Sermon Preview for Sun. Jan. 11, 2026

January 11, 2026 - Baptism of our Lord Sunday

Preacher:  Rev. Anne J. Scalfaro

Scriptures:  John 14:25-27, 31; John 15:1-5, 8-11, 16a and Galatians 5:13-26 

Title:  Pruning as a Spiritual Practice: Fruitful & Freeing

Midyear Reorientation to theme, Abide & Grow: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit

This Sunday we return to our annual theme, Abide & Grow: Cultivating the Fruit of the Spirit. Before we jump back into our series to explore a specific Fruit of the Spirit, we will spend this week reorienting ourselves to our theme scriptures (John 15 and Galatians 5) with a specific focus on pruning our branches (lives)—that is, cutting away what is superfluous, rotting, dead, overgrown, misplaced, misaligned, harmful, or unwanted in order for the Fruit of the Spirit to thrive and flourish. 

Sometimes the “list of vices” in passages like Galatians 5 or the dichotomy of “flesh” versus “spirit” can turn us off from religion and keep us from the very freedom of spiritual living that Paul proclaims, but it doesn’t have to be that way. There is always more to the story, and sometimes it means pruning our viewpoints on scripture to get to a freer and fuller understanding—an understanding that will help us cultivate the growth of the Fruit of the Spirit, rather than hinder it.

As an extra bonus, this week we celebrate Baptism of our Lord Sunday on the liturgical calendar, and we’ll explore how remembering our own baptisms can be a means of abiding in God’s love and blessing in a deeper way that allows us to bear fruit and be salt and light for the world.