The Lord God has generously given many good gifts to his Church, enabling us to see and experience his abundant grace. One of those gifts is the sacrament of baptism. A sacrament is a divinely appointed sign that points to a heavenly reality. In the waters of baptism, we see a vivid display of God’s promise to cleanse, forgive, and pour out eternal life. The water itself holds no power, yet it carries deep spiritual significance as a sign of our inclusion into the life of Christ. All who are baptised are united to Christ and to his Church.
Though there is no visible mark distinguishing the baptised, the sign of baptism should be seen in the way we live each day. As people come to know us and as we live out these deep spiritual realities, they should see something of Jesus in us. We are called to live the new life we have in him, because those who are baptised have publicly confessed their faith and submitted to Christ as King. United with him, we no longer live according to the old ways that have been symbolically put to death in the water.
growing together in the knowledge of his love
Baptism should transform the way a Christian lives, but that does not always come easy. Today, we have number of people who will be baptised. How can we help them to live out this heavenly hope that is now theirs? The strength to live this way is not found from within, but as they look beyond to the promises that come from God. In baptism, King Jesus promises to provide all our greatest needs, sharing with us his immortal life and the riches of heaven. We are to rely on the Spirit and not on ourselves.
Alongside this heavenly help, we also receive help from one another. Baptism unites us to the Church and binds us together as a family. When we are tempted to fall back into old patterns, we need encouragement from our brothers and sisters in Christ. Fellow churchgoers are not just people we sit beside, as if we happen to be at the same show together. Rather, we are members together of the body of Christ – children of the same heavenly Father – who walk side by side in the way of Christ, growing together in the knowledge of his love.
Let’s celebrate and give thanks for those being baptised this Sunday. Let’s pray for them, and for ourselves, that the fruit of the Spirit would be increasingly present in our lives as we fix our eyes on Jesus. Pray that we would be able to enjoy deep fellowship with each other, genuinely investing in getting to know one another well, so that we can be there for each other in both the highs and lows of life. Let us commit to walking together, united as brothers and sisters in Christ.
