Last week at church we had a "remember your baptism" time in the service. I thought it was great. If you are unfamiliar with this opportunity, it is a time to put your hands in water, place the water on your forehead and remember, and be thankful.
One person, coming through the line said, "but I don't remember my baptism."
They were missing the point.
The point of baptism is that you offer yourself, or you are offered by your parents unto the Lord. It is a sign that you are a part of his kingdom.
Baptism does not wash away sins. Baptism is not primarily about a person's decision. It is not about the amount of water. It is a sign of the kingdom.
If it were about our decisions or our memories or our feelings, we would be getting re-baptized over and over. In fact, I know many people who have done exactly that. They have been baptized over and over, every time that they made a knew commitment or got a new understanding. In effect, they made it all about themselves.
At some point, we need to just believe that God's grace is present in our baptism, we need to remember that and be thankful. If we can't do that, we are sentencing ourselves to a lifetime of guilt over whether or not we did it right, and re-baptism after re-baptism.
Let's just believe that God was there. Let's just believe that the faith of our parents and the faith of the community were there.
Remember your baptism and be thankful.
It's a beautiful day in God's world, be sure to see the good.
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I am leading a trip to Ireland October 15-24, 2024.
click here for the brochure
If you have questions, feel free to email me at jsbrink57@gmail.com
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