Baptism is a beautiful thing. Most people know what it is, half of those people have been baptized, and a quarter of those people actually find meaning behind it. Often times it just feels like something we have to do or “the next step” in our religion, but it is so much more than that.

We see this significance in the Bible when we see Jesus get baptized, in Matthew 3:15- 17 it says, “¹⁵ But Jesus said, “It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires.” So John agreed to baptize him. ¹⁶ After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. ¹⁷ And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” Could you believe if you were watching this and the God of the universe opened up the heavens and said, “this is my Son, and I am pleased.” Like wow, that is just overwhelming if you ask me. And the Spirit of the Lord descended on Jesus like a dove -- the Spirit of the Lord! Again, could this be any more cool? There is just such a significance to baptism and I think often times we miss it, or look over it. There is a beautiful restoration within it; the washing away of sins and the cleansing of the soul. This is what Christ does for us and we have a tangible way of seeing what Christ does for us.

Recently I got to witness a long-time family friend get baptized and it just made me realize the significant beauty of it all. You look at all these people getting baptized young and old, each one of them with a story, each one of them with the hope that Christ is the restorer. The hope that Christ changes us and gives us purpose. They tell story after story of how God got a hold of their heart and all they want to do is share that with everyone around them. You listen to these stories and you are overwhelmed with an unexplainable joy, it brings you to tears listening to who the God we serve is. To hear the ways, he loves and cares for each of us right where we are. And then you get to witness this person declare to everyone watching that God is God. That he is who he says he is, that God is who they live for. They come out of the water and everyone cheers because there is so much joy in the Lord, in the body of Christ. There is so much joy in a relationship with the Lord really. He died so that we may live in freedom, and we really are free. We come out of the water free from sin, free from guilt, free from shame. We come out of the water as a new creation in Christ, his beloved child, one he is pleased by and loves unconditionally.

Baptism is a beautiful story to tell. Let us not forget the significance and the joy that it brings, let us never forget who Christ is, and let's never stop celebrating the gift of new life.