I will never tire of witnessing someone going through the waters of baptism. This morning, we celebrated what we call at Fellowship “Body Life Sunday” where we take a short break from our expository book study (now, the book of Ruth), and spend time together as a family - worship, communion, baptism, baby dedications… Seventeen people, including many young people, made a public proclamation of the inward reality that their lives have been forever transformed by the love, grace and forgiveness they received when they gave their heart to Christ.
Jesus gave us two ordinances in which to take part and celebrate together: communion and baptism. Both symbolic of Christ’s life, death and resurrection power in our lives. Baptism a one-time proclamation publicly identifying with Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. The Lord’s Supper an ongoing remembrance of Christ’s work on the cross - something we will proclaim together often until the day He returns again.
I was touched this morning as we heard the stories of how each of these people had surrendered control of their lives, bringing them to this place at this time. One particularly impacted me as a father walked his young son to the baptismal and helped him get in the water. (At Fellowship, our ‘baptismal’ is actually a large watering trough we purchased from a farm supply store.) Our pastor asked the boy to tell us why he was being baptized and after he spoke in his soft, tender voice, his father took the mic to share how he’s seen the fruit of salvation in his boy’s life. That’s when I lost it. Getting down on his knees at eye level with his son and looking right into his eyes, he told him how proud he was that as a very young man, he was pursuing a relationship with God. And how he could tell the Holy Spirit was working in his heart because his son even asks to be sent to his room now to cool off when a conflict gets too heated. (smile) I would have never done that growing up!
As I saw this father loving on his son in front of a packed room, celebrating the milestone of his boy publicly proclaiming his changed life, I thought of my two precious little boys. Josiah, three years old and Jonathan, eighteen months old. What a privilege it must be as a father to watch his son respond genuinely to the call of God on his life and take this bold step of faith. I am praying for each of my boys and look forward to the day when I can put a hand on his head, put him down into the water and bring him back up, saying “You’ve been buried with Christ in baptism, and raised to walk in newness of life.” Oh, what a sweet day that will be.
