Baptism

Last night was the bap­tism of one of the guys from CU.  He has had such an incred­i­ble year and you can real­ly see how God has helped him and worked in his life.  So when a few weeks ago he sent an email invite out to every­one invit­ing them to his bap­tism it did­n’t real­ly come as any real surprise.  It real­ly is such great tes­ta­ment to what God has been doing in his life.
I have been to sev­er­al bap­tism ser­vices this year, but last nights real­ly struck just how much I like them.  They real­ly are fan­tas­tic services.  Every­one in the con­gre­ga­tion is just so hap­py and pleased that the whole ser­vice kind of feels like a big party.  Every­one is just so thank­ful and wants to praise God it just makes me smile.  I think that a bap­tism ser­vice must be one of the best ser­vices to bring a non-Chris­t­ian too.  I mean if they go and see every­one in that kind of atmos­phere and feel­ing so hap­py, how can they not won­der and want to know more about this thing that is mak­ing so many peo­ple hap­py.
On a more per­son­al note these ser­vices real­ly make me think.  I’m not entire­ly sure I know what it makes me think.  It could be that it just makes me realise how lucky I am.  That I know this God who made such a huge sac­ri­fice for me, but not just for me, for all my fam­i­ly and all my friends as well, and even bet­ter that I am will­ing to let him work in me.  It’s like the ser­vice just acts like a mas­sive inspi­ra­tion to me, that I want my God to work in me, well to con­tin­ue to work in me, but that I also want him to work in my friends.  Those ones that don’t yet know Jesus but also those ones that are already in a rela­tion­ship with him.  Its just such an amaz­ing gift that it frus­trates me that peo­ple will only accept half of the sto­ry, the bits that suit them, but that anoth­er sto­ry.