Baptist

This coming week I acknowledge my call to minister with a new community of faith, this one under the Baptist banner. Most Baptist churches follow a simple formula for their name; it is “place name” Baptist Church. Simple and descriptive, locating the community of faith, and supposedly what it’s core beliefs should be. Traditionally Baptists have focussed on what is now termed “believers baptism,” all well and good, I agree all believers should be "baptised as believers," nothing startling there, I have served in other Baptist churches, you would expect me to hold this point of view. I wonder how many of us who attend this church denomination have thought through what it means to be "baptised with Christ." The word holds many connotations behind it. One interpretation is "to be joined, submerged with Christ in his death, and new life." In being Baptised, one proclaims that the life you used to have has gone, and a new life, led by and with Christ has replaced it. In other words, if you attend a Baptist church you are saying “joined with Christ.” Since we add a place name, we are saying "joined with Christ in this local community.” We add the word Church, that is the Ecclesia, we are saying “joined with Christ in this local community in faith with like-minded believers.” Please don’t get me wrong, this goes for all Christian believers regardless of denomination, Anglican, Catholic, Alliance, we all should have the same goal in this manner. This word is stuck in the title of who Baptist’s claim they desire to be. I think words are important; they give shape and context allowing meanings to actions. I believe in a God who SPOKE a universe into existence. Who defines the Saviour of this self-same universe as “The Word.” If therefore we declare "joined with Christ,” I suspect we need to think what that means for us each and every Sunday, not so that it becomes a one-off, but to allow us to form a framework for vitality, for the “Zoe" for all seven days of the week.

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