I have to say that as a Christian and as a pastor – I deeply cherish baptismal services where people identify and participate in this sacred ceremony as commanded by Jesus. For baptism in Jesus – is one of God’s established signs of the Jesus Community. Stated differently – baptism when expressed is intended to communicate that the person, has accepted “their acceptance in Jesus” by grace through faith so that they are being identified publicly as part of Christ’s body, the church. For us at Yarrow Alliance, church then is not a place that one attends – church is a community to which one belongs.
I find that one misconception people often have as they observe a baptismal service is that they think that the person getting baptized has somehow gotten super serious about spirituality and in so doing they have somehow magically got their “spiritual act together”. They’ve figured out how to shed or avoid all of life’s failures and struggles of sin and pain. This is not the case. As Christians we do desire to be Christ-like and to grow knowing that if we get to live another 30 years – “What kind of person will I become” is an important feature of the Christian life. So, Christianity is a way of life – “Am I becoming more loving, less judgmental, more content?” But, it’s all premised on the one and only perfect Christian – Jesus – who, we have come to believe, is “our way”. Biblically, baptism is about participating by faith in Jesus perfect life & obedience, death, burial and resurrection. We believe at Yarrow Alliance Church that the good news, the gospel is what God has done for us as sinners (like all of us) in Jesus Christ. Baptism then is not a demonstration “that we’ve got it together”, but that we believe Jesus is God’s “Got it together” Son, and in believing in him, “we have life in his name” in this life, and especially in the life to come!
So…. Baptism is the wonderful mystery that as we go under the water our (old) selves dies before God due to Jesus death, and as we rise out of the water, we rise as new persons whose identity is ‘hidden with Christ in God’ Col. 3:3.
~Pastor Dwayne~