Today, in our church community, we talked about Baptism. The whole service surrounded this wonderful sacrament. The congregation was spashed in remembrance of their baptism, while we sang, "Shall we gather at the River." The children's sermon had us gathered around the font, discussing the uses of water. We welcomed a new child into our church family by sprinkling, and I spoke in my sermon about the basic necessity of water.
I usually write my sermons out in text form for preaching. This helps me stay focused, and use the words and terms I had intended. But today, as I was closing the sermon on the beautiful sacrament of baptism, saying that the essence didn't change if baptized as a child, adult, by water sprinkles on the head or full immersion- I realized that I need to add something about those who have not been baptized.
If I had joined this service, and had not been baptized, I would have felt completely and utterly left out.
So perhaps it was just an acknowledgement of the difference, or it was a God moment, I found myself reminding people in the sermon, that if they had not been baptized, the promise was no less than if they had- it's just that Baptism is the public recognition of God's presence. But all are welcome to recognize this promise.
As I bordered on this altar call (I know, I know, but this is as close as this Lutheran Girl gets) I realized that I wanted to experience full immersion. I want to have the whole congregation take a dive into a lake this summer as we remember our Baptisms.
What a physical, sensory event that would be- all of us standing, swimming around in the sacred beauty of the water.
3 comments:
I hear ya.... katherine at kewp.blogspot.com has a great post about full immersion -- it's back a few posts, but relatively current.
That's a great image, too, of a whole congregation in a lake.
I like it, too. Followed by a picnic, right?
a potluck- with green jello, hotdish and coffee (because yes, Lutherans still drink it in 100 degree heat with 90 percent humidity)!
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