Eight centuries before the birth of Christ, the Prophet Isaiah had a thing or two to say about how we live our lives. Chapters 56-66 of the Book of Isaiah are addressed to the Israelites who have returned home to devastation in Jerusalem, after the Babylonian exile. With generations of banishment ended, they need to rebuild their lives, their community, and what it means to be a God follower.

When they returned to Jerusalem, the Israelites were no longer bound by the restrictions of exile. Humans don’t always handle freedom wisely, however, so God gave them instructions. First, God told the Israelites to fight injustice and workplace exploitation, to free the oppressed, to cancel debits, and to feed, clothe, and shelter those in need. This guidance has been enacted into law through civil rights, bankruptcy, and labor legislation, along with programs such as SNAP benefits and Section 8 Housing.

In addition to advising the Israelites on how to care for others, God also provided instruction on we all are to live our lives. Eliminate unfair practices, victim blaming, and gossip, and share generously with the hungry and down-and-out. Consistently following these instructions isn’t easy. Manipulation and victim shaming still occur, and judgey Christians continue to point out others’ sins.

There is work for us to do as we strive to live as God’s faithful representatives. When we heed the same instructions that God gave the newly freed Israelites, others will identify us as God followers. With the example of how we conduct our lives, we will be known for our ability to make community livable through restoration, rebuilding, and renovation.

During baptism, the candidate or the parents of a candidate make a set of promises. Then the church community makes promises in return, telling the newest member of God’s family that they’re not alone in their faith journey. The community’s promise includes surrounding the baptismal candidate with love and forgiveness.

Baptism is a celebration of salvation and initiation into Christian community. But where there is community, there are people. Where there are people, there is conflict. And where there is conflict, there is the need for forgiveness.

Forgiveness done well is astounding. We’ve seen it after terrible events. When a white supremacist murdered nine African American members of a South Carolina church 2015, AME Bishop John Bryant said, “He wanted to start a race war, but he came to the wrong place.” In 2006, a 33-year-old man barricaded himself in a one-room Amish schoolhouse. He shot ten girls, killing five and injuring five. Then he killed himself. Despite the devastating losses, 40 members of the Amish community joined the man’s grieving parents at his funeral.

Talk about forgiveness can be difficult to take in. Does it mean putting all the burden on the victim and letting the perpetrator off? In the early church, people promised love and forgiveness, but it wasn’t unconditional. Serious sin meant getting expelled from church, and the only way to return was to make a public confession and do public penance.

The ability to connect and choose love was one of Jesus’s superpowers. As he and two other enemies of the Roman state hung on crosses, one of the men ridiculed Jesus and the other defended Jesus. In that moment, Jesus assured the defender that he would join Jesus in paradise. Jesus modeled forgiveness, love, and community building right up to his death. When we, the community, make promises during baptism, we’re pledging to recommit to following Jesus and his ways.

Lent and baptism go hand in hand. In the early church, Lent was a time of preparation for baptism. Today, we can use the season of Lent to remember our baptismal promises and discover our place in the story of salvation.

In baptism, water symbolizes washing away sin and we make four promises, naming the kind of life we will have in Christ. First, we renounce wickedness and repent our sins. This is the moment of letting go and relaxing into God, much like water flows over a waterfall. Then we accept God’s power for resisting evil, injustice, and oppression. Next, we confess that Jesus Christ is our Savior and put our whole trust into God’s grace. And finally, we promise to remain faithful members of Christ’s church.

Baptism is about taking on the identity of a Christ-follower—distinguishing ourselves as Christians. When we make our baptismal promises, we take on the role of being Christ’s representatives in the world. This is important, because people will make judgements about Jesus based on our actions. Here are a few questions to ask yourselves. Do we take care of others? Do we forgive and ask for forgiveness? Are we kind when it’s difficult? Do we stand up for people who are attacked?

When we don’t do these things, we give Jesus a bad name. Each of us called in baptism has been handed work called ministry. We’re all empowered for work in the church and work on behalf of the church. The life of following Christ and nurturing others is something we get to do together—we call it church.