Baptists are All Wet!

This morning in the "contemporary service" we had four baptisms. When a Baptist is baptized, they get totally wet. 

And it's a wonderful thing to see. I think it's one of the best things to see in a church. The convert climbs in the tank, someone who has spiritual care over them asks them to confess Christ, calls them their sibling in Christ Jesus, and literally dunks them all the way down, not a bit of skin or clothing dry, and pulls them up sopping. And we all applaud in joy.  

As it was the contemporary service, there was no permanent baptistry in the meeting place, so it was a bit awkward. In most evangelical churches that perform believers' baptism, the audience only sees the pastor, the candidate, and the water, and the candidate rushes off stage. Today, there is climbing in and out, there is a towel offered, there is drying off, there is a walking off and even some shivering. I loved it. It's more like the old days at the creek--organic. The candidates have to live with the fact of being seen drenched. 

Which is the point. There is a little bit of "a-social embarrassment" in immersion.  You are all in. You are totally aware. You have made this choice. All of these candidates, although young, had waited a while before taking this step. A good thing, I think.  It means they recognize that it's not just a thing you do if you go to a Baptist church. It is a sign to the world that you are all in with the Christian life thing.  

There is a man who comes to that service who used to be in my ESL class.  He is from Iran; he is a Muslim by tradition. But I see him all the time; he has been befriended by a couple and others. I embrace him as a friend. He was a teacher in Iran. Here he works in a candy factory.  His wife rarely comes with him. He says she is afraid to be seen in a Christian church, especially if word got back home and what it would mean for their children still back in the Middle East.  

My friend may be a believer, but the step of public baptism could put his family in danger. What does he think of this strange water rite he sees people go through?  I don't know, but he knows what it means. 

The death, burial, and resurrection story are retold every time a convert is baptized. Our own identification with Christ that means we have died, been buried, and resurrected is also retold. While some think it's about a picture of cleansing, and to some extent it is, it's about something deeper and more life-altering. 

Yes, we are all wet.