Mark 3:32-33: A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?”
I remember the first adult immersion baptism I attended. It was at Holden Village many years ago. Holden Village is a Lutheran Retreat Center in the North Cascades, where 300-500 people gather every week for fellowship, hiking, studies, worship, and personal growth.
Rick, who was a young adult with a very difficult background, came to know Jesus, and wanted to be baptized in Railroad Creek, which is a glacier fed stream running through Holden Village. One evening after worship, the entire group of 500 people went from our evening worship service to Railroad Creek, where Rick was standing, waist deep in glacier fed water, with Carroll Hinderlie, who was the camp director at that time.
After the first part of the baptismal service, Carroll put his hand on Rick’s head and said, “I baptize you in the name of the Father!” and pushed Rick’s entire body beneath the ice-chilled waters.
Those of us watching had a chill move through our bodies as Rick went under the water, and as the water cleared we could see bubbles come out of Rick’s nose. All of a sudden Carroll said, “And of the Son!” and let Rick up for one gasp of air before pushing him back again under the frigid water. Those of us watching started to get goose bumps, even though the temperature on that August evening was over 80 degrees.
When it almost seemed that Rick would expire under the frigid water, Carroll let his up for a final gasp, as he said, “And of the Holy Spirit!” and plunged him under for a third time. Those of us watching started to shake; we were so cold standing around with sympathy pains for poor Rick, hoping against hope that Carroll would let him up before he drown.
Afterwards I said to Rick, “So what was it like, getting baptized and all.” And Rick said, “Man, it was terrible. I thought I was going to die.”
And I thought to myself, “Bingo.” That’s it. Baptism is dying to the life that we had before knowing Jesus, and it is giving a new commitment to our lives and all that it means now that we know Jesus. Baptism truly symbolizes death and resurrection; putting away what was old, and giving birth to something new. And that “something new” includes being grafted on to the family of God in a new way, with new brothers and sisters!
Jesus knew that his mission was to heal the broken, to reach out to save humanity, and to redefine what it means to be a Child of God. What a blessing that is! Doing the will of God. Being baptized, dying to the old, and rising to the new. New brothers and sisters in Christ. What could be a better blessing than that!
Questions to Ponder:
- Have you experienced an adult baptism? Or an immersion baptism? What was it like? How was it different?
- When you go to church, how do you view the people there? What would it take for you to view them as truly fellow brothers and sisters?
Prayer for Today: Gracious God; Blest be the tie that binds our hearts in Christian love; the fellowship of kindred minds is like to that above. In the name of Jesus, our brother. Amen.
Baptism: It's your Life Song!
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