Jacob got baptismed!
It was clear to see he’d re-found God among us over the past few months and simply wanted to obey Jesus’ call to repent, be baptised and follow. We would have simply dunked him in a bath one evening but we were due to have a bible study on baptism and we also wanted to make it into a bit more of a proclamation, so put it off until a Sunday afternoon so we could invite folk over and make a bit of a song and dance about it.
Although the pool was quite shallow it took ages to fill up but luckily it was a long free afternoon and we had a bring & share feast and many people to enjoy while we waited. Being cold midwinter it was probably the fastest baptism I’ve seen. There’s something very Celtic/rustic about baptising in freezing water.
A little shallow and not a little cold. Rough around the edges, you could say.
Praying for him right after, wrapped in towels
Jacob’s a fantastic guy: genuine, warm, and a deft bard like his brother. He’s a thinker, a worshipper, a carer and I get the feeling he’ll become even more of a solid foundation for many friends as he grows in God.
Also, Deft Bard could be a fantastic name for a band (copyright © Aidan Ashby 2018).
Yep, that’s how it should be, rustic, Celtic, spontaneous with cold not being essential but it adds to the authenticity. Reminds me of past adventures at Living Way Ipswich, any receptacle that would hold water woiuld do including the bath.
Interestingly the Didache recommends we should “baptise into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, in living [flowing] water. But if you have no living water, baptise into other water; and if you cannot do so in cold water, do so in warm.” However, some years later Tertullian stated that the place of baptism is of no consequence: “There is no difference whether one is washed in the sea or in a pool, in a river or a fountain, in a reservoir or a tub.” I do like it rustic though, there’s something “alive” about it.