Drenched

And just as he was coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. 11And a voice came from heaven, ‘You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased. Mark 1:10

We went to a baptism service this evening. Our district superintendent, who was also the baptized person's great uncle, performed the ritual And he did a wonderful job. If one of the roles of a pastor is to show us the presence of God, the DS did that tonight. In his calm and quiet way, he told us the nature of God.

He told the young man (one of our youth) that he had been claimed by God, and was his beloved. He talked to him about the meaning of baptism. As he told him, he told us.

He then immersed his nephew. Of course, the young man was soaked when the baptism was finished. The DS was wet, too. It occurred to me, watching, worshipping, that a person cannot baptize another person without getting wet himself.

I didn't baptize this young man, but I walked away wet, showered and soaked in grace. If we are witnesses to God's claim on this young man, then we are also witnesses to the presence of God himself. I was reminded of God's own claim of me, his beloved. And I was drenched in the water of baptism.

Image: Cross at Spring Heights.