Baptism at the River
A joyous, earthy, unpredictable, life-giving experience with Jesus
Each spring my church hosts an outdoor baptism and church picnic at a park that runs along a nearby river. Unlike our normal baptisms—they’re scheduled as part of Sunday morning worship services, are carefully organized and take place in a large tub that’s carefully sanitized beforehand—the outdoor version is untidy, unpredictable and earthy. A couple of years ago we even had a stray dog join us in the water.
That’s where we were last Sunday, and the picture at top captures the spirit of the day. The young man coming out of the water was one of the many who were baptized during the service, and his response was like all the others. He was shocked (the river wasn’t warm), joyous and at peace with God and himself. You can’t tell from the picture, but the large crowd people gathered on the bank cheered him as they cheered all the others who came before and after.
I love baptizing at the river. Instead of the white robe I generally wear for baptisms at church, I wear shorts, a tee-shirt and a baseball hat. And instead of standing on a dry ledge next to the person and reaching over a partition to baptize them—as I do in our church’s baptistery—I’m actually in the water with them. That’s as it should be for a Baptist preacher. There’s nothing in the world like holding the hand of someone as they fall beneath the water then pulling them back up as a sign of their new life in Jesus. I could do that all day. Alison Kraus' classic song (we know it from the movie, "O Brother Where Art Thou?") captures the simplicity and joy of outdoor baptisms:
As I went down in the river to pray
Studying about that good ol' way
And who shall wear the robe and crown
Good Lord, show me the wayO sinners, let’s go down, let’s go down, come on down.
O sinners, let’s go down, down in the river to pray.
But while I didn’t do it all day Sunday, it went on for a long time. People of all ages came to be baptized. Hundreds of people stood along the shore, cheering, clapping and whooping as each person came up from the water.
The New Testament is clear that baptism is a critical step in the life of a believer. Jesus’ Great Commission links baptism to the church’s mandate to carry the gospel throughout the world:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 28:19)
The apostle Peter, following his great Pentecostal sermon, commanded the crowd who heard him to
“Repent and baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.” (Acts 2:38)
When the evangelist Philip led anEthiopian eunuch to faith in Jesus, the man’s first response was to be baptized. “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” the man asked Philip. And in reponse, Philip did what we did at the river:
…and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. (Acts 8:38)
And in the book of Ephesians, the apostle Paul includes baptism in the list of essentials that mark a mature and unified church:
There is on body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. (Ephesians 4:4-6)
Well known writer Max Lucado explains the biblical call to baptism this way:
Don’t prevent baptism from being what God intended. This is no optional command. This is no trivial issue. It is a willing plunge into the power and promise of Christ. Baptism is the first step of a believer. If it was important enough for Jesus to command, isn’t it important enough for you to obey? And if it was important enough for Jesus to do, isn’t it important enough for you to follow? In baptism God signs and seals our conversion to him. For all we may not understand about baptism, we can be sure of one thing—baptism is a holy moment.
Each year when we baptize at the river, I’m surprised by the number and diversity of people who participate. After all, they couldn’t choose a more public forum for such an intimate, spiritual act. They undergo a certain amount of discomfort. They don’t even know what might be lurking at the bottom of the river. But something deep inside their spirits calls to them, and they can’t wait to do it.
On Sunday, there were children, high-school and college students, young married couples, singles, a single mom and a senior adult. Three adults from our mission church across town. Three other people who came forward spontaneously when I gave an invitation at the end of the scheduled baptism—one of them wasn’t even with our people at all but walked over to see what all the fuss was about. Once there, though, the man (he was in his sixties), felt led to be baptized on the spot. All came to the river because they wanted a closer walk of faith with Jesus.
We’ve baptized in the river for years and have learned that, while we keep it safe and orderly, we don’t want to diminish the authentic and earthy appeal of the venue. It’s a river, after all. The banks are muddy. Trees drop limbs. Wildlife is around. Boats cruise by and occasionally people float past on inner tubes. There’s also a current to be dealt with, even though it’s not much to speak of. The bearded men behind me in the picture aren’t there as bodyguards but to provide some measure of safety in consideration of the outdoor environment. If a child were to escape my grasp and float downstream or a curious snake were to slip up to investigate, the service would come to a stop in a hurry.
Another way we try to keep baptism at the river personal and unique is by allowing different people to do baptisms. I don’t perform all of them. Associate pastors do some baptisms. Student workers do others. And most years at least one dad will baptize his child, something that thrills me every time I see it.
In fact, that happened on Sunday, when one of our dads baptized two of his children. It was a tender and emotional moment, and the dad was working hard to keep his composure. I was, too. He’s a friend, and it was a privilege to stand next to him as he led his children into the faith. But I was also there as a pastor and needed to make sure that the baptism proceeded according to the biblical pattern of the Trinitarian Formula, the phrase Jesus uses in the Great Commission when he says, “…baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” The purpose behind those words is vitally important. Namely, that in the act of baptism the believer invites and includes all three members of the Triune God—the Father who creates us, the Son who redeems us and the Spirit who sanctifies us. Baptism isn’t a generic religious act that can be done any way we choose but a command that we are to obey. The dad found the right words and baptized his children beautifully.
Baptism at the River is for many of our people the highlight of the year. Our men grill hamburgers and hotdogs on site. Food trucks bring dessert (this year’s hit was preach ice cream). Kids run around looking for minnows and frogs, screaming when they find a particularly slimy one. Adults bring their folding chairs and gather in small groups. Everyone spends a couple of hours hanging out, talking, eating, playing in the splash pad and spending un-hurried time connecting with the people they go to church with. Many people meet new friends. In the rushed, complicated world we live in, this kind of day is a gift. But the highlight of the afternoon is the baptism itself—a holy moment according to Max Lucado—where faith is seen for what it is. A joyous, earthy, unpredictable, life-giving experience with Jesus.