This piece was originally published in our church bi-monthly newspaper, summer of 2008.
Responding to Jesus’ desire that we be baptized.
By Julia Schirmers
The air was crisp that sunny Minnesota morning in July, as I was on my way to Fish Lake to set up for our church baptism service. I paused to reflect, What a glorious way to give your heart and life to Jesus – through an outdoor baptism – surrounded by the glory of creation. We set up the pavilion for the worship service, raked the beach to remove debris, posted signs along the way, and set out rosters, programs, and certificates for the sponsors to sign. Then, we waited. As the worship team set up, the candidates and their families arrived, dressed in swimsuits and t-shirts with towels in hand, ready to enter into the symbolism of what they had already done in their hearts as they prepared for this day.
Upon each baptism event, I reflect back on my own baptism experience as a believer in Christ, and the times I have witnessed and sponsored others. The memories are vivid, and touch me as a way of life. Many who have heard my story have heard me say how much I love witnessing baptisms – the simplicity of the event, the depth of the heart and conviction of the believer, and the way that it proclaims God’s grace and love for us in such a tangible way. It is not only a standard Christian sacrament – a covenant with God – but also a way of living. A mentor of mine says “baptism is a point and a journey.” It’s a day in the life of a believer, but it is also a step toward an eternal life of following Jesus and letting go of our own agenda.
I wasn’t raised in a Christian home, but my parents allowed my brother, sister, and me to attend church with our neighborhood friends. My father was raised in the Roman Catholic tradition, but didn’t share any faith with us. My mother was raised in Japan, where eastern religion teachings left her disillusioned and uncertain of any god. My life was “normal” by societal standards, and I wasn’t really looking for God. I attended Sunday school a couple of times with a friend in second or third grade, and somehow, God found me. Through a gentle, elderly teacher, I experienced the love and acceptance of Jesus. She didn’t place judgment on the fact that my family didn’t own a Bible, or that I had never seen scripture before. But she asked if I could read, and she handed me a small slip of paper with a scripture verse on it. I don’t remember the verse, but I do remember how I felt that day…the day that Jesus captured my heart. I felt accepted, honored, and beloved.
I continued on my journey, somehow always knowing in my heart that Jesus was mine, and I was His. As we moved to the suburbs, I continued to be attracted to people who went to church. In junior high, I regularly attended a Lutheran church with our neighbors and entered into a youth group that offered more than just catechism and social time.
I felt a strong need to be baptized, to publicly declare my desire to follow
Jesus. Once I felt I could comprehend the complete forgiveness of sins, I urged the pastor to baptize me. The pastor and I met and talked about sin, and how baptism isn’t magic but carries with it the deep spiritual unknown that unifies us with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection through the public profession of our faith. He also said that confirmation was about “confirming the baptism chosen for us by our parents. It’s your own chance to step forward publicly and declare Jesus as Savior.” My parents hadn’t chosen infant baptism for me. I wasn’t feeling good about stepping forward with my peers, just like I was “supposed to” do. I urged him once more to baptize me individually, because I was compelled by Christ’s command to be baptized, and to baptize others in His name. My parents and family attended my baptism in that suburban Lutheran church, and I became a new person in Christ.
Jesus. Once I felt I could comprehend the complete forgiveness of sins, I urged the pastor to baptize me. The pastor and I met and talked about sin, and how baptism isn’t magic but carries with it the deep spiritual unknown that unifies us with Christ in his death, burial, and resurrection through the public profession of our faith. He also said that confirmation was about “confirming the baptism chosen for us by our parents. It’s your own chance to step forward publicly and declare Jesus as Savior.” My parents hadn’t chosen infant baptism for me. I wasn’t feeling good about stepping forward with my peers, just like I was “supposed to” do. I urged him once more to baptize me individually, because I was compelled by Christ’s command to be baptized, and to baptize others in His name. My parents and family attended my baptism in that suburban Lutheran church, and I became a new person in Christ.
Because I am human, I didn’t always follow in His ways. I found myself making poor choices as a teenager and young adult, and yet I still claimed to be a believer. I witnessed some close friends get married, and they chose to be baptized through immersion before their wedding. Their testimony of faith and desire to follow Jesus reminded me of my own baptism, and I rededicated my life to Christ.
But I must continually choose to live apart from my old ways, apart from the ways that cause sin and pain. One of Open Door’s core beliefs says about baptism: “We must choose daily to walk in the life and pattern of Christ rather than in our own strength and desires.”
When I was hired to work at Open Door, I had the privilege of covering administrative details for baptisms. Through circumstances only God could orchestrate, I was able to sponsor a candidate for baptism that Easter, to share my story as well as travel through the preparation process with another soul who longs to pursue the ways of Christ. That candidate and I have remained friends, although our lives carry us away from each other in day-to-day living.
In 2007, my eight-year-old daughter was at a place in her life where she felt a true desire to follow Christ, and she wanted to get baptized. I really wasn’t sure if she was ready, and I poked and prodded her for “the right answer” for several months, because I didn’t want her to make this decision lightly. Was there a right answer, or was it simply that she came to Him with an innocent heart, the faith of a child? Maybe she wanted to declare publicly that her life now belonged to Christ. After a conversation with Pastor Wendy, her dad and I asked her to choose a sponsor, someone who would teach her and help her grow in her faith. We suggested teachers,
friends from church, and family, but I was surprised and delighted when she chose me.
friends from church, and family, but I was surprised and delighted when she chose me.
I walked alongside her during Holy Week 2007, and was honored to enter the water to renew my own declaration of faith as well as usher her into this symbol of death to life. She entered the water my daughter and also my sister in Christ. Her faith story is her own, and what a blessing it was for me and my story, to witness and be a part of this time in her life. We walk out our faith together as a family, and as individuals who are deeply and richly loved by Jesus.
A worshipful melody sends us out to the beach, and a circle of believers forms in the water. As each candidate comes forward to be baptized, the sun shines warm. The water is cool and refreshing, and cameras are clicking, trying to capture what will be a symbolic point in these believers’ lives…not only a memory for today, but a life to walk in for eternity.
