Baptism

Water is one of those everyday elements we can take for granted.  In our area of the world, we turn the tap and the water comes – reliably, abundantly, and clean.  

But water has religious significance since the beginning of time. It is the elixir that quenches thirst and keeps the body functioning.  As such, water has symbolized life and renewal across many religions. In Judaism, immersing in the water bath, known as a mikvah, restores purity.  Water holds profound significance in Islam. It is viewed as a divine blessing and the origin of all life. In the emerging Jesus movement of the first century, water became the central element of baptism, signaling a "new creation" and washing away sin.

Baptism must have been a profound ritual for those converting from paganism to Christianity.  Water signaled a change in identity.  The old was buried as you went down in the water and your new life in Christ emerged as you surfaced. The ritual was a sacrament sealed in your memory and in your soul.  Before you didn’t belong, but now you belong to the Lord Jesus.

Our pilgrimage started with a reminder of that profound truth. As we sat near the river where the first European Gentile convert, a woman named Lydia, was baptized, I sensed the shift from the “vacation” time in Istanbul to the sacred journey we were on. There is a beautiful chapel at near Philippi that had just emptied of pilgrims ahead of us.  In the silence of this sacred space, we contemplated the journey we were now beginning, remembering and claiming our belovedness in Christ.  Then we broke out in song. Amazing Grace – how sweet the sound… hearts lifted, souls open, and joy abounding, we made our way to the river – the same river where Paul baptized Lydia.

The water was swift and urgent – asserting its power as it swept along the shore. Co-leader Patrick and I invited our pilgrims to renew their baptism.  It was a moment that was personal, centering, and meaningful.  For many who had been baptized as infants, this was our adult moment of reclaiming that, because we belong to Christ, we belong to each other. There was no shortage of tears that mingled with the ancient river.  

Like Lydia, we let go of the old tapes that often tell us we are “less than” and embraced the affirmation that we are God’s beloved ones.