The other weekend, our church had what we call Baptism Sunday. We set aside part of each service for those feeling led to be baptized. Fully. In a heated baptismal. And wow, to say it was powerful is an understatement. I cried through the whole thing.
If you have not delved into the Bible much, no judgment, baptism might seem like an odd ritual. And man, I just used a lot of “religious” words. Honestly, I grew up going to a church where we were “sprinkled” by the Reverend when in elementary school. My parents made the decision, signed us up, and that was that. I think many of you are probably in a similar boat- even have been baptized as an infant.
So wasn’t that enough? Aren’t we “all good”?
And while I’m just a mama and not an expert of any kind on baptism, let me share what I’ve learned on why you might want to take the plunge, so to speak.
God commands us to do so. For years I did not know this. I learned about it while in college, began to understand the importance of baptism and was baptized in a swimming pool by my pastor at the time. (I live in AZ, so that works well.) I still remember that day. It was amazing. Freeing. It was my declaration.
Declaration of what?? My faith in God and more importantly, my obedience to him. My belief in the person of Jesus and that he died, was buried, and rose from the dead. Did you know that the act of baptism emulates just that? Us going under the water is symbolic of our death to our old self. Our death to sin. And our resurrection is as white as snow due to the blood of Jesus. Again, lots of religious words there, I realize. Take a look in the Bible at John 3:5, Acts 10:48, Acts 22:16, and Colossians 2:12 to start. Just google them, makes it easy.
And then please reach out to a trusted person who is a Christ follower who can help you learn more. Or to me and I can point you in the right direction.
There’s not a lot we can hold on to with confidence in this world. I think 2020 taught us that. But God. God is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. And Jesus’s sacrifice covered sin for all time. It’s the greatest gift that you could receive. And this Christmas season couldn’t be a more perfect time. That special baby born on Christmas day offers us eternal life. But more than that, he offers to walk through life with us. Through all the joy and all the pain. I can’t imagine walking through life without him.
Parents- there’s little above wanting your children to follow Jesus, at least in my mind. Man, in spite of my imperfect parenting abilities I pray for this often.
Pictured here is my friend’s husband baptizing their daughter (he happens to be a pastor). I lost it. What an amazing thing to baptize your child. To watch them show their love for Jesus in front of others. One other pastor baptized his daughter, too. They weren’t boastful, like look at what my kid is doing. They were humbled and overcome with gratitude to our Lord. It was beyond beautiful.
If reading this has stirred something in you, go on in- the water’s fine.
Embrace Life
