When Morning Gilds the Skies

When morning gilds the skies, my heart awakening cries, "May Jesus Christ be praised!"

Alike at work or prayer, to Jesus I repair. 

May Jesus Christ be praised! 

I awoke early on the morning of May 26th just in time to catch the sunrise over the Sea of Galilee.  Looking from our balcony in Tiberias over the Sea - it was just breathtaking.  The sleepy little town was still and quiet, but we had to awaken and pack our bags for our next destination.  It was time to say goodbye to Galilee. The thought of leaving made me feel quite melancholy.  I had thoroughly enjoyed our stay on the banks of the Sea and our jaunts to the places where Jesus spent most of his time while on earth.  Then my thoughts turned toward the adventures and places we were yet to see, the Dead Sea, and then Jerusalem...  Leaving is always hard, but the sadness is lessened by the sweet hope of what lies ahead.

The sunrise was the beginning of a new and glorious day - a life changing day.  Morning by morning new mercies I see.  Great is Thy faithfulness!

Yardenit Baptismal Site

Our first stop on our way out of town was Yardenit - a place on the Jordan River, south of the Sea of Galilee where people go to be baptized.  Yardenit is probably not the actual place on the Jordan River where Jesus and John the Baptist performed their baptisms, but it is relatively close to the traditional site.  

Yardenit is the safest, deepest, cleanest place for baptisms.  As I mentioned earlier, Israel has a water shortage - their water sources are receding.  There are places where the Jordan River is just a trickle.  There are other places where it has been polluted.  And of course, the Jordan River forms part of the boundary between Israel and Jordan - and so there are places on the River that are not as "safe".  

The people at Yardenit rent these cute little baptismal robes and a towel for a small fee.  That way you can take a dip in the Jordan River, shower afterward, dry off, and then change back into your dry clothing.  I know,  those thin white robes seemed a little cheesy to me too.  They reminded me of my Catholic days and my first Holy Communion, or perhaps Jonestown and purple Kool-Aid - so I opted for my travel clothes during my baptism.  Secret Tip: broomstick skirts, while modest, tend to float up while in the water and are not suitable for baptism services. Spread the Word!

On a more serious note, we had talked a lot as a family about baptism prior to our arrival.  An opportunity was given to all the people in our group to participate in a baptism while in Israel. There were a number of friends from my father-in-law's church in North Carolina who were baptized. In our family, only Evan, Graham, and I chose to "take the plunge". 

Being Presbyterians, all of our children were baptized as infants.  Their baptisms were our decision to recognize that they belonged to God.  As children of believing parents they were considered children of the Covenant and were privileged to receive the "sign" of that Covenant of grace- baptism.  We made a public commitment to raise them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, trusting the Lord to do that work of transformational grace in their hearts that only He can do. We recognize that they are sinners and that if they do not at some point in their lives make a profession of faith, they would become Covenant breakers.  We do not believe that baptism in any way saves, nor is it a guarantee of salvation. Neither do we consider it a sacrament - as in, that it imparts a special grace.  I just don't see that in Scripture - and it reminds me too much of Catholicism.  

 I guess we are rebellious thinking Presbyterians.  :)  I see how Covenant Theology connects the dots and draws a line between the Old Testament Covenant with its sign of circumcision to the New Testament Covenant with its sign of baptism.  But I just can't get away from those "other" verses.  

Evan and His Proud Papa

Sweetness - The Love Between a Father and Son

It was a special day for all of us.  No goosebumps, no supernatural revelations, no changes in theology, just a simple recognition of my sin and my need to die to self and live for Christ.  What made it even more meaningful to me, was to have my dear husband speak Scripture over me, challenge me, and then baptize me.  It was my opportunity to publicly say, "I am a follower of Christ." 

I actually had been baptized before... several times.  Looking back on each of my previous baptisms,  I realize I had participated either by force or by an uninformed choice.  

