Prepare the Way

This Sunday marks another moment where we get to witness the life-changing power of God through water baptisms. Many have responded to this great opportunity when it was offered and I couldn’t be more excited!

It’s all taking place at Kalmia Gardens here in Hartsville; a beautiful natural area that borders on the Black Creek. We’ve held two out of our three baptism services there before and it’s a memorable experience for all those who participate and attend.

To “outsiders” it may seem like a strange practice. Even to other Christians, dunking people into a muddy creek seems a bit much when there’s perfectly clean baptismal pools elsewhere.

So, why do we do this? Let’s take a look at Matthew 3:1-3…

1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:

“A voice of one calling in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord,
make straight paths for him.’”

John was calling people to repent in a public river setting for all to see, all the while preparing the way for the messiah, Jesus Christ. “The way”, in this case, means a clear and obvious path to enter.

When we repent of our old ways of living, we are sending the message that we have prepared the way for Jesus to take control of this new life going forward. We now belong to Him! Water baptism is how we as followers declare our complete trust in Christ by being unashamed of God “washing away” our sins in love and grace. Knowing that we don’t deserve salvation from the bonds of sin should inspire us even more to demonstrate our faith outwardly in any way, shape, or form we know how.

Have you been baptized? If not, what has stopped you? There’s still time before Sunday to sign up and I’m here to listen to your story. Contact the church office at: 877-843-4TLC if you’d like more information.

Come join us this Sunday and celebrate life-change!