As someone who grew up in Churches of Christ, it should come as no surprise that baptism is pretty important to me. I have often wondered, though, why our “go to passage” is Acts 2:38. It seems to me that if we call ourselves “Christians”—if we say that following the example of Jesus is the most important thing we will ever do—then shouldn’t our main baptism text come from the life of Jesus?
In today’s reading, Matthew recounts the story of Jesus’ baptism by John. Notice that two things immediately follow Jesus’ baptism. First, the Spirit of God descends upon Him in the form of a dove (sound a bit like “receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit” doesn’t it?). Second, God publicly announces for the first time (at least in Matthew’s Gospel) that, “this is My Son, Who brings Me great joy.”
The next time you watch a baptism, remember the announcement of Matt. 3:17. I’d be willing to bet that somewhere in Heaven, God is saying it again.
-- Justin
For those with young children: Baptism of Jesus coloring sheet
Having grown up in the Churches of Christ I too think we sell ourselves short of knowing how to truely live a life like Jesus. Our heritage tends to go immediately to Acts and the to Paul's letters to learn what to do and how to be in order to be a Christian. I don't want to take anything away from this crucial part of our developemnt as children of God but I do think we should spend more time in the Gospels to look at how Jesus, our Savior, our model for living actually lived his life.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your insights today. A baptism really is a new birth into an eternal life with God. I think sometimes we lose sight of that. I think of my grandfather the day that I was baptized. My grandfather was a true man's man. He grew up in the Great Depression so two weeks into an 8th grade education, he quit school and went to work for the family. After his time in the Army, he worked in bridge construction for half his adult life and was a farmer for the other half. I think you see where I'm going, he was not the emotional type. I saw my grandfather cry three times in my life. The day I was baptized and the days my sisters where baptized. He understood the significance of what was happening. He got it. Even though he's gone on to be God, I'm sure he would agree with you that God's proclamation is heard through out heaven when someone is baptized.
Wow! What a story Chris. It sounds like your grandfather was quite an inspirational human being. What a blessing to have someone like that in your life.
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