Springtime in our little city means it’s time to do the annual flushing of the fire hydrants. It doesn’t make one overly happy if you just washed your car and have to drive through a huge spray of water. This afternoon I saw people turning onto side streets to avoid the baptism. However, there was one very inventive fellow doing just the opposite. Apparently his car was still salty from the winter streets and he saw a hydrant spouting into a parking lot. First he drove through it very slowly and then turned around and drove through it again getting the other side, then he pulled up to it and got a good dousing over the front end. He got a $12.00 wash for free.
It reminded me of someone being baptized by immersion. You want to make sure you get them completely wet. Not long ago I had the joy of baptizing my niece’s husband. He is about 6 feet 7 or 8 inches tall. I couldn’t reach high enough to get my hand over his head. Because he is a retired navy diver, he figured out how to get low enough for me. I still couldn’t bend him backwards and bring him back up so he knelt and I splashed water over the remaining top of his head that wasn’t submerged. I must admit I completely understood the hearable snickers from the congregation. But it was a very happy, joyous experience. It was a time for laughter.
Baptism is a public expression of having given one’s life to Jesus. It is not a ticket to heaven. It is a joyful way of saying, “Thank you, Jesus, for the gift of eternal life and the forgiveness of all my sins.”
Written by Roger Bothwell on April 21, 2017
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