Beach & Baptism: You are invited.
Each year, The Well spends a Sunday at the beach together and everyone is invited. This is not just any trip to the beach, it's our annual gathering to celebrate baptism, to remember our own baptisms & to enjoy a day of play, rest & renewal. Whether baptism has been part of your faith journey or not, you are invited to be a part of this special day in the life of our community.
Baptism is an ancient sacred ritual or sacrament of the Church. Like all sacraments, it has been the source of much division & debate. At The Well, we try not to get too caught up in doing it “right” and more caught up in its rich symbolism.
It’s symbolic that baptism happens in water. Throughout the Bible, water is a symbol of new life & of new beginnings. God stirred over the waters at the beginning of creation & provided water in the desert for his thirsty Israelite exiles. Jesus turned water into wine & it was at a well, that a woman met Jesus and learned about a new, abundant way of life. Jesus himself was baptized in water at the beginning of his public ministry.
At our baptisms, we’re expressing what’s already been taking root on our spiritual journeys & also what is just beginning. We are choosing to orient our lives around the life-giving, love-centered way of Jesus, instead of the dead-end ways of Caesar. Baptism is "going public" with our choosing to make Jesus "Lord". It's our public YES to living as beloved children of God, to living together as equal members of God's family & to being life-long learners of the way of Jesus. Baptism is a beginning.
Baptism not only happens in water though; it also happens in community. That’s symbolic, too. Baptism requires at least one other person – we can’t really baptize ourselves. Like baptism, our faith journeys requires companions, too. They require friends who will love & encourage, support & learn alongside, confront & challenge us. We believe the way of Jesus is best lived out in community, not in isolation. We need one another to grow, to learn & to experience the fullness of life in the kingom of God.
Baptism is not only an ancient sacrament of the church, it continues to shape & form us today. Many of us have our unique baptism stories to remember, others bring questions & doubts & stirrings & still others are eager to enter the waters for the first time. Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are invited to go to the water with us & to experience this significant gathering.
If you are curious about baptism or are ready to take the plunge, let's get together for a conversation. We'd love to celebrate with you.
Peace & love,
Susan