I have been baptized three times.
The first, as a newborn in the sacrament of the holy church.
The second time I was baptized after I accepted Jesus at the age of 12.
And the third time was in my pastoral care class at Northwest University when I was going to school for my bachelor’s degree in Ministry Leadership.
Some say, three times a charm.
As an infant it was significant to everyone else in the room but me…accept maybe for the trauma it cause me when they sprinkled unexpected water over my head and my baby instincts kicked in making me scream because I thought I might be drowning.
As a twelve year old, I accepted Jesus purely out of fear. After watching A Thief in the Night, I would have done anything the pastor told me not to be “left behind” or burn in hell.
But then, something unexpected happened. My pastoral care class took a field trip to Neighborhood Church in Bellevue to practice baptism. We didn’t have real candidates so we practiced on each other. I had no idea that this would be the most significant baptism in my life. Pastor Darrell Elliott led us in the ceremony, explaining the power of the resurrection waters. As each of us took turns following Jesus in baptism, the significance of our old lives being laid down in death, and left behind as we were immersed in the water grave was an extraordinary miracle that I tried to grasp. Then we celebrated as each of us came up out of the water and stepping into new life with Jesus! At the end of the evening I stood by the baptismal watching the water drain out of the pool. It was a divine and symbolic gesture of our sins being washed away, never to be seen again. As I stood there watching the waters recede, I could hear the words that God spoke to Jesus during his baptism, but this time He was saying, “This is my daughter, whom I love and am pleased with.”
Are you ready to follow Jesus in baptism? I promise, your life will never be the same!
If you are ready to take the plunge, contact your church for the next baptism class OR join me this weekend at our HER VOICE Women’s Retreat (Details and information: www.hervoice.us)! If you don’t have a church family, please contact me. There are many amazing communities that would love to meet you!
What do you think?