New 3

Romans 6:3-4

When we love someone we are connected to that person on a spiritual level. We understand their triumphs, their defeats, their hopes, their sorrows, and all the ups and downs of life. When we follow Jesus we share a connection, a deep relationship of love.

In his letter to the church in Rome Paul expresses our relationship to Christ by giving us a perfect example of the connection. Into what are we baptized? What will happen?

There are various approaches to Baptism. Some rituals involve having water dabbed on the person’s head or sprinkled on them. Others involve water being poured over the head from a pitcher. Finally, the Baptism rite can involve total immersion, the participant being completely dunked in the water.

The ritual is to remind us of this passage. The Baptism rite is a symbol that we are buried “with” Christ and “in” Christ. The water, whether it covers us completely or only a little, reminds us of the “death” and “burial” we experience.

How are we buried with or in Christ? When we accept the sacrifice of Jesus, then we are dying to ourselves. We are dying to our old ways of behaving and thinking. We are giving up our previous ways and taking on the new life of Jesus.

That is when we bury ourselves in Christ. By accepting the sacrifice and taking on a new heart and a new spirit, a revived faith and restored soul, we are placing ourselves – our beliefs, our thoughts, our behaviors – into the Spirit of Jesus. We become more Christ like.

And when we do all of these things then, like Christ, we are promised a resurrection. And that resurrection is not just a heavenly one, but a new life with a new attitude and a new hope in our lives today.

DAILY CHALLENGE: Do you have an attitude or behavior that needs to be buried?