In the Name of the Father, the Son...

We were honored not only to be part of a friend's baptism, but a part of it as well. This is a quantum moment for anyone who's chosen to do this public act, so we could relate to what he was about to participate in--only we didn't have 26 other co-baptizees and 400 people watching.

Large churches are used to milling people through, and large, successful churches can do that without accentuating the mill feeling. We're from small churches (<100 people), so while we enjoyed the change of pace and anonymity, we had our concerns about how they'd take warm and proper care of people doing something as personally eventful as getting baptized.

Suffice to say, it was well done. Great big tarp under a great big tank, slight climb up a ladder, sit in the warm water, pray with your trusted dunker, and enjoy the applause as everyone watches your immersion on the big screens up front.



A little worship, a little baptism (okay, maybe a lot), and as much of a spirit of investment and community as a small city can bestow on its residents, it was a sweet experience to see all those faces, each one beaming, as they proclaimed in action their identification with the One they'd come to love and follow because He first loved them. As many kids as there were adults, inside this act that requires you to reappear in front of everyone completed drenched--as in a wet t-shirt contest--this was a level playing field. They were each one my brother and sister in Christ, from the tiny four-year old girl, to our friend, who was the oldest.

God bless them, every one.