The Christian life is the baptized life, united with Christ. Truly, the power of Christian baptism is our link with Jesus Christ, our identification with his Story, our sharing with his life, death, burial, and resurrection, and one day soon, his glory. To be a Christian means, for the rest of our lives, a union and oneness with Christ, a participation in his life. Now, his life is our life, and his purpose, our purpose.

The prophet John baptized Jesus of Nazareth in the Jordan River. Heaven opened, the Father spoke, the Spirit descended. Christian baptism conforms to the baptism of Christ. God’s servants baptize new believers in water. In Christ heaven is opened to us; through the Church the Father speaks; the Holy Spirit descends upon us.

Dear Father, thank you that in the baptism of your Son, you show us what it means to be your child. Thank you for the assurance that your Spirit has come to live in us.

Baptism is more than a backwards-looking event rooted in the ancient past; it publicly changes our identity in the present and commissions us for future mission and ministry as members of Christ’s royal priesthood.

~ Uche Anizor and Hank Voss, Representing Christ. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2016. p. 124.

Let God Arise! Seasonal Focus
Live a Baptized Life, Romans 6.1-5

Book Reading
Breslin, Embracing Our Priestly Nature at Work