Hello,
Yesterday I learned that when it comes to Baptism, hair matters.
For us Lutheran Christians, Baptism is a big deal…a real big deal, so
whenever I get to be part of God’s life giving grace, I consider it one of the
greatest honors of my vocation of being a pastor. Most often , for us, Baptism happens at a very young age,
providing a baseline of divine grace for a person’s life, but when that doesn’t
happen it is a delight to douse an adult with the horizon opening promises of
God.
Well, yesterday was one of those days. A man in his 40’s was baptized. Midway through the service, the man came forward to the font
(the piece of church furniture that holds the bowl-full of water). He was somewhat formally dressed for
the occasion with a dress shirt and a tie. After some preparatory scripture readings and responses to
faith-based questions, I motioned to him that now was the time for him to lean
over the font to be baptized. We
Lutherans are not concerned about the amount of water used in Baptism, but the
practice in our church is to use a seashell to gather and apply the water on
the person’s head. So, I dipped
the shell into the water and filled it about half-full, the amount that I
gather up for children and adults, alike.
I lifted the shell over his head which was face down over the font, and
I said as I poured the water, “I baptize you in the name of the Father,”…..and
the water streamed down his forehead, over his nose, past his chin, and
drenched his tie and shirt.
With two more pours to go, I got a bit worried. I have baptized many adults in the same
manner, and never has such drenching of clothing taken place. Did I overfill the shell with
water? I said to him with a bit of
embarrassment in my voice, “I am really getting you wet.”
Not to be daunted, I dipped the shell into the water again, being
careful to only fill it halfway.
“And in the name of the Son,” and I poured, creating the same
drenching of his face, shirt, and
tie. The man did not seem as
surprised as I was at the shower he was getting, so I dipped the shell in the
water for the third time, filled it halfway with water, and I poured it over
his head as I said, “and in the name of the Holy Spirit.” And again, the water spilled its way to
his shirt and tie.
He lifted his head from the font….and he was wet! Seeing the soaking that I had made of
his shirt and tie, I out of fear that I had misapplied the water, apologized
for dousing him so. Fortunately,
he was not bothered by his liturgical shower, and we finished the Baptismal
event with the joy and wonder of which his Baptism was infused.
After everything was completed, I wondered why things went so drenchingly
….and then it occurred to me. This
man sported a completely shaved head.
Hairless heads are not so unusual when I have baptized infants, but
since infants are held face up over the font, the water simply flows back into
the font over their back tilted heads.
And for all the rest of the adults that I have baptized, my recollection
is that their heads were full of hair…hair that gathered up the water and
created a pathway for it to flow back into the font.
When it comes to Baptism, hair matters.
At least it matters to the one who pours the water. But of this I am sure: it doesn’t
matter to God. When Jesus gave his
command, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them
in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” he did not
put any hairline requirements on his directive….nor any line in the sand of
good deeds or bad….nor any line of nation or race. I may have gotten upset with the unintended drenching that I
gave to that man who was baptized yesterday, but I am quite certain that all
God was concerned about was that his life-giving promises were felt and heard
by one whom he so loves that Jesus, the Son of God, gave his life for.
Have a great week!
God’s grace and peace, (ggap)
Pastor Jerry Nuernberger
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