Here are my thoughts for the 2nd Sunday in Lent (A), 12 March 2017. They are based on Psalm 13. This is also part of the Fishkill UMC “Back Pages” series.
I have talked and written about my own baptism on a number of occasions; I have also included a discussion about a baptism that didn’t take place (See “My Two Baptisms” for what happened then; I will be addressing that topic again later in this Lenten series.)
To answer the question posted as the title to the post, It is safe to say that had I not been baptized, I would not be here today. But because of when I was baptized, a path was set before me that I would, sometimes knowingly but often unknowingly, follow all my life.
My parents understood what my baptism meant and they made sure that I walked a path that would eventually allow me to understand it baptism meant.
There was a time in my life that I have come to call “my wilderness period.” Life was rough during this period but I never felt lost. Perhaps it was because the Holy Spirit was a part of life, even if I did not know it.
But when I more fully recognized the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life, I knew had to do some things, things that have lead me to this place and time. I was lucky; I knew that God was there and all I had to do was look.
The Psalmist knew what it was like to be lost and out of God’s site. He welcomed being able to be in God’s Grace once again.
Our baptism is never the end of the journey but its beginning. For some, it sets the path they will follow; for others, it offers a new path.
Baptism represents an opportunity for all.
Thoughts From The Heart On The Left 