Take Me to the Water
Take Me to the Water
“I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” Matthew 3:11-15 NIV
You know just the other day, my daughter Cherelle and I were talking, and I shared with her my memories of her baptism. Holding her in my arms as our eyes locked, she trusted me and did beautifully. The conversation got me thinking about my own baptism celebration. My dad along with one of his deacons did my dunk’in. There I was sitting on the front row with my shorts and top, covered with a white sheet and something like a swimming cap to protect my pressed hair. I was kind of nervous, but I wasn’t the only one going up into the baptismal pool on this Sunday morning. When it was finally my turn, I do remember thinking, Mr. Christ you know I can’t swim right? As I stepped down in the water, I had the whole churches attention. As my dad said in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, I baptize you, I held my breath the best I could and closed my eyes. It felt like they were holding me down extra-long, as I came up out the water, coughing and opening my eyes, I could hear clapping and singing. Take me to the water, take me to the water to be baptized.
Seriously friends, when I think about my baptism it was only the beginning in my new life as I took Jesus Christ as my personal savior. I had been writing to him since I was in the 4th grade, and now I was going on this new journey to build a relationship/friendship with the man I had been talking to and asking everything for.
John the Baptist name implies that he baptized people, which he did, but his life was more than baptizing. He focused on the kingdom work set before him. His life was characterized by devotion and surrender to Jesus Christ and His kingdom. He proclaimed the coming of the Messiah to a people who desperately needed a savior. John the Baptist reminded the people, that he was not the Christ, but was sent ahead of him. He let them know that he was a messenger sent by God to proclaim the truth.
What I have learned from the life of John the Baptist is faith. Test and trials are going to come friends, they always do. Hold on to Christ, seek him in truth, and stand firm in your faith. Amen.
Remember friends, we are each other’s keeper and the only time we should be looking down on someone is when we are helping them up.