My heart swells with love each time I watch a baptism. There is a look of joy on their face and an aura radiating around them as they come up from the water. I recently was at the baptism of a high school senior. She has been a believer for many years but decided before she left home for college, she wanted to take the plunge (pun intended) to publicly declare her faith. While I was singing worship songs and clapping as she and the 100 or so others got baptized that morning, I wondered what nudges someone to this decision, and what changes they experience after they dry off. Surely, everyone has their unique story, but I became curious about the through lines that prompt each to plunge.

Probably the best part of talking to someone following their baptism is their abundance of gratitude towards God. They share that there was some part of their life that they were giving up, turning over, and all out surrendering to God!!! (Exclamation points theirs). For some, baptism offers a fresh start after a rough life of addiction, rebellion, even perfectionism, truly anything that has left them wanting. For others, like the sweet high schooler I was watching, they don’t know life without God and want to place a stake in the ground that they will follow Him forever.

“Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death,
in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father,
so also we may live a new way of life.” Romans 6:4

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.
He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit.” 1 Peter 3:18

The skeptic would ask, “Do they really need to get wet? And in front of all those people? Can’t they just declare their decision out loud?” Good question, but baptism does require water because it allows us to experience (to a very small extent) what Christ went through to rescue us: death, burial, and resurrection. A Believer immersed in the water represents dying and being buried with Christ. The action of coming out of the water depicts Christ’s resurrection. It’s such a beautiful comparison once you understand its meaning.

I’m thankful for every baptism I’ve attended. I’ve witnessed baptisms in church, a South African swimming pool, a mucky pond at camp, the Atlantic Ocean near Puerto Rico, and my family’s baptism in a muddy Nicaraguan cow river. I’ve heard of baptisms in the Holy Land and in bathtubs. I don’t think the location is important. It is meant to occur whenever God moves your heart to declare yourself part of His family. And yes, people must be there, as witnesses and as revelers. It’s a two-for-one event. The first portion, the “I can’t do this life alone, I need God, I need to die to my self-sufficiency” portion is symbolic of a funeral, and the “coming out of the water, rejoicing of the new chance at life” is a time to celebrate. It’s a funeral of your old self and a birth of the new you!

After the dunk, you are pronounced a new creation – you are Born Again. Mark down this day, and celebrate it each year; this is your spiritual birthday!

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:
The old has gone, the new is here!” 2 Corinthians 5:17

The gratitude we hear following baptisms, and years later, is the acknowledgment that this new life wouldn’t be possible if Jesus didn’t overcome the grave. It is only because Jesus conquered death. It is only because of Jesus’ resurrection that we can be reborn and look forward to eternal life with Him in Heaven.

That joy doesn’t wear off in the months and years that follow. As I’ve listened to baptism stories and the attitudes and behaviors that change, it seems there are four significant ways that faith increases:

• The Holy Spirit living inside of them, transforming their bad habits day by day.
• They “know” without a doubt that they are a child of God. They accept this identity and live life in the posture of belonging to God’s family. They aren’t perfect, but they can speak of their worth and their gratitude. (John 1:12)
• They share a new, or deeper, community of Believers they can’t imagine not having as their go-to people, and are thrilled to have eternity together.
• They know Jesus will return and they will go to Heaven.

It’s these stories that excite me to attend or perform baptisms. There is a stirring of my Spirit connecting to theirs. So, what makes some say “yes” and not others? I suppose it’s the conviction of the Holy Spirit. We read in scripture that John the Baptist performed many baptisms, including Jesus’ (Matthew 3:13-17). After the resurrection, Jesus’ close friend Peter urges many: “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, each one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit””. (Acts 2:38).

When my son asked me to get baptized, I was already trying to imitate Jesus’ life in mine, so it was easy to say yes. However, I’ve witnessed a teenager desiring baptism and their parents not allowing it. I am prayerful that when this child reaches 18, they will reconsider this desire, and I am hopeful that their parents will attend and rejoice with them.

I’ve also been asked if being baptized as a baby is enough. This is a funny question to me. If baptism is about your personal declaration to accept Jesus, and if you love Jesus, what’s stopping you from declaring it for yourself now that you can talk?

During this Lentin season, I hope you will read the scripture of the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and resurrection through the lens of God’s love for us:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever
believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His
Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.
Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands
condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one
and only Son.” John 3:16-18

I pray you will celebrate the significance of Easter Sunday. Celebrate the new life it brought Jesus, and the grace it brings to each of us, allowing us to join Him in Heaven. And if your Spirit convicts you towards baptism, please let us at Good Word Project know, so we can be beside you as your witnesses and revelers!

“For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes
in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.” John 6:40

Please pray with me –
Lord, there are not enough words of gratitude to pray or sing in worship to You. Thank You so much for the unconditional love You give me, even as I continue to sin. Thank You for sending Your son Jesus to earth so our ancestors could know Him and write down His words and interactions. I love reading about how He treated people. Thank You for indwelling the Holy Spirit into each Believer, to direct us in Your ways, and to ignite with the Spirits of others. I’m incredibly thankful that You pursued me. I love You. Your loving daughter.