Little Girl Doesn’t Understand Cleansing Symbolism of Baptism
Pastor Bob Beasley shares a true story told by a father in his church: “Our three-year-old daughter, Rena, sat with us during the baptismal service…which was a new experience for her. She exclaimed in surprise, ‘Why did he push that guy in the water?’ My wife tried to explain briefly and quietly, but Rena just wouldn’t be satisfied. Later that night we tried to provide an answer that a child’s mind could comprehend. We talked about sin and told Rena that when people decide to live for Jesus and ‘do good’ they want everyone to know. We then explained that water symbolizes Jesus’ washing people from sin; when they come out ‘clean,’ they are going to try to be ‘good.’ A moment later, we realized we’d have to work on our explanation a bit after Rena immediately responded with this question, ‘Why didn’t the Pastor just spank him?’”
From a sermon by Brian Bill, Taking the Plunge, 10/25/2009