Remembering My Baptism

This morning in worship we observed the Baptism of Christ. That meant that we called people to remember their baptism as we used spruce branches to sprinkle water on the gathered assembly. It was a beautiful moment, but I learned some unexpected practical lessons. First, I learned that it is difficult to walk with a bowl of water without the water in the bowl splashing all over you. Second, I learned that when I splash water on myself while wearing a white robe, I start drawing troubling mental connections to wet T-shirt contests. Third, while it might be less symbolic, it would be simpler and less time-consuming to sprinkle the people in the balcony with a super soaker instead of climbing all the way up and then back down the stairs.

Still, all this talk of remembering our baptisms got me thinking about my own baptism. While I was raised in the United Methodist Church, my mother, who was raised in the Church of the Brethren, insisted that I not be baptized as an infant. She really wanted me to choose to be baptized, and to be able to remember the event.

I was not aware of that, though. Throughout my childhood, I assumed that I, like all the other kids at church, had already been baptized. When I discovered that I had not yet been baptized, I was really upset. That church had always felt like my home, and suddenly I felt like I didn't belong...like I wasn't part of the family.

So we called the church and scheduled my baptism. I prepared with great anticipation, and when the morning I arrived, I was excited. I listened carefully to the Scripture, which was John 15:1-11. As the minister talked, I had a clear picture of the vine and the branches, of humans growing and bearing fruit, with their source in God. In that image, I found connection. And as my pastor poured water on my head, baptizing me in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I felt connected to God and to the people around me like never before. As cheesy as it sounds, I could really see how we were shoots from the same vine, all nourished by God in the waters of baptism.

Today I remembered my baptism and felt both connection with the people around me, and a longing for connection with the strong people of faith who are far away from me now: those at my home church, from my campus ministry in college, from my seminary friends and the people from the church I attended during seminary.