Baptism - It's Not Just For Weirdos

Since last I wrote, I've moved house back to Brixton; an area I love despite a branch of Foxton’s moving in since I’ve been away (yes I’m one of those people who love up-and-coming areas but bitch when things get too gentrified). I haven’t exactly unpacked yet, but the bin bags containing clothes are at least in the vicinity of the wardrobe . . .

I’ve also spent some time in Leeds to celebrate a very close friend’s birthday and baptism – the start of a new chapter in several different ways. 

This friend became Christian not long after I did when she was a guest on an Alpha table I was ‘helping’ on. I say the word ‘helping’ dubiously, as we bonded over my asking more numerous and difficult questions than the guests I was meant to be looking after. That and a mutual love of The Wine. 

We’ve shared many of the same struggles with trying to reconcile our modern world views and cynicism with newfound faith, so I definitely wanted to be there to witness the occasion of her baptism. I hadn’t considered it would be so powerful though.

As she read out her testimony she spoke with such articulate, painful honesty that the energy in the room changed.

She spoke of her brokenness.

She spoke of words of knowledge and healing declared over her.

She spoke of coming to know Jesus as loving and kind, and not the God of punishment she had always pictured.

She spoke of finding freedom from harmful behaviours.

She spoke of learning the truth of knowing joy regardless of circumstances.

Believers and non-believers alike started wiping their eyes with tissues. Something holy was happening. 

As worship music played in the background and she descended into the baptism pool, people started openly weeping. I cried so much that the church leader paused the ceremony to see if I needed the towel intended for my friend (embarrassing).

I felt struck by the knowledge that God weeps at our pain, combined with his overwhelming joy at one of his children stepping out in faith and being restored to Him

Sometimes God transforms us overnight. Usually though, it’s such a slow process we can’t even see it at the time. This baptism was a wonderful marker of what God had done for us, reminding me: “Remember when you both travelled down to the Alpha weekend away rolling your eyes at the thought of ever being one of those people singing along to worship music? Remember when you thought a person’s self worth was only ever tied to how you looked or how successful you were, and you felt how little you measured up? Remember when you thought this life was all there is and the future scared you? Did you ever think you’d be here? Look how far you’ve come!”

It was a visual signifier that when Jesus promises to heal, restore, redeem and transform, it is real. 

God’s true revelation of Himself is in Jesus. In this life we can never know everything about the mysterious, superlative God. As Paul so rightly said in one of the most beautiful verses in scripture: “For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known”. 

How can we know the character of a God too big for us to comprehend? Jesus simplified everything: “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father”. You want to know what God is like? Look to Jesus. It’s that simple.