2023-01-21
St. Petersburg in Baptism
On January 19, 2023, the celebration of Jesus Christ’s Baptism was held in the Central Church of St. Petersburg. As in many UECB Churches, new converts were baptized. About 20 people were baptized, of which most were youth.
This year’s small groups, have been reflecting on the Gospel of Luke. This week we are reading a passage about Jesus calling Levi, the tax collector in chapter 5:27-32. The Lord meets with this jewish traitor in the marketplace, who was busy extorting money from his own people, and after meeting Jesus, offers to turn his life toward a path of peace with God and people. Jesus says, “Follow me.” Levi accepts Jesus' offer, leaves everything, and follows Him. Only Jesus can change the direction of a person's life so dramatically!
Jesus continues to do the same today! And the proof is found in newly baptized brothers and sisters. The life of some of them could be used as an action movie script, while the testimony of others seems to be less dramatic. But each of them, without exception, made an important life change. The turn that Jesus suggested to Levi - “follow me” - is to leave life according to the script written by ourselves, turn and start really living, by trusting God and His Word!
“I am confident that he who began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).
God bless!
Anton Tretyak
Pastor of the UECB Church in St. Petersburg
