_

“…do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?  Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ wasraised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.”

_

Have you ever noticed that the Bible has storm stories, wind and water stories? They appear at crucial moments. The image of the storm represents the powers that are too much for us. Each of these stories also carries a word of promise. Seen in one way, they are a catechism of baptism.

Noah, his family and their cargo, huddle together as the wind and water pounded the ark.

What does this mean for us? God promises to be our sanctuary.

Moses and the people, fleeing before the terrible vengeance of pharaoh, watched as the wind held back the water and God made a way for them.

What does this mean for us? God’s promises to be our deliverance.

Jesus, asleep in a boat, was awakened by the panic of his followers. All it took was a word from The Word and the wind and water obeyed.

What does this mean for us? God promises to meet our fear with the solid assurance of His Word.

In baptism the wind of the Spirit combines with the water to take hold of us in such a way that we are continually brought out of death to life. In every storm, God promises to be our sanctuary, our deliverance, and to keep us, through faith, in the strong grip of His Word, “…so that we, too, might walk in newness of life.”

“May the peace of God that passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

_