Without baptisms, Grace London wouldn't really be a church. A group of believers, sure, but a church? Not quite. Maybe that sounds over the top, but Christians have agreed throughout the centuries that baptism is integral to our life together. Celebrating salvation in the lives of brothers and sisters is Jesus’ design and delight.
So, here’s a recap from our Together Sunday baptisms. What a day.
I was bracing for rejection, expecting my parents to disown me, but instead, I was met with tears, hugs, and compassion.
My dad later told me that in his anger and disappointment, he prayed to God about how to respond, and God told him to show me unconditional love and forgiveness.
That was unimaginable for me. In that moment, through my father's embrace, I felt God's own embrace.
- Chloe
It wasn't until I was 21, in the midst of another dark time, that I experienced God's love and understood what it meant to be forgiven.
I was living in Australia, and started attending a church overflowing with excitement for God. The pastor spoke about how God has removed our sins as far as the east is from the west, that we are made new, and when we wake up in the morning, we step onto a floor of God's grace.
That experience was over 10 years ago, but it revolutionised my faith. I still feel the impact today.
- Joanne
I was in my kitchen and felt like I had the weight of the world on my shoulders. I was at rock bottom.
I looked up and she said, ‘God, are you there?' and immediately felt something come over me. I broke down in tears on my kitchen floor. I even distinctly remember the weather outside changing, and a ray of sunshine just washed over the apartment.
That was the moment when I knew without a doubt that I had to come back to God.
- Josh
In one of his last sermons, Jeremy preached about self-reliance, and that message really hit home. I realised how much I had been depending on my own strength instead of God's.
Today, I am here to declare that Jesus is my Lord and Saviour. I am choosing to lay down my old ways, die to myself, and live fully dependent on him. I want my life, my marriage, my work, everything that I do to reflect God's grace and goodness.
- Kyle
My dad shared something similar to C.S. Lewis' words that Christianity is either false and of no importance or true and of infinite importance.
We realised that if Christianity was true, then it deserved more than just a casual belief, so we decided to try church again, but this time with open hearts. The very next Sunday, I walked into church and cried throughout the worship. I can't explain it. I just knew that this was what I'd been missing.
- Tara-Lynn
The topic of baptism has been a big one for me. For nearly two years, it's been bubbling in the background, but it wasn't something I met with excitement or joy. I met encouragement with resistance.
But nothing good comes easy.
The challenges along the way have led me here — speaking in front of you all, about to take part in the very act I was previously not jumping for joy about. That in itself shows how God can work in our hearts over time.
- Tyrone
