f2:19 aftermath

Baptism is the application of water to the head of a person who understands something about God in Jesus Christ. And, man, I think: what a boring description of God's revelation in Jesus Christ. Even the somewhat catchy motto about baptism being "a visible sign of an invisible grace." That does not even reallly capture the intimacy of God. Everyone get out your bibles and read Psalm 139! It is a very touching way to understand how God knits us together in the womb with an intentional and repetitive motion. Piece by piece and cell by cell. God's desire exceeds our sinfulness or worng doing or wrong thinking and drags us into the waiting room of God. A place where we patiently wait to understand where God will place our next step. Baptism shows us that before we could ever make a conscious decision to know God, God chose us.

The power of last night's worship service in our intimacy with God and with other congregants. Many other church members there to take seriously the vow to support and nurture these two newly baptized little guys and declare publicly that these boys have died to the world so that they might be made into new creations in Christ. I found that I had many questions that erupted from waiting for the arrival of this worship service. The questions came out James 3:1-12. Verses discussing how our tongues can get us into a whole heap of troublem. We say things that are hurtful and mena and then want to take those words back. But after you squeeze toothpast out of a toothpast tube, you can't get it back in. "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me." I think that if we pause for a moment, we know all too well how words can shape our egos and our beliefs about ourselves. When we speak, we can hurt. When God speaks, creation is brought into being and the foundation of the world is rattled. The moral of that story: When God speaks, life is transformed- so ask yourself this: has God spoken his Word in your life?