As an infant, I was sprinkled in a liberal Presbyterian church.  Neither my mother nor my father nor any other person in our family were Believers. For my parents, it was an expected social event - what every good, all-american church going  parent did after giving birth to their first child.  I suppose God in His Sovereignty could even use that "pagan" baptism, but it always left me feeling cheated, like it was meaningless.

Later, after my father died and my mother remarried - it was essential that Mom and I become Catholics so that my mom and my new dad's marriage would be sanctioned by his church.  This time I went through catechism classes and learned that if I wanted to be holy and really please God - if I wanted to be a member of the Catholic Church- the one true church, then my baptism was essential.  It would "wash away my original sin", guarantee me a place in heaven (eventually), and satisfy one of the requirements for membership in the Catholic church.  I was quite a religious young lady and because I wanted to please God and I didn't want to do anything wrong,  I complied.  

I'm quite resentful now of that theology of salvation by works. It is not at all Biblical, but is in fact a heretical teaching. Because of its influence I wasted so many years chasing after God, striving to be good enough to tip the scales so that the good things that I was able to muster would outweigh the sinful, evil things that I habitually did...  With all my efforts, I was still powerless and desperate.  

I cringe at anything that reminds me of my Catholic era.  I am not saved by my works, as they teach, but by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.  It is not my work, but His and His alone.  Nothing in my hands I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling!

As a teenager, God took the scales off of my eyes and brought me out of the Kingdom of Darkness and transported me into the Kingdom of Light.  We were attending a Methodist Church at the time I became a Christian. My mother and I were baptized together (again) in the Methodist Church.  We had just come to Christ and the pastor said we should be baptized.  I honestly hardly remember anything about it - just that I did it.  I certainly did not understand anything - I was such a baby Christian.  For the third time in my life, baptism did not mean anything to me.  It, too, was just a requirement for church membership.  I did not enter into that decision with any forethought or understanding of baptism - it was just something I was told I needed to do.

As an adult, I had wondered for many years if I should be baptized, now that I was a believer - and now that I had the understanding of the Gospel that I did.  The thought of going through with it - especially in front of others, actually embarrassed me! So I chose to rationalize that three baptisms ought to be enough.  Pride reared its ugly head again.

In preparation for our trip to Israel I began to ponder all these thoughts again.  I prayerfully considered "why" I was embarrassed and what putting to death my pride could mean.  I arrived at my decision to be baptized in Israel because I really desired to identify with my Savior in every way that I could.  I had stood on the Mount of Beatitudes where He taught, visited Capernaum where He healed the paralytic, sailed across the Sea of Galilee where He walked on water.  Why stop now?  I decided, though it wasn't necessary in any way, that I wanted to be baptized in the same river that Jesus, John the Baptist, the disciples, and early Christians had.  Enough said.  

But, having known the Lord for many years, I not only wanted to identify with Christ in every way possible, but also to publicly testify before my family, members of my church, and others that I love the Lord.  So in humble obedience to Scripture, in submission to the Lord, and with a sincere desire to honor the Savior by identifying with Him in baptism, I walked down into that river. I don't understand everything about baptism, but I sensed that the Lord wanted me to step forward in faith. It was an opportunity to practice "not-my-will-ness".

Recently, we have been around "reformed" brothers in Christ who act hatefully toward Baptists, speaking of their doctrines and lifestyles with disdain, and even making them the brunt of malicious jokes.  They speak and tease as though reformed Presbyterians were superior in their orthodoxy and orthopraxy .  This has really bothered my spirit.

Equally, I have struggled with Baptist friends who have such strong feelings about their mode of Baptism, that following their form is essential for membership in their church.  If I am a Believer with a passionate, growing relationship with Christ, but I have been sprinkled and not immersed, church membership would be withheld from me?  I really have problems with that line of thinking as well.  It just doesn't make sense in light of Scriptural mandate to be one in spirit and purpose.

Can't we as Believers agree to agree on the essentials of salvation while showing deference and respect for those who believe differently regarding the non-essentials of the faith?  Is there a church out there humble enough to admit that Scripture supports both views?  We are going to be at the throne of CHRIST together!  Why do we break fellowship now?  That can't possibly please the Lord!