ANDERSON, Ind. —
It was a hot and nearly cloudless early Sunday evening, not unlike most of the rest of August in Indiana. Alongside the peaceful lake northwest of Greenfield, though, I can imagine the setting, save for the contemporary Christian band and sound system, was not unlike the one almost two millennia ago when a man named John baptized his cousin in the Jordan River.
Our oldest grandson, Ronnie, has yet to reach his eighth birthday. But he has amazing insight for his age. While his parents have encouraged but not pushed him, he determined on his own to declare his faith and his desire to be baptized.
Such was the scene on that August evening. More than 40 people were baptized in the annual lakeside service held by the Park Chapel Christian Church, an active, growing congregation in Greenfield. Included were children starting at Ronnie’s age, teens, young and middle adults.
The method of choice was total immersion, as practiced by John the Baptist in Jesus’ time and the preferred form in many church bodies today; the Greek root word for baptize, in fact, by definition means to immerse.
The church’s pastors baptized many of the participants. Friends or relatives officiated for several others. Parents baptized their children. One man baptized his daughter, then both of them baptized his granddaughter. The children’s pastor, Bob Crane, baptized Ronnie, who was last to be lowered into the water.
I was Ronnie’s age when I saw my first baptismal service in one of Minnesota’s 10,000 lakes. My understanding of the process was far short of Ronnie’s. When the minister said, “These young people are giving their lives for Jesus,” I pondered whether they were going out into the lake to be drowned. Their lowering into the water and quickly rising very much alive quickly erased that fear.
Ronnie came out of the water flashing a broad smile, although one slight glitch had developed when one of his Croc-type shoes came off in the mud and he had to be hoisted back to a standing position in the waist-deep water.
That day was Ronnie’s day. We all went out to Pizza Hut for lunch, his favorite place to eat. Then he had a baseball game, which his team won as he got a couple of hits, scored a run and participated in six outs as the second baseman. He even pulled off a double play, tagging a runner after fielding a ground ball and throwing to first base for the second out.
Everyone’s faith journey is different. I’ve heard of people saying they made their decision as young as 3, while others are much older before they declare their faith. Ronnie’s mom was in her middle teens when she was baptized. His Aunt Rachel was an adult.
But that hot August Sunday evening by a rural lake will be a lifelong milestone for Ronnie Roberts as he grows to manhood.
Jim Bailey’s column appears on Wednesday. He can be reached by e-mail at jameshenrybailey@earthlink.net.
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