Anniversary

Today is the wedding anniversary of Stuart and Joyce Powell, parents of The Lovely Joanne. It's a day that they remember, not so much for the church ceremony they had all these years ago but for the meaning of their marriage. The two of them have grown in love and care for each other over the decades, deepening in their mutual concern, their understanding of each other and their desire to serve one another.

Joanne and I also treasure our marriage, and we celebrate our anniversary with joy. Another anniversary I treasure is my baptism. I had committed my life to God through Jesus Christ quite some time before that date. But on one certain day, I submitted to a ritual that showed what was already true; 'an outward sign of an inward intent' as we say. That ritual of baptism celebrated three things: that I had died with Christ; that I was raised into new life with him; and that I was made part of the body of Christ, the church.

I can still feel the water closing over my head as I was plunged under the water and then came up out of it. But as with marriage, I value what baptism stands for, not the actual ceremony itself. I value the on-going relationship I have with Jesus Christ and with his other children. I don't bother celebrating the actual date of my baptism when it rolls around every year. I do, however, celebrate what it means, every day of my life.

Being dunked in water doesn't save us, nor does it even transmit to us the salvation given us by God. But we are baptized to obey the command of Jesus in Matthew 28:19 that new disciples should be baptized. That baptism ceremony shows to the world and the church, and it shows us, whose we are. Being "raised from the dead" as it were, out of the water, symbolizes the newness of our spiritual lives from then on.

What about you? Is it time for you to commit your life to your Savior through this sacrament? Please ask a servant of Jesus Christ to help you with it. It's one of our greatest joys!