The other day I was asked to give a talk on Baptism at the baptismal service for a family that is newly attending our congregation. I like to talk of the symbolism of baptism, and there are many different ways that the physical act of full immersion under the water can be viewed. In Romans 6:3, we read, "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?". One symbol of baptism is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Paul goes on in Romans 6:4, telling us, "Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life."
The week before the baptism, I happened upon a quote on Facebook that caught my attention:
A seed is buried,
It comes undone,
It becomes unrecognizable,
It’s old self dies.
And just at the moment when all seems destroyed,
New life comes.
The analogy began to form. If we are buried as the seed during baptism, then our "new life" begins at that moment We are no longer the seed, but a plant growing and developing.
As I thought about this, I thought if a bag of pumpkin seeds I have had in our drawer for a few years. I didn't use them in the garden, and they have just sat there in the same state with no development. It is only when I put them in the ground that they are able to transform into a pumpkin plant, and from there they are able to grow and produce new pumpkin seeds that perpetuate their existence. So it is with us - the "newness of life" that comes from baptism, and ultimately resurrection, that will lead us to eternal life.
