Baptism In Reverse

Baptism in Reverse

Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 28:19

It was a hot afternoon in early September when little Jeremy and his friends, Joey and Shelly, decided to play church. Jeremy’s dad was the minister of a church that practiced baptism by immersion. The kids had learned how to sneak into the church and get to the baptistery, where, unbeknownst to their parents, they sometimes went for a swim.

On this particular day, they decided that the Great Commission was meant for them, and they needed to help the “lost” of the world be saved by baptizing them. So they gathered up their “lost” pets—Samson the Chihuahua; Twitter the canary; Hairy the roly-poly gerbil; and Sir Humphrey, the fifteen-pound tabby with a pronounced “cattitude.” Smuggling them into the baptistery, they began immersing the wayward pets to “wash away their sins.”

Samson enjoyed the process, getting loose and dog-paddling around the baptistery for several minutes before they could catch him.

Twitter didn’t mind getting a bath, either—she flapped her wings and chirped while she was “baptized.”

Even Hairy was patient while they dunked him and then dried him with a towel.

Sir Humphrey, however, was not the least bit interested in being saved if it meant getting into the water. Just as Jeremy and Joey started to baptize him, Sir Humphrey took a mighty leap over their heads, letting out a back-fence yowl that echoed through the church. That threw the boys off balance, and they both landed with a great splash in the baptistery.

Sir Humphrey was sitting on the edge of the baptistery, indignantly licking his damp paw just as the minister rushed in to see what the commotion was. Busted!

Father, thank you for the saving blood of your Son, who died in our place. We are humbled and grateful for your love and forgiveness. Amen.