Several years ago I came across this video of a young man, about 12 years old, doing a cannonball into the baptismal pool at his church. Take a moment to watch the video by clicking on the picture above.
I love this video. Not only is it quite funny (my favorite part is seeing a pastor rendered speechless), but it also points to a great truth. When it comes time to celebrate a baptism, we shouldn’t just mosey on over to the church. We should run! We should jump right in! We should be knocking down the doors to get a front row seat!
Why? Because in baptism the saving power and grace of Jesus are on full display. More than a touching ritual, baptism marks our adoption as the children of God. The water that is poured over us symbolizes the overwhelming flood of God’s grace that cleanses us of sin and nourishes us unto eternal life. Baptism marks the beginning of each Christian’s journey of salvation – the journey of healing, wholeness, restoration, and forgiveness. There is nothing more exciting than that!
This Sunday at Faith UMC, we get to come to the baptismal waters. We’ll be participating in the baptism of 5 month old Raegan. While I don’t expect her to come running and jumping into the baptismal font, the excitement of her baptism is no less real. If you’re coming to worship this Sunday (and why wouldn’t you?), then I hope you’ll come running, filled with excitement and anticipation! The very power and presence of God will be on full display.
Oh yeah, and by the way, there’s going to be a pretty awesome pot luck luncheon after the service too!!!!
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