Can you still be a parent without vinyl decals on your back windshield depicting each kid you have? Can you still be married if you don’t wear a band on your left ring finger? Can you still have a degree without displaying a framed diploma on your office wall?

I don’t think many folks would contest that the above answers are all yes, although some may be sillier examples than others. Still, I think such contemporary, outward displays of our life choices can help us better understand baptism. (Speaking of which, our annual river baptism and anniversary celebration is next Sunday. This year is particularly wonderful, because it is Crossroads’ 10th anniversary, and dozens of folks are planning to be baptized; what an exciting time!)

At Crossroads, we believe that baptism is vitally important. Granted, there is nothing extraordinary about the Bosque River (Amen?!), or the tap water in the baptistery (That’s the bathtub thingamajig behind the stage that we never use because everyone wants to be baptized in the river), or even someone’s swimming pool, like we’ve done in the past … it’s all just plain ol’ water.

What’s important is the choice to share your faith in a public way. Baptism itself is not a magic formula, but it is an expectation after you make a decision to follow Christ. When a couple exchanges rings at their wedding, there is an understanding that they are not ashamed to be associated with each other, so they wear the rings proudly. When we follow Jesus’ example to be baptized, we are showing our partnership with his death, burial and resurrection.

Jesus even commands us to baptize one another (see Matthew 28:18-20), so you could feasibly avoid it, but doing so really boils down to an act of disobedience. If you have made a decision for Christ but haven’t been baptized yet, what’s holding you back? Let’s talk about it.