Baptism

Called to a Moment That Continues On

In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we believe in what is called believer's baptism.  It is considered a sacrament in our church, an expression of God's grace in a visible sign.  It is for many Disciples the moment when they have seriously and consciously considered the costs, the weight and responsibility of being called a disciple, of following The Way.  

Our Cambellite heritage (Cambellite defined) was a continuation of the work of the Protestant Reformation and early followers saw themselves as picking up where Luther left off.   Alexander Campbell believed that the New Testament spoke of baptism being for a person of mature age, a "penitent" believer, and that the proper mode of baptism was that of immersion in water.  We have come a long way from these early views.  While we still hold these core values, we recognize and honor the baptism of all Christians whether they be Methodist, Congregationalist, Catholic, or even if they received their baptism as infants.  

Baptism in the DOC church today is often viewed as an act of covenant making.  "It symbolizes a covenant between the new disciple and the living Lord, between the neophyte and the church.  The act is rich in meaning" (Osborn, 60).  Baptism is also intricately connected to the Lord's Supper.  Each Sunday we are called not just to ask for the forgiveness of our sins, recall the power of the cross, but to remember our baptism gives us new life (Romans 6:3-4).

Now, with our little history lesson behind us, I can get to my story, the moment of my baptism and what it meant to me then and what it means to me today.  As a Disciple I was raised as a Christian.  Everything revolved around the church.  Of course, it helps if your father is a minister.  From an early age, I identified myself as a Christian.  I was taught that my faith in Christ Jesus made me a Christian and that I should live my live as a child of God.  I realized from an early age that baptism was a big deal.  It meant that you were ready, that you understood what it meant to be a disciple of Christ.  My father use to tell me how early Christians had to be catechumens, that they had to prepare to become Christians, that they had to understand their faith and this was a serious affair. 

The picture above is actually me.  Yes, I once had hair.  I was baptized when I was eighteen in the White River of Arkansas.  My paternal grandfather was seriously ill in the hospital when I felt the Holy Spirit come over me.  I can’t explain it any other way.  I asked my Dad if he would baptize me.  So, down to the river we went and my father administered the order of baptism which entails the renunciation of evil and profession of faith.  I was baptized!  What a glorious moment!  As we tramped back up to the house from the river we were met by my grandfather’s second wife and she told us the news that my grandfather just passed away.  I’ll never forget what I said to my father.  “One life given to God in heaven, one life gained for Christ in the water.”  We both cried.

Believer’s baptism is important to me because of the serious nature that the sacrament requires of the individual.  It’s also communal.  You can ask most Disciples about their baptism and they can tell you exactly when it happened.  For me, my baptism wasn’t a onetime act.  In a sense, it was Christ’s way of making physical contact with me, there in the water.  He hasn’t stop making contact with me.  My baptism was a single moment in my life where Christ took hold of me, made me new, and in so doing it’s a moment that continues on and will until that day I’m called home.

Osborn, Ronald E. The Faith We Affirm: Basic Beliefs of Disciples of Christ. St. Louis: Bethany, 1979. Print.