BAPTISM
by Bob Wickizer
Scripture: Ruth 3:1-5, Ruth 4:13-17, Psalms 127:1-5, Hebrews 9:24-28, Mark 12:38-44
Title: Baptism
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44
Isn't it wonderful to be baptizing two young people today? Some years ago, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, our national church bishop, was bragging (kind of) to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa. Our bishop was proud that he helped baptize fifty people at a big church in New York City. Archbishop Tutu smiled and replied that a few weeks earlier, he helped baptize two thousand people in a river in South Africa. So, we have some catching up to do.
The word "baptize" comes directly from the Greek word, "bapteizo" meaning "to be immersed" in water. Did you know that before Jesus, the Jews baptized their converts. That's where John the Baptist got his ideas to baptize people in the Jordan. The baptism of Jesus was not for the purposes of forgiveness of sin, but as a means by which God identifies Jesus as his son. It as a mark of the identity of Jesus. In a similar way, our identity as Christians are given by our names at baptism. But more on this later. Let's have some fun.
Even though Episcopalians and Catholics practice a nice, polite baptism bysprinkling water, full immersion can have quite an impact. My first exposure to this was waking up one cold, January Sunday morning and looking down at the river from our family cabin in Missouri. Ice was forming in the quiet water next to the banks. The water temperature was probably 40. About thirty people all dressed in their Sunday best gathered at the riverside. The preacher wore hip boots. Wearing only flip flops and a swimming suite, the baptismal candidates shivered on the bank with a bathrobe for a coat. One by one they waded out to the preacher to a place that was about waist deep. The preacher put his hand on their heads and dunked them in the river three times in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Their families waited on the bank with lots of towels and dry clothin ...
Author: Bob Wickizer
Text: Ruth 3:1-5; 4:13-17; Psalm 127; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44
Isn't it wonderful to be baptizing two young people today? Some years ago, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, our national church bishop, was bragging (kind of) to Archbishop Desmond Tutu in South Africa. Our bishop was proud that he helped baptize fifty people at a big church in New York City. Archbishop Tutu smiled and replied that a few weeks earlier, he helped baptize two thousand people in a river in South Africa. So, we have some catching up to do.
The word "baptize" comes directly from the Greek word, "bapteizo" meaning "to be immersed" in water. Did you know that before Jesus, the Jews baptized their converts. That's where John the Baptist got his ideas to baptize people in the Jordan. The baptism of Jesus was not for the purposes of forgiveness of sin, but as a means by which God identifies Jesus as his son. It as a mark of the identity of Jesus. In a similar way, our identity as Christians are given by our names at baptism. But more on this later. Let's have some fun.
Even though Episcopalians and Catholics practice a nice, polite baptism bysprinkling water, full immersion can have quite an impact. My first exposure to this was waking up one cold, January Sunday morning and looking down at the river from our family cabin in Missouri. Ice was forming in the quiet water next to the banks. The water temperature was probably 40. About thirty people all dressed in their Sunday best gathered at the riverside. The preacher wore hip boots. Wearing only flip flops and a swimming suite, the baptismal candidates shivered on the bank with a bathrobe for a coat. One by one they waded out to the preacher to a place that was about waist deep. The preacher put his hand on their heads and dunked them in the river three times in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Their families waited on the bank with lots of towels and dry clothin ...
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