Several years ago I was hiking with a group in the Holy Land in a place called Golan Heights which bordered Lebanon and Syria. We were hiking near in the Dan nature reserve where there used to be ancient Canaanite and Israelite cities. The path here was rocky, filled with stones and water flowed EVERYWHERE.
The water gushed and gurgled, noisily crashing across the rocks and rushed down the mountainside. This water was the headwater of the River Jordan. As it rushed downstream it joined with others to flow and become the Jordan river where Jesus was baptized. We had just had a reaffirmation of baptism in the Jordan a couple days before. That water had been murky, and snaked lazily among the weeds. This water looked clean and pristine, frigid and wild as it tumbled over the rocks. What amazed me is that the water was literally flowing beneath our feet.
The very path we took was just river rocks over a stream. It was like the path itself was moving under my feet as the water shimmered and danced between the stones. Wow. It was like a living path with that water flowing under it. Here were the headwaters of the Jordan river, the place of baptism, and they seemed so alive. So untamable. The waters roared around us and danced under our feet.
As we hiked I noticed these strange signs that said, “sink hole exit.” Sinkhole exit— thaaaat sounds ominous. But what it was is that there are a bunch of small springs up there and many of them literally appear from nowhere and disappear into “sinkholes” in the ground. The water up there just had a life of its own, going where it pleased. Starting and stopping, popping up out of now where, flowing loudly for a few yards before popping down, cleverly flowing underground somewhere only to pop up unexpectedly somewhere else.
Wild. Clear. Beautiful. Living. Surrounding us. Flowing under our path. I couldn’t help but think of the Holy Spirit when I reflected on these early Jordan baptismal waters.
The Holy Spirit who is everywhere, sometimes loudly proclaiming God’s presence, sometimes almost mischievously dipping out of sight only to pop up unexpectedly somewhere else. The Holy Spirit who guides our steps, who is alive and joyful, and life-giving. The Holy Spirit who is present at our baptisms, was at work before our baptisms, and continues to direct our steps as baptized disciples of Jesus Christ.
In the Water and the Spirit it says that The Holy Spirit who is the power of creation (Genesis 1:2) is also the giver of new life. When you are baptized the presence of the Holy Spirit, marks you with an identifying seal as God’s own, and as is written in 2 Corinthians 1 “and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”
In your baptism as water runs down your head, hands are laid upon you and the words are proclaimed, “The Holy Spirit works within you, that being born through water and the Spirit, you may be a faithful disciple of Jesus Christ”
Hiking in that place with my Christian brothers and sisters I could feel the power of the church who had the Spirit of God and the waters of baptism all around them. It was a different way of traveling from running off on my own straight into trouble. It was a place of beauty and refreshment.
Who we are and who’s we are dictates our path, it’s the foundation; our identity in baptism determines where we go and what we do. Knowing that we are claimed by God, that we are Gods children, that God has placed a stamp on our being and a promise on our hearts and a purpose for our lives will give us direction each and every day.
The United Methodist Church has a mission. It is to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world. Local churches and extension ministries of the Church provide the most significant arenas through which disciple-making occurs.(United Methodist Book of Discipline ¶ 120).
We are called to this mission through the words of Jesus, “Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey everything that I’ve commanded you” (Matthew 28:19-20)
On Sunday July 30th at our church picnic we will be having a service of Baptism and Reaffirmation of the Baptismal Covenant down at the river. This will be an opportunity for those who are new to the faith, have never been baptized, and desire to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ to be baptized. It is also an opportunity for those who have been baptized before to celebrate the covenant made at their baptism and reaffirm their commitment to following Christ.
Baptism is our initiation into the church, through baptism we are claimed and marked by God and given our identity. Who we are and how we act in this world is tied to our baptismal identity, our relationship with God. More than where you are from, your skin color, the language you speak, how much money you make, or your politics; baptism brings you into the family of God that is open to people of all ages, nations and races. You are now connected with a world-wide church of people who love God and are committed to following Christ into the world.
Several months ago I asked that you be praying for God to lead you to a person with whom you could share your faith; a person that you could share God’s love with in such a way that would draw that person closer to a walk with God. I hope you will continue to be about this important work of discipleship. Sharing the Good News of God isn’t just a church thing, but a life thing when it comes to being a disciple of Jesus. If there is someone in your life who has a desire to follow Christ and live out their discipleship through the life of our congregation, consider inviting them to our special event in July. Before our gathering in July, I would love to meet with them to hear about how God is working in their lives and their hope of serving through Christ’s church.
Baptism, worship, discipleship, evangelism, and service are all part of a life transformed by God. Our hope at Morning Star UMC is that you will remain strengthened as you remember your baptismal identity, that you will continue to joyfully be about the work of God, and through the strength of the Holy Spirit faithfully serve God in this world.
Many Blessings,
Pastor Nicole