Baptisms

I love this picture that John G. took of a woman being baptized near Ensenada, Mexico. That day 19 people were baptized from three different churches. I know these churches and pastors and they are all about reaching out to the hurting people of their city. It just reminds me of what baptism is all about - a demonstration of death to sin and the celebration of new life in Christ. And celebrate they did, swimming, eating, singing, spending time together, etc... not just a few minutes tacked on to the end of a service. The picture makes me imagine what baptism might have been like in the early church - crowds of joyful believers out in the open where the whole world can see. Of course if we tried it around here, a gator might get you...