Sunday, October 26, 2008
Illness
Despite my best intentions, this week's post is late because we were all hit by a stomach bug on the weekend. After several days of struggling with unpleasant GI issues, I'm back to normal and feeling great. I'll write a proper post next week, but for now I'll just list a link to 2 Nephi 2:11 which teaches us why getting sick is a part of life.
Sunday, October 19, 2008
A New Start - Baptism
I'm making a new start on this blog and my goal is to publish a new posting each Sunday. The last several months have been crazy as we have been orchestrating our international move and taking vacations. Now that life should be getting back to normal, I hope to make a weekly effort to record my thoughts. It's a great way to force me to think about spiritual topics, organize my thoughts, and express them in a format that I can look back at from time to time.
So for this week, I wanted to record some of the feelings I had when my second son, Caleb, was baptized this summer. He turned eight years old in April, and so became eligible to be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Caleb was in the States at the time, but he decided he wanted to wait to be baptized until he returned to Cameroon in June.
The baptismal service was very nice. Many good friends - Cameroonians and Americans - attended the service, which included singing, prayer, talks on the meaning of baptism and confirmation, and of course the baptism itself. I baptized Caleb in the outdoor font and held him lovingly as he came out of the water and began his "new life."
As I pondered that day, I have been struck at the deep and beautiful symbolism of baptism. These symbols help express the rich meaning of this special act, and why I was overwhelmed with emotion as Caleb was baptized. Here are some of the symbols associated with baptism.
REBIRTH:
Referring to baptism, Jesus said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Being born of water has become known as being "born again" - accepting Jesus Christ, and beginning a new life walking in His way. This symbolism really only works with baptism by total immersion - as your old life is buried in the water (symbolizing the grave) and you come out of the water (the grave) with new life. This reflects also the death and resurrection of Christ and reminds the believer of the promise that through Christ we will also live again after death. I love that the Earth is full of such reminders of rebirth, as winter turns to spring, for example. The concept of rebirth is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
FORGIVENESS:
Jesus Christ has promised to forgive us if we come to Him. Through the prophet Isaiah He said, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). The water of baptism is cleansing water - our sins, mistakes and blemishes are washed away as we come out of the water. Caleb recognized that he was "clean" and wanted to avoid making any mistakes for as long as he could. I remember feeling the same way when I was baptized - I didn't want to get "dirty" by doing anything wrong. We all do make mistakes again, but we don't have to be baptized again to become clean. Baptism is a symbol of the cleansing power, but that power is always available to us through Jesus, if we repent. Through sincere repentance and faith in Jesus, we can call again on the blessings of our baptism to be clean again, to start fresh.
There are other symbols and concepts associated with baptism - books could be and have been written about it - but these two stick out to me now. It has been such a joy to see Caleb understand these principles, to desire them, and to make the choice to accept Jesus Christ in his life. It was a powerful reminder of the reasons why I made the same choice 26 years ago.
So for this week, I wanted to record some of the feelings I had when my second son, Caleb, was baptized this summer. He turned eight years old in April, and so became eligible to be baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Caleb was in the States at the time, but he decided he wanted to wait to be baptized until he returned to Cameroon in June.
The baptismal service was very nice. Many good friends - Cameroonians and Americans - attended the service, which included singing, prayer, talks on the meaning of baptism and confirmation, and of course the baptism itself. I baptized Caleb in the outdoor font and held him lovingly as he came out of the water and began his "new life."
As I pondered that day, I have been struck at the deep and beautiful symbolism of baptism. These symbols help express the rich meaning of this special act, and why I was overwhelmed with emotion as Caleb was baptized. Here are some of the symbols associated with baptism.
REBIRTH:
Referring to baptism, Jesus said, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God" (John 3:5). Being born of water has become known as being "born again" - accepting Jesus Christ, and beginning a new life walking in His way. This symbolism really only works with baptism by total immersion - as your old life is buried in the water (symbolizing the grave) and you come out of the water (the grave) with new life. This reflects also the death and resurrection of Christ and reminds the believer of the promise that through Christ we will also live again after death. I love that the Earth is full of such reminders of rebirth, as winter turns to spring, for example. The concept of rebirth is central to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
FORGIVENESS:
Jesus Christ has promised to forgive us if we come to Him. Through the prophet Isaiah He said, "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isaiah 1:18). The water of baptism is cleansing water - our sins, mistakes and blemishes are washed away as we come out of the water. Caleb recognized that he was "clean" and wanted to avoid making any mistakes for as long as he could. I remember feeling the same way when I was baptized - I didn't want to get "dirty" by doing anything wrong. We all do make mistakes again, but we don't have to be baptized again to become clean. Baptism is a symbol of the cleansing power, but that power is always available to us through Jesus, if we repent. Through sincere repentance and faith in Jesus, we can call again on the blessings of our baptism to be clean again, to start fresh.
There are other symbols and concepts associated with baptism - books could be and have been written about it - but these two stick out to me now. It has been such a joy to see Caleb understand these principles, to desire them, and to make the choice to accept Jesus Christ in his life. It was a powerful reminder of the reasons why I made the same choice 26 years ago.
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