Baptism: a key to being “New Again”
Daily Scripture
Romans 6:3-11
3 Or don’t you know that all who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore, we were buried together with him through baptism into his death, so that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too can walk in newness of life. 5 If we were united together in a death like his, we will also be united together in a resurrection like his. 6 This is what we know: the person that we used to be was crucified with him in order to get rid of the corpse that had been controlled by sin. That way we wouldn’t be slaves to sin anymore, 7 because a person who has died has been freed from sin’s power. 8 But if we died with Christ, we have faith that we will also live with him. 9 We know that Christ has been raised from the dead and he will never die again. Death no longer has power over him. 10 He died to sin once and for all with his death, but he lives for God with his life. 11 In the same way, you also should consider yourselves dead to sin but alive for God in Christ Jesus.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
Baptism can be a life-changing spiritual choice at any life stage. It’s easy to think it’s mainly about babies or about adults who have made a mess of their lives. Resurrection’s Student Ministry knows that for many of their participants, baptism can be an important step into owning their choice to live for Jesus (click here for a video of a February student baptism). Their theme this year is “New Again,” leading students to the joyous experience the apostle Paul described as “walking in newness of life.”
- Paul saw baptism as much more than a hollow token act. “Here (Romans 6:3) those ‘baptized into Christ’ lose their corporate solidarity with the ‘old self,’ which could also be translated ‘old humanity’ (in Adam), to find a new identity with Christ instead (see Romans 5:15–21).” * We may (and usually do) still struggle, but Paul said in Christ we can see ourselves as “dead to sin,” as God does. What makes that “new identity” in Christ so vital for students defining their identity?
- Scholar William Barclay drew an important idea for how we seek to share our faith with others: “In modern times we may have tended to stress the fact that acceptance of the Christian way need not make so very much difference in a… life. Paul would have said that it ought to make all the difference in the world.” ** Jesus’ grace delivers you from all that is hurtful outwardly or inwardly and gives you a fresh start. How can living in that newness shape a life worthy of Jesus’ gift?
Prayer
Jesus, to choose you as my “Lord” is to say, “I want you, not my broken habits or instincts, to rule my life.” Thank you for giving me the promise of a new, better way to live. Amen.
GPS Insights
Emily Stirewalt
Emily Stirewalt serves as Resurrection's Silverlink Pastor specializing in pastoral care of elderly adults. She is an ordained Elder in the Missouri Annual Conference and has served since 2007. She is married to Randall, a special education teacher. They have two daughters, Elliott and Marlowe. When Emily is not in a care home sharing communion or with her family on another Kansas City adventure, you can find her curled up on the couch at home binge watching "Friends" or "Golden Girls."
As we seek to understand that baptism is not only for babies or older adults who have messed up their lives and want to start anew, it will surprise none of you that I have a story from the Silverlink Ministry to share. Baptism can also be about a man in a senior living community who spent his childhood ostracized by his family and many churches because of assumptions made about his sexuality. Indeed, this is Phil’s (*not his real name*) story. And we are honored that our ministry at Resurrection called Silverlink, which connects with people who are unable to get to a physical location for worship, met Phil and learned his story this past year.
We connected with him because of a worship service we had in his senior living community. He soon sought out a one-to-one visitor and their relationship grew, until he expressed a desire to our CCM that he wanted to be baptized. So, I went to the next worship service I could join with the team, and we had a beautiful baptism service for Phil, with his dog at his feet. I looked into his eyes and told him that God created him and loves him deeply.
It was not until afterwards that he shared his struggles with his family of origin with me–being disowned and publicly embarrassed by his church. It wounded him deeply. I found myself so very grateful that I always tell those I baptize how much God loves them and how perfectly created they are. This is the sort of ministry that Silverlink does every day, outside of the church walls. Our CCMs and volunteers are bringing so much light to some of the loneliest and darkest places. Baptism is for everyone, especially those who have felt forgotten. I give God thanks that our ministry is remembering them. I hope and pray for the day when all of us will see those we have possibly forgotten or overlooked.
© 2024 Resurrection: A United Methodist Church. All Rights Reserved.
Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* NIV, Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible, eBook (p. 9867). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.
** William Barclay, The Letter to the Romans (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1975, p. 85. Paul spelled out how “all the difference in the world” can look in Romans 12:9-21, a passage worth your time.
