Recently, a wonderful volunteer at our church performed his ongoing good deed of power-washing. This is a task that is simultaneously satisfying and exhausting. Us men, you know, we love our power tools! But running a pressure washer for a couple of hours could literally tear your rotator cuff. When this fine man got to a certain signature spot on our church façade, he realized he was pressure-washing Jesus! It took him aback. For him, it was a stunning, holy moment. Amusing? Of course! It brought a hearty belly-laugh to both of us when he told me of the experience. God has humor. He delights in us.

This got me thinking about, and giving thanks for, baptism. It is a different kind of power-washing! It is not the full pressure or force that comes from a jet-wash. I would not recommend that a pressure-washer be used for baptism! But it IS the power of the Holy Spirit that washes us clean, through and through. There is no right or wrong method; no right or wrong time in a person’s life – by our human standards. We are led to the decision of the when/where/how as parents, sponsors, grandparents or individuals by listening to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Whenever or wherever a baptism occurs in a person’s life, we can rest assured that it is a willing submission. Accepting the call, the vocation, to “walk wet” with our Lord and Savior. As God did with Mary, Mother of our Lord, he seeks us, woos us, into cooperation with His divine purpose. It is the incredibly amazing, astonishing power of God that can take plain water, bread and wine and transform them into life-giving, forgiving power and strength. We are washed and made new. We may consciously or subconsciously fail to live out the promises in our covenantal relationship that the sacraments transmit to us. But even when we move away, slip up, forget, our gracious God never reneges on His promise. We certainly don’t deserve that kind of mercy. But we can never doubt that iron-clad, permanently sealed commitment that He has to us.

Whether you are washing your face or pressure-washing your driveway, you get another holy moment, another opportunity to be reminded of how God’s unconditional love renews and cleanses us constantly.

Pastor Art