Clay in the Hands

I learned a valuable lesson yesterday.  Our church scheduled a beautiful service at the beach out on Padre Island.  We had nine people ready to be baptized in the surf of the Gulf of Mexico.  A large gathering of our family was there, standing ankle deep in the water to observe this sacred moment.

We walked those who were to be baptized out into waste deep water and one by one, baptized each of them.  As each person stepped up to be baptized I was able to address each one individually and privately.  I asked each one of their belief in Jesus and then baptized them based on their statement of belief.

This was a bit different due to the conditions that having the service at the beach dictates.  In a setting indoors, I would have had a microphone so that the rest of the gathering could hear what was going on.  But due to the noise of the surf and the distance to the crowd, there was no way to include them in what was being said.

Honestly, I had not given it much thought until I was saying goodbye to Laura, one of the observers who had witnessed it all.  She made a keen observation.  She said something to the effect, “This was so special.  Watching you have conversations with each person just seemed so intimate.”

As I have reflected on her observation, I have been reminded that baptism is so much more than a corporate act.  I tend to see this act of worship largely for the benefit of the family – the body of believers gathered – to outwardly illustrate the transformation that has already begun in the person’s heart.

That is certainly a part of the worship act.  But I was reminded just how intimate this sacred moment should be as well.  Being able to have a brief, quiet conversation with each person as part of the baptism made the experience much more intimate and blessed.  It is a public act but it should also always be intimate and sacred for the individual as well.

Thanks Laura for the reminder!