January 8, 2025- Through the Waters

Somewhere over the holiday break, I had a brief moment or two for a hint of reflection on the coming year. A few thoughts about personal goals, church priorities, and travel plans drifted through my mind, but before I could put pen to paper, life came crashing in. The long travel day home, reentering school and work routines, a nasty cold that keeps coming back around, etc. etc.

I haven’t given up. I’m still trying to drink more water, eat a little better, and get to bed on time. I’m still trying to take a step back, see the big picture, and choose actions that lead in faithful directions. But it’s never as clean, tidy, and refreshing as I wish it were. More than likely, this is one of those situations where we needn’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Still, if only true change were as easy as…baptism?

Probably few of us have had the experience of immersion baptism. I have not; not even live observation. But the full-body ordeal of being plunged backwards into water—a sensation meant more to mimic drowning than bathing—surely must be something. This rendering of Jesus’ baptism before he comes back out of the water speaks volumes: surrender and some flailing as he finds his footing to resurface.

That kind of baptism, even without the dove and the voice from heaven, must have been powerful. Even in the muddy, murky Jordan (or perhaps especially in such conditions), one must have felt revived, coming up for air and stepping onto the bank, garments heavy and clinging. More than a countdown to a ball drop or goals scribbled into a brand new planner, that must have felt like a new beginning.

Still, Jesus and everyone else who came to the waters that day, would eventually be sitting on dry land with dry clothes and all-too-familiar trials. How often, I wonder, did Jesus think back on that day at the river, or relive those moments below the surface when everything was a bit muted and obscured? Did he ever want a do-over, a rewind and restart? A few more moments among the fish?

Baptism has become the initiation rite of the church, marking one’s entry into the family of God and the life of faith. We believe (or so the books tell us) that it is an outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace. We may pour or sprinkle or immerse ourselves in the water, but it is God conferring the grace that makes the welcome real. And because baptism is about God’s action, not our faithfulness or feelings, it is not something that ever needs repeating.

But sometimes, it is helpful for us to journey back to the beginning. Some of us may remember our baptism; probably many of us do not. Still, we may have other memories of a beginning: a family member taking us to church; a spiritual experience alone in nature; a decision to make a change, a turn for the better. How awesome to consider that wherever we think our journey began, God was there long before.

On Sunday, we will have the chance to renew our baptism. We’ll retrace the vows and touch the water that remind us of God’s work in our lives: at the beginning, before the beginning, and certainly ever forward. It is an invitation—not to set more goals for the coming year—but to remember the grace that is   already at work within us, offered to us without price. It is a chance—if not for a completely fresh start—to be refreshed at the start, reminding us of God’s mercies ever new. And it is an opportunity to be thankful that wherever we started, God has drawn us together for this leg of the journey.

See you Sunday,

Pastor Jen

PS - If you or your children have not been baptized and you’re interested in learning more about it, let me know!