Many of us are Christians because we were splashed in the bath. Baptized in the font. Automatic “slam-dunk” (pun intended?). Maybe you have experienced this like I have: someone asks you, “when were you saved?” Maybe you have answered like I have, “when I was baptized as an infant”. Then the retort: “Oh, that doesn’t count. You don’t remember it. You didn’t make a conscious choice.” Well GOD did. It was the beginning of a vocation, a way of being and living. It’s about the way I choose to “walk wet”, splash my face in the morning and be reminded of God’s abiding grace, mercy, and adoption. Daily I endeavor to affirm that calling that came long before I or any of my minister colleagues spoke our vows of ordination. The choices we make in a realized life in Christ may pull us in other directions. Then, hopefully, we reset our GPS!

We are called into Jesus’ story. None of the first twelve disciples had any initial inkling what the heck they were embarking on. None of the 2,977: victims on September 11, 2001, had any idea that their time on earth would end that day. Yeah, I get it – live every day, every moment as if it were your last. Because no one knows. Not even the Son of God knows when our time will be up. Even the most experienced doctor or hospice nurse cannot say, “Uncle Billy’s going to check out at precisely 12:04 a.m.”

Our most important vocation chose us. I do not dismiss that many Christians DO decide to follow that vocation. Who am I to judge or split theological hairs? What matters are the fruits that are produced from that vocation. So, whether one is baptized as a baby or a mature adult, the Holy Spirit dwells in them. I admit that I still get flustered when someone calls me to account of my salvation, seeking to proof it or disprove its’ authenticity. In today’s world, there is amazing opportunity in leading people to an understanding of Christian vocation. Especially now when worldly vocations come with far less guarantee of sustainability like they used to. There are exceptions, like health care, the food industry, the mortuary business. But the only vocation that truly lasts, promising eternal reward, is our baptism. If we can get the “nones”, even some of the “dones” to see our life in Christ Jesus this way, our churches will experience revival. God has made this iron-clad promise: “I have called you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43). Whether you were a tool and dye maker, a librarian, an insurance salesman, a realtor, or a teacher, those vocations have a limited “shelf life.” We retire from them. Then what? Are you retired from being baptized? You still identify as a child of God even if you are LBGTQ +. Water makes visible what is clean and unclean. God compels us to baptize ALL. Love ALL. Accept ALL. The conditions we slip back into are all overcome by the unconditional nature of God’s love.

Pastor Art