He is Risen: Lent Devotional for Moms and KidsSample

He is Risen

by Tara Davis

Day 6: John the Baptist/ Baptizing Jesus (ornament in first “I” flag)

Read: Matthew 3:13-17

Discuss: There was a special man named John the Baptist. He was the cousin of Jesus, and before he was even born, he was given a very special job. Perhaps even as John grew in his mother’s womb, God whispered the plan to him...the Messiah was coming, the Rescuer of all mankind. John was the one to prepare the people’s hearts to hear the Savior’s message!

As John grew, God’s call in his heart grew so strong that it compelled him to live whole-heartedly for God and proclaim the message God had placed in his heart. He lived to only serve the Lord, which made him a little bit different than other people. He wasn’t concerned with the way he looked, what he ate, or what people thought of him. He just wanted to serve God and proclaim the news of the Messiah to everyone who would listen! He told them of God’s love, he told them to be ready for something...someone new, someone greater than any the world had ever seen. As he baptized believers, dipping them down in the peaceful river Jordan, he prayed that God would cleanse them of their sins and would bring them back into a right relationship with Him.

One day someone special stepped into the Jordan river, as a crowd was awaiting baptism. It was Jesus. This was the moment John the Baptist had been waiting for all of his life. He was face to face with Jesus, God in the flesh. Oh, what a moment that was! “Baptize Me, John” Jesus asked. Shocked, John replied, “Oh Lord, I should be baptized by YOU!” But He consented to Jesus. He longed to obey the Lord. As Jesus came up from the water, heaven burst open, and like fingers of brilliant light coming down, Jesus was bathed in the Spirit of the Lord. At that moment, the voice of the Father rang out, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him, I am well pleased.” And so the journey of Salvation, the journey that led straight to the cross, began.