Every Baptist Pastor faces a central dilemma when the baptistry is full and ready to use. What if someone has a sudden urge to be baptised? Opinions differ. Some make a virtue of it and encourage the instant response, most baulk at that.
We are about to have a baptism at church, just as we hope to do every Easter.
And that reminds me - one day at the appeal John came forward. He had hardly been to church before and he was of Central/East European extraction. His dialect meant his wishes did not become clear very quickly. He duly failed to get baptised mainly because we only later understood that was what he's intended. Perhaps, we thought, that was just as well as he had no change of clothes. (On the other hand we did have a Church store of clothes for people who need them, albeit rarely after their baptism).
On the day he was baptised the store became useful because he brought a complete change of clothes except one thing: a change of trousers . . . There are several baptising by immersion techniques but none I know that leaves the person's trousers dry.
John's mysteries were many. It was a mystery how he exited a car park by driving through a barrier, something more commonly found in riotous young car thieves than an elderly gentleman. Lest the reader misunderstands, he did stop on hitting the barrier, inspected the inconvenience laying on his car bonnet, and revved up the engine to send it flying. Quite a way to head home from a church service.
We never worked out what country he came from. We never found out any family members he knew. He died after being well cared for in a nice nursing home, but I scarcely knew of any outside visitors he had as it was out in the country. We heard of his death when he was several weeks deceased.
But he followed Jesus. He remains possibly the most enthusiastic baptismal candidate I have ever known, one of the oldest, and certainly the most mysterious. At one point I remember thinking of angels. Every once in a while beings cross my path who are indeed mysterious as to their origins and destination and you just wonder - was that an angel?
Surely an angel would drive a car better though? Angels don't ask for baptism do they? (I suppose their boss did). I think I'll just remember John and smile.
We are about to have a baptism at church, just as we hope to do every Easter.
And that reminds me - one day at the appeal John came forward. He had hardly been to church before and he was of Central/East European extraction. His dialect meant his wishes did not become clear very quickly. He duly failed to get baptised mainly because we only later understood that was what he's intended. Perhaps, we thought, that was just as well as he had no change of clothes. (On the other hand we did have a Church store of clothes for people who need them, albeit rarely after their baptism).
On the day he was baptised the store became useful because he brought a complete change of clothes except one thing: a change of trousers . . . There are several baptising by immersion techniques but none I know that leaves the person's trousers dry.
John's mysteries were many. It was a mystery how he exited a car park by driving through a barrier, something more commonly found in riotous young car thieves than an elderly gentleman. Lest the reader misunderstands, he did stop on hitting the barrier, inspected the inconvenience laying on his car bonnet, and revved up the engine to send it flying. Quite a way to head home from a church service.
We never worked out what country he came from. We never found out any family members he knew. He died after being well cared for in a nice nursing home, but I scarcely knew of any outside visitors he had as it was out in the country. We heard of his death when he was several weeks deceased.
But he followed Jesus. He remains possibly the most enthusiastic baptismal candidate I have ever known, one of the oldest, and certainly the most mysterious. At one point I remember thinking of angels. Every once in a while beings cross my path who are indeed mysterious as to their origins and destination and you just wonder - was that an angel?
Surely an angel would drive a car better though? Angels don't ask for baptism do they? (I suppose their boss did). I think I'll just remember John and smile.
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