Baptism

"Therefore, we were buried with Him by baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in a new way of life."

- St. Paul, Romans 6:4

"Baptism is the 'Wedding Ring' of our Faith in Christ."

- Martin Luther

I love baptisms - always have, always will - and here's why: Baptism removes all doubt about who I am and about Whose I am for all eternity! Whenever life experiences call into question my identity as a child of God… when I lose my way, and I do something stupid… when I lose my moral compass and cave into temptation… when something tragic happens, and I wonder how a good God could let that happen… when I find myself wandering in a spiritual desert with no sense of God's presence… when I find myself stumbling along a Boulevard of Broken Dreams for way too long… that's when I hearken back to that time 45 years ago when I was baptized in the name of Jesus Christ at Holladay Park Church of God and say, "Wait a minute… almost 1/2 a century ago, I put on the wedding ring of my faith in Jesus as my Lord… and no matter how insecure I feel now, in that moment, I became God's son to infinity and beyond!" You see, I wear the ring!

Years ago, I had a very good friend who was the premier pitcher for the San Diego Padres named Andy Benes… who, by the way, the Padres could use on the mound today! Andy, and his wife, Jenni, and their children all attended the church and were extremely active and generous in the life of the church. In fact, Andy was the games leader in our Awana children's program. One of the perks of having a major league baseball player as a friend was that I received from him, not only great seats at the ballpark, but also a genuine Padres jersey with his name and number on it that I wore to all the games.

So, as I sat in the stands on game day, I would sometimes stand up, with the jersey on, and yell, "Hey Andy!" and he would look up at me in the crowd and smile, right?!... ‘cause Andy was my friend. As I looked around the stadium, I could see lots of other guys wearing the same jersey too, with Andy's name and number on the back, and we were all cheering for Andy… right up until the moment he gave up a homerun… and then another homerun… and then a grand slam… to the Dodgers! Suddenly, all these guys wearing Andy's jersey went from cheering him to jeering him.

All these guys, who minutes earlier, had been celebrating him as their hero were now dissing him as a zero! They were booing him, yelling at him, swearing at him… while they were wearing his jersey… so crazy! It was then that I looked over at his wife, Jenni, who was seated next to me. But she was not wearing a jersey, she was wearing a ring! And here's what I noticed…

...No matter what happened during the game she was cheering for Andy...

...Whether he executed well or performed poorly she was supporting him… praying for him… encouraging him...

...Whether he was having a good game or a bad game, she was totally for him! Because, you see, she wore the ring not the jersey!

So, here's the Lesson:

...It's one thing to wear the jersey… It's another thing to wear the ring!

...It's one thing to be a fan… It's another thing to be family!

...I wear the jersey for a season… Jenni wears the ring as long as she lives!

...I wear the jersey as long as he wins… Jenni wears the ring whether he wins or loses!

...When I get home, I take off the jersey… When Jenni gets home, she leaves the ring on 24/7!

There's a big difference, you see, between the jersey and the ring!

Baptism is saying, "I'm not just wearing the Jesus Jersey when times are good… when I'm in a winning season of life or when He is blessing my socks off… because I wear the ring! That means Jesus is mine and I am His… for better or worse… for richer or poorer… in sickness and in health… all the time!

The Apostle Paul said that we are buried with Jesus in His death - that is, we are identified with Him… as His… so that we might be raised to a new life! Baptism is the wedding ring… the tangible sign that we are a son, a daughter, of God the Father for all eternity… on our good days… and on our bad days!

Yesterday, I was struck by something a young husband and father said to me as he was preparing a memorial for his wife who died suddenly… unexpectedly… from a chemotherapy infection. As I expressed my sadness to him and how much I would miss the good, good heart of his wife, Kay, I asked him how his faith in Jesus was surviving the storm. Brad said to me, "I promised God a long time ago that I would not hate Him if something like this happened to me… but I sure do have a better understanding of people who do."  Wow! And that's the difference between wearing the jersey or wearing the ring!

Listen… if today you're feeling a little wobbly about how God feels about You or about how you feel about God… because of something you said or did or experienced… why not shed the jersey and focus on the ring… ‘Cause the ring says, you are God's child, and God is your loving Father… no matter what… and for all time!

He loves you… He is with you… He is for you… He will help you… because you wear the ring! AMEN!

Postscript: Hey, if you have not been baptized as a follower of Jesus I urge you to contact the church office about the next baptism. Sign up, so you too can wear the ring! It takes the insecurity out of life!

Pastor Harry

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