The Power of Water

The Power of Water
Matthew 3:13-17

I grew up in Weldon, a small town in northeastern North Carolina. When I lived there, the population was about 3,000 people. Like I said, it was, and still is, a small town. Its claim to fame is that it is “The Rockfish Capital of the World”. Located on the fall line, right next to the Roanoke River, once a year the Rockfish (aka Stripers), make their way up the river to spawn and lay their eggs among the rocks. At the same time, the river is crowded with boats and fishermen, trying to catch the Rockfish.

In the 15 years that I lived near the river, I never got in a boat on the river. No one in my immediate or extended family had a boat, or was interested in fishing. But I do remember hearing warnings from family, neighbors, and strangers about the dangers of the river. They warned about the swift currents and the hidden rocks in the water, and they talked about people who had been injured and a couple of people who had drowned in the river. I remember hearing that it was a dangerous place and that the water was powerful.

I also remember visiting the Jordan River in Israel years ago, when I was a young man. It was nothing like the river where I grew up. There were no dangerous rocks. There was no rushing water. As a matter of fact, when I saw it, it looked more like a stream than a river to me. It wasn’t very wide, didn’t look very deep, and there just wasn’t as much water there as I expected to see. Many of the folks in my tour group went down and put their hands in the water. A few of them scooped up some of the water into small jars and put lids on them. There was power in this water, not because it was a mighty rushing river, but because it is thought to be the place where Jesus was baptized by John. That is what made this water powerful.

I also remember that there have been many times when I have been at a church serving as the pastor, and I have taken a drinking glass to a sink in the building and filled it with water from the faucet. Then I have carried the water to the Sanctuary and poured it into a bowl to be used in a worship service for baptism. There were a few times that I used water that a church member had brought from the Jordan River in Israel, but most of the time, I used ordinary water from the faucet at the church. It was ordinary water, but when we prayed during the service as we prepared for a baptism, the water became powerful. God blessed the water, and used it as a sign of God’s love for those who were baptized.
When I think about baptism, I remember that I was baptized as an infant. I don’t literally remember the service, but I can remember through photos, a certificate of my baptism, and through eyewitness testimonies of family members. As I remember my baptism, I try to remember the meaning of baptism. Here is a list of some of the things that baptism means:

- Baptism is a sacrament, that is, something sacred. It is a sign of God’s grace. God declares God’s grace through the church when someone is baptized.

- Baptism means what water means. Water can be used to wash and make clean. It also gives life. Likewise, baptism is a sign that God cleanses us from sin and gives us new life.

- Baptism tells us who we are. When Jesus was baptized, a voice came from heaven and said:”This is my beloved Son.” Baptism reminds us that we are God’s children.

- Baptism is an ordination, a commissioning to be a servant of God. It tells us not only that we are God’s children, but that we should act like God’s children.

Even though I was baptized many years ago, and I don’t remember the service, I can still remember that I was baptized and be thankful for parents who presented me for baptism, for the people of God, the church, that baptized me, and for God, who has claimed me as a child, and calls me to do my very best.

I remember my baptism, and I am thankful.