Over Myself

I've attended a new church recently.  I'm thankful for the friend who kept on me to give it a try. It's a certain denomination, and I'm a little used to the no-name churches so it's somewhat different for me. For some reason, I have always had a problem with corporate responses. I'm not sure why, maybe I am missing the beauty in it.

Or maybe I just need to get over myself.

But, I like what I see so far. It's a real slice of life. I'm drawn to it because it includes a few special needs people. There is a man there who reminds me of Aidan with his bandanas tied around his neck. He has several layered on and they just get peeled off as the top one gets wet from his drooling.

He doesn't talk, but he makes a lot of noise. No one seems to mind, and if they did..well, I guess they would just need to get over themselves.

He has a huge smile on his face and he laughs out loud. Sometimes he makes a sound that seems to come at just the right time in the sermon as if he is adding an exclamation mark to what the pastor just said. Everyone sort-of smiles...because we are all getting over ourselves.

When the band starts up, he runs up to the front and lifts his hands. I guess he is praising the Lord, and he is loving the music. He is all freed up. He's making a joyful sound. He is shouting his praises. He is singing his own song to the Lord. A woman comes up and stands next to him so he is not alone. A part of me wants to go up and stand on the other side of him because his joy is contagious.

But, I guess I'm not quite over myself....

The pastor is a great teacher and keeps things interesting. Yesterday, as he was speaking, he walked over to a table that was set up ahead of time. He started to crack eggs into a bowl and whip them up. The worship leader stood next to him peeling bacon apart and fried it in a pan. He kept to his topic on what our faith looks like on the outside. How are we applying it to our everyday lives? Are we involved? Are we committed?

"The chicken is involved, but the pig is committed!"

And then something happened that I thought about all day long. A young girl was baptized. Again, this church does things a little differently and I was fascinated by what I saw. As the young lady stood in front of the witnesses (us) the pastor pour out water from a lovely piece of pottery. The water flowed into her long dark hair, over her face, down her body and spilled out all over the floor. Something about it brought tears to my eyes. We are born through water...and born again through spirit.

Baptizem is a public demonstration of what has happened inside a person. She chose Him. She wants the world to know. Christ has claimed her and it's the beginning of a new person. She has put on Christ.

An odd thought popped into my head as I watched. Being baptized is a lot like getting your passport (I said it as odd:) You are all freed up to travel, but in your new identity. Will she be excepted everywhere? Probably not...but, her identity isn't given by her friends at school anymore, Christ has claimed her as His own. Talk about homeland security:)

And, this time....I got over myself. I walked right up to her and hugged her wet body and kissed her cheek. I told her how much I appreciated being apart this act she will never forget. Nor will I.

" and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God.~1 Peter 3:21