly the Son of God and they began to follow him.
• Our baptism represents a new beginning for us as well. When we are baptized, it shows the world that just as Jesus rose from the dead through the glory of God the Father, we also live a new life in him. (Romans 6:4) God may not always be well-pleased with us, but I think that He looks down with an approving smile when he sees us trying to walk with Jesus.
• New beginnings — God gives us opportunities for new beginnings. Let us make the most of them as we live a new life in Christ through the power of his Holy Spirit.

Questions

1. What were the main points from our lesson?
   a. Jesus’ baptism marked the beginning of his ministry.
   b. Our baptism marks the beginning of our new life in Jesus.
2. What is the purpose of baptism? (It’s an outward demonstration of our choice to follow Jesus)
3. What type of bird did John see come down from Heaven? (Dove)