2. Monday 10 th January Pause to Reflect: What would it be like for me to hear God say ‘You are my beloved daughter/son; with you I am well pleased?”

3. Let us pray: Almighty, eternal God, when the Spirit descended upon Jesus at his baptism in the Jordan, you revealed him as your own beloved Son. Keep us, your children born of water and the Spirit, faithful to our calling. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

4. Response: Let all who have nothing, come to the water. 1.Millions of people around the world face water shortages. Many millions of children die every year from water-borne diseases. Response 2. "We need to free women and girls from the daily chore of hauling water, often over great distances. We must involve them in decision-making on water management. We need to make sanitation a priority. This is where progress is lagging most." (Kofi Annan) Response 3. There are 1.1 billion people or 18% of the world's population who lack access to safe drinking water. About 2.6 billion people or 42% of the total lack access to basic sanitation. Response 4. At any one time, half the world's hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from water-borne diseases. Response Today we will be reflecting on the importance of water in our lives and pray for those who do not have this privilege.

5. Prayer: Leader: Source of all Being, Who brought water from the stone, Giver of life, In whom all things live and move and have their being, All: Give us the miracle of gratitude, for how our lives are sustained in your care. Give us the miracle of courage and creativity to find new habits for ourselves, our country, and our world, in sharing your resources. AMEN

6. Today we continue our reflection on the importance of water in our lives and pray for those who do not have this privilege. Response: And let all who work too hard, let them come to the water. 1. For a family of six, collecting enough water for drinking, cooking and basic hygiene may mean hauling heavy water containers from a distant source for an average of three hours a day. Most often this is the work of women and girls. Response 2. Twenty years of oil industry activity have left 30,000 people in Ecuador's northeast Amazon region with no clean water. The issue is now in the courts. Response 3. The CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) predicts water scarcity for half of the world's population in ten years. At the same time, the United States government has removed water as a human right from the statements of the last several global water conferences. Response

7. Prayer: Leader: God of life, help us to remember, that, for some, the earth is parched. We lift to you those for whom clean water is not a basic right but a luxury, We cry out, O God, against conflict and violence that leaves crops to wither and drives families from their homes to lands where fresh, clean water is only a dream. All: In this season of new life, may we heed your call to hunger and thirst for righteousness — and may your justice and righteousness roll down as an ever-flowing stream. (This prayer taken from the MCC website)MCC website

8. Baptism is the Christian religious practice with the use of water as an evidence of a new born Christian. There are a few types of Christian Baptism such as submersion, immersion, pouring or sprinkling. The baptism is an act of God’s salvation and given new birth through water and spirit. What does baptism mean for Christians today?

9. Prayer: "Blessings be with you today and every day to come … Through caring acts may your life be lit with love Through kindness may contentment be your reward With gentleness may you journey well With truth and beauty may you follow a path That wherever you go whatever you do today’s grace and joy abides with you!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Prayer - Susan Helene Kramer Think of someone you would like to prayer for today. Maybe they are recently baptised, maybe they are not. Perhaps you want to pray that more people will come to know Christ as their Lord and therefore be baptised. Maybe you want to remember your own baptism. In the silent of your heart think of this person.

10. In the Roman Catholic Christian tradition, Baptism is the first sacrament, a ceremony of welcome in the Christian Community. Pause for thought – as we begin a New Year, are there people you need to welcome into your life, whether for the first time, or by forgiving them and starting anew?

11. Prayer: Creator, open our hearts to peace and healing between all people. Creator, open our hearts to provide and protect for all children of the earth. Creator, open our hearts to respect for the earth, and all the gifts of the earth. Creator, open our hearts to end exclusion, violence, and fear among all. Thank-you for the gifts of this day and every day. Native American - Micmac - Alycia Longriver - 1995