Baptism :: 10/11/09

This Sunday night we focussed on WATER & STONES. 
In the center of the room a baptismal pool and a bowl of river stones.

We opened with “Filled With Your Glory” by Starfield & “I Will Lift My Eyes” by Bebo Norman.
John did a talk about Baptism and what it means.  Why we do it the way we do.  Why God wants to connect to us the way he does.  Then we watched Jen’s story on the big screen.  She was baptized that night and so before that happened we got a chance to learn more about who she is and what her journey with God has been like.  When the video was done John called her forward and we began working through the baptismal liturgy.  Jen had asked for full immersion, so that’s what we did!

Following her baptism we shifted gears from the water to the stones. 
Stones have had a recurring theme in the story of God throughout history.  I told them a piece of that story:

It’s found in the 3rd and 4th chapters of the book of Joshua.
This is way back in Old Testament times God’s people were finishing a 40 year journey in the wilderness – it was a journey that should have taken only a week or two by foot, but they had many lessons to learn before they could emerge from that wilderness.

But it was finally time for them to enter the Promised Land!
They had to cross the River Jordan to do so.  God was leading them through every step.  He told the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Covenant to go and wade into the Jordan River.  This might have made them nervous, the Jordan was flowing at flood stage at the time! But they faithfully walked in.

And just as God had promised, the waters began to pile up in a heap upstream. The priests with the Ark stood in the middle of the river bed as the whole nation of Israel crossed over into Jericho.  Some estimates put them at more than 2 million people strong!  I can’t imagine how big a “heap” that river water must have been in by the time they were all across.

Once they were across, GOD spoke to Joshua: “Select twelve men from the people, a man from each tribe, and tell them, ‘From right here, the middle of the Jordan where the feet of the priests are standing firm, take twelve stones. Carry them across with you and set them down in the place where you camp tonight.'” (Chapter 4 vs 1-3)

When Joshua gave the instructions he told them, they were doing it
“so you’ll have something later to mark the occasion. When your children ask you, ‘What are these stones to you?’ you’ll say, ‘The flow of the Jordan was stopped in front of the Chest of the Covenant of GOD as it crossed the Jordan—stopped in its tracks. These stones will stand as a memorial among the people of Israel forever.” (Chapter 4 vs 6-7)

Tonight we might hear that in these words…
“These stones will help us remember the mighty acts of God”
“These stones, smoothed by water, have been shaped by God as we are being shaped.”
“These stones are markers of God’s love and provision and connection.”

I don’t know about you, but I live in a dry, rough and scary place a lot of the time – and that’s just what’s happening inside my own head.  This world is often hostile and the negative things that thrive in it are always tempting me to turn away from what’s right and good. So as I watched Jen get soaked through with that water tonight, I longed for that experience of feeling the cool comfort of being cleansed and renewed by the touch of the Holy Spirit.

So tonight we’re going to each have a chance to do that and we’re going to also mark the occasion with stones as the people of God have done for thousands of years. It’s all about water and stones.

As was said earlier tonight: through water and the spirit, we renew the covenant that was declared at our own baptisms, and we acknowledge what God is doing for us. We again affirm our commitment to Christ and the Church.

So if you would like to “remember your baptism” then as the band leads us in worship you can come forward. Don’t feel like you have to form a line, just wait for the right moment. Reach your hand into this water and take a stone. Then touch your forehead with the water and say something like: I remember my baptism, and I am thankful.

That stone is yours to keep as a marker of this occasion.
Yours to place in a spot where it will help you remember the amazing gift God has given in new life and in forgiveness of sins.  So when people ask you, what does this stone mean?  You can tell them.

The band played “I Will Rise” by Chris Tomlin & “You are the Light” by Steve Fee as people came forward.
After a closing prayer, we played “Made to Worship” by Tomlin as Jen stood in the middle of the room being hugged and welcomed to our family.

It was a great night!

Here is our current prayer request list. (Anyone can ask for prayer, just let me know! You can talk to me or drop one of our prayer request cards in the worship space Drop Boxes.)

:: Jackie Anderson is still traveling a very rough road.  Pray for hope and healing and a willingness to hang on tight.

:: Pray for Coleman Burroughs – he will be going home soon.

:: Pray for Darlene Stone =  hip replacement surgery went well –  Lots of recovery ahead.

:: Pray for Christa and her sons

:: Pray for Lacy Thompson – she’s serving as a missionary in Ecuador until Thanksgiving.

:: Andrea, Amanda B and Randall F are all looking for new jobs – pray God will open up the right opportunities.

:: Toni R has gotten a GREAT job offer!   Pray all falls into place as God intends.

:: Pray for Sam Dills (and his family) as he fights cancer.