Hi First Presbyterian Church,
It's time for our Mid-Week Meet-Up! Last Sunday, our worship was led by our youth who did such a faithful job of bringing us into God's presence! Well, I am so excited to let you know that one of our youth is going to be baptized this Sunday! Griffin, one of the youth who helped to lead last Sunday’s worship, is going to be baptized… immediately following the 10:00am service.
“Aaron, you said ‘immediately following the service.’ Why not during the service like usual?”
Because he’s going to be baptized by immersion!
“Aaron, how are we going to baptize him by immersion when all we have is a baptismal font?”
He’s going to be baptized outside!
“Aaron, it’s February in New York! How and where are you going to immerse him for baptism?!”
I'm going to baptize him in a hot tub in our church parking lot!!
During LOGOS (our mid-week afterschool program) this evening, the kids will be playing in the hot tub in our parking lot (thanks to Matt and Susie Wahl!), and we’re just going to leave the hot tub in the parking lot until Sunday for Griffin’s baptism! Griffin wants to be baptized by immersion, and I love that he wants that! Since it’s winter, using the hot tub is what we were able to come up with to make that happen, since (unlike Baptists) Presbyterians don’t typically have baptismal pools in their buildings!
That brings up an interesting question. We typically see babies being baptized by the font in Presbyterian churches. Are Presbyterians even allowed to baptize adults by immersion? Of course we are! Did you know that before 1953, there were consistently more adult baptisms than infant baptisms in the American Presbyterian Church? And, in fact, our denomination’s Book of Order says, “The water used for Baptism should be from a local source, and may be applied with the hand, by pouring, or through immersion” (W-3.0407). So, yes, Presbyterians can immerse adults for baptism - even in a hot tub in the middle of February! In fact, it is one of my hopes as a Presbyterian minister that I will have the blessing of baptizing many more adults by immersion in my lifetime.
Following our final hymn at the 10:00 am service, I will invite you to come outside with me and Griffin into the Locust Street parking lot and witness as Griffin professes his faith in Jesus Christ and receives the sacrament of baptism. Then, you can rush back indoors to warm up with coffee and donuts!
You know, last Wednesday in our one-year Bible reading plan, we read in John 13 about Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Although foot-washing is not the same as baptism, I think what Jesus says in that chapter can apply to baptism. Jesus said to Peter, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8). Baptism, like foot-washing, is an invitation to allow Jesus - the Creator, Son of God, and Savior of the world - to serve us. This act of humble submission (allowing ourselves to be served by Christ) is vital for understanding salvation. We are not able to act on our own behalf to save ourselves but must allow Jesus to do the work of salvation for us. That’s partially what baptism symbolizes, and I hope to see you outside on Sunday morning to witness a unique expression of that in one person’s life.
Peace,
Pastor Aaron