“Shall We Gather At The River?”

"Larry, we want to be baptized and join the church,” said Rick. His son Coy and friend Buck nodded in agreement with obvious intensity.

"That’s great!” I responded with equal enthusiasm. “I’ll make the arrangements and we can do everything during next week’s worship service.”

"No! You don’t understand,” Rick replied earnestly. “We love the outdoors and spent most of our lives hunting and fishing in the woods nearby. There is a creek about a mile from our house and we want to be baptized in that creek.” 

“Okay,” I said but with less enthusiasm. “You do know that it’s October?”

People from Jerusalem and from every section of Judea and from all over the Jordan Valley went out to the wilderness to hear John the Baptist preach. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River. (Matthew 3:5-6)

There is something astonishing and awe-inspiring about a baptism. I can’t really explain it. I just know it to be true. Ordinary cares and concerns are temporarily forgotten as we share in the celebration of a momentous human decision blessed by the power and grace of almighty God.  

No one illustrated this better than Jesus: After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved son and I am fully pleased with him.” (Matthew 3:16-17)

Three men were making life-changing decisions and our church community was determined to support them in any way possible even if it meant going to a creek in the middle of the woods on a cold October Sunday afternoon.

Yet, on the big day, the sun burned bright as if God himself were smiling on us as fifty some folks following Sunday worship hopped into a caravan of pick-up trucks and four-wheel drive vehicles to plow through the mud and debris to the creek bank. Once there we formed a circle to sing, appropriately enough: “Shall we gather at the river, where bright angel feet have trod, with its crystal tide forever flowing by the throne of God.” We all joined hands to pray and then we were ready.

As I stepped into the chilly water my first thoughts were unfortunately not scriptural… “Whoa, it’s cold!”

Rick was first to step into the creek and as he crossed his arms I placed a handkerchief over his nose and gently lowered him into the water solemnly saying, “Rick, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” …but I couldn’t lift him back up. My feet were slipping in the mud. “Help!”  I cried, imagining the next morning’s news headline: “Baptism leads to Drowning!”

Buck, the next person to be baptized quickly jumped in to help bring Rick back to the surface. Taking no more chances, Rick then assisted with Buck and finally together we gently lowered Rick’s son, Coy into the water. As we returned to the creek bank, the singing resumed: “Yes, we’ll gather at the river, the beautiful, the beautiful river; gather with the saints at the river that flows by the throne of God.”  

Our little gathering at the river became a sacred moment in the lives of three special men and a church that supported and loved them. Years later, we still talk about that day as one of the highlights of our ministry. I can’t explain it. I only know it to be true. And with Christ you were raised to a new life because you trusted the mighty power of God, who raised Christ from the dead. (Colossians 2:12)

Maybe Baptism is God’s way of illustrating for us what it means to have total faith in the grace and power of almighty God. I don’t know about you but it definitely works for me!