Water has a way of changing things. Once you step into it, you do not come out the same. Clothes cling. Hair drips. Skin feels different. Water leaves its mark. That is exactly why baptism matters so much.
In Matthew 3, Jesus comes to the Jordan River to be baptized by John. John hesitates. Jesus does not need repentance. Jesus does not need cleansing. But Jesus insists. He steps into the water anyway. Not because he must, but because obedience matters. Because solidarity matters. Because love always steps in.
As Jesus comes up out of the water, heaven opens. The Spirit descends. And God speaks words that change everything. “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Baptism is not just about water. It is about identity. It is about hearing who we are before we do anything else. Before we prove ourselves. The good news is this: before we get it right or mess it up. In baptism, God names us beloved.
That is why baptism is not just a moment from the past. It is a present identity. To live wet means we remember every day who we are in Christ. We carry the grace of our baptism into every part of our lives. We let it shape our prayers, our presence with God and others, our gifts, our service, and our witness in the world.
Living wet means grace drips into our relationships. It shapes how we show up for our neighbors. It reminds us that we belong to God and to one another. It calls us to live with humility, courage, and compassion. It calls us to our rule of life to sprinkle grace individually in our devotion and compassion and to sprinkle grace throughout our community in worship and justice.
On Baptism Sunday, we will welcome Kylo Coney, Heiress Jackson, and Sir Mason Jackson into our Midway Family through baptism. We will all touch the water again. We will remember our baptism. And we will be reminded that God is still speaking over us. You are my beloved. You belong. You are called.
May we leave worship still wet. May grace cling to us. May love drip from our lives. And may the world see Christ in us because we remember who we are.
Grace and peace because grace goes before peace,
Pastor Sharon
P.S. If you have never been baptized and would like to join the Midway Family through Holy Baptism, contact me at 770.841.6171 or see me before the 11 am service on Sunday morning.