I love Baptisms. I always love it when people respond to Jesus in this way.
I remember as a TEENAGER
seeing people from our YOUTH GROUP
being BAPTISED in a BAPTISMAL POOL
at the FRONT of our Church.
It was so STRANGE to me.
I watched as people WALKED DOWN THE STEPS
of a SMALL POOL at the FRONT OF THE CHURCH
and EXPRESSED THEIR FAITH in Christ.
It was the FUNNIEST THING I had ever witnessed
and I couldn’t hold in my LAUGHTER,
sometimes at INAPPROPRIATE times in the service.
I didn’t know then
that what I considered to be SO FUNNY
would become something
so VITALLY IMPORTANT to me,
as years later
I TOO was baptised in that SAME POOL.
I didn’t realise
how WONDERFULLY SYMBOLIC that act was.
It symbolised DYING TO THE OLD WAY OF LIFE
and LIVING TO THE NEW WAY OF LIFE,
and of EXPRESSING MY COMMITMENT TO CHRIST.
Now as a Pastor, I have LOST COUNT
of all the people I have ever baptized,
but what a GREAT HONOUR it has been.
Such a SIMPLE ACT,
yet SUCH GREAT SYMBOLISM
of what has taken place ON THE INSIDE,
as you HONOUR THE LORD in your life.