Baptism

Baptism

Nope! This is not an indoctrination nor an invitation to be baptized. If, after reading this, you want to be baptized I will be more than happy to oblige. What I want to share is some experiences I’ve had baptizing people in my years of ministry.

Recently a neighbor approached me and asked to be baptized. He had grown up in church and his parents and siblings had been baptized but he had not. Since we had no immediate access to a pool or baptismal font (it still being winter here in Montana), his family gathered around the kitchen sink. He was baptized dunking his head under the faucet.

While teaching a family bible camp, I was asked to baptize several people in the nearby river. The river was the Dearborn which flowed directly from glacial snowpack of the Bob Marshall Wilderness Area. The water temperature was just above freezing. As I waded in up to my waist, I immediately lost all feeling in my legs. I could hardly stand up let alone smile as I baptized in the name of the Father, Son and a Holy Spirit. It was the fastest baptism I ever performed.

The largest baptism I officiated at was just south of Livingston, Montana. Our church had gathered for our annual campout at a KOA located on the banks of the Yellowstone River. Having taught on baptism for several weeks, I invited all who wanted to be baptized or re-baptized as adults to wade in. The Yellowstone has a fast current with slippery rocks underneath. It was precarious just to walk out deep enough to be fully submerged. That day over sixty people were baptized. It reminded me of what it must have been like with John the Baptist at the River Jordan.

One last story. In a little mining town in the heart of the Missouri Breaks, I was asked to baptize a young man. We were holding Bible study meetings at his parents’ house, a single wide trailer. The only body of water available was a bathtub. Since the trailer bathroom was small, family and friends had to stand outside and look through a window as the young man was submerged in a tub full of water.

Through these and other experiences, I have come to believe it’s not the place nor the circumstances that define baptism. It’s the heart attitude of the one who desires to come into relationship with Jesus.