I have been reading several profiles of ministers lately. Most of the time these profiles include identifying a "pet peeve" or something that the individual finds highly irritating... for me, that would be combing my hair.
When I was younger I had a lot of hair and I really didn't mind caring for it and styling it - in fact, because my Dad was bald I found a certain amount of extra joy in the chore! As I aged my hair fled; it retreated, then thinned, and now I feel it is just mocking me. I have enough hair that people still complain that it looks bad if I don't comb it, but not enough to do anything with it besides arranging it in a way to best deflect the sun...
So... acting in this mindset, I decided to get a haircut this morning. I was the third guy at the barber shop today, and had to wait only a few minutes before it was my turn to sit in the chair and explain the vast complications of cutting the hair of a balding man to a barber who, obviously, has never experienced any hair loss himself... As the barber cut and shaved we talked about my two favorite topics: politics and religion. Some of my readers will probably recognize the danger of talking about these subjects while getting one's hair cut - I did not.
Let me clearly state that I asked for a short haircut; But I feel as though my barber was taking some of his frustration with out conversation out on my scalp, hair, and eyebrows. I asked for a haircut that I will not have to comb... I believe I received exactly what I asked for... many weeks worth...
Now I expected something like this:
...or maybe like this:
...but what I got looks a lot like this:
The situation, I believe, turned south when religion entered the conversation. We bantered for a few minutes about politics and foreign policy with each person defending their position while spewing false factoids and statistics that were clearly based on our perception of the world rather than polling; however, once we started discussing religion I quickly began to question facts and positions that my barber held - no longer willing to allow propoganda-driven drible I demanded resources and proof for his contention... I also believe this is when the sides of my head were shaved bald - but I digress.
As I left the barbershop this morning I had two great epiphanies. First, my head was really cold with the sudden loss of hair; and second, the Bible and religion have regressed in conversation to that of politics. As I rubbed my bald head walking to my car I considered the comments that the barber had made and his casual observation and recollection of the scriptures - he treated the study and understanding of God's Holy Word the same as politics: perceptual and not factual.
Scary isn't it. How many people talk about sports like they do the bible? Do we make up wins and losses of our teams? Do we imagine players in the game, replacing real players with fictional ones? Do we really believe that the bible is so complicated and God so secretive that we cannot read and understand it for ourselves?
Wow.
I am attending a baptism for my niece this weekend. She is about 5 months old and is being baptized on Sunday morning. I spoke to her Dad about this service and the baptism and asked him why this is significant for him and what it means to him and his wife. I tried to listen intently and I felt, at the time, the conversation was good; but after my conversation with the barber this morning I realized now that I was talking political-religion, not biblical faith.
I believe that baptism does not get anyone into heaven. I believe that baptism does not start the process of salvation, conclude salvation, affirm salvation, strengthen salvation, temper salvation, prepare one for salvation, etc. Baptism, according to the bible, is an act of testimony, identity, and commitment.
Baptism is an act of testimony as the believer (note, this person has already committed their life to Jesus, thus salvation has occurred and sanctification is in process) is baptized in public in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This baptism itself paints a picture of trusting in Jesus' as one dies to self and is raised in newness of life - a new creation.
Baptism is an act of identity. When we are baptized we find our identity in the collection of other believers, called the church. We identify with all other believers who have professed the same testimony through baptism and with the church that ordinates the baptism. We align ourselves with them and permit them to now hold us accountable to the faith which we testify. Now our spiritual ID card reads, I belong to the Kingdom of God through faith in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and the Lord of my life.
Baptism is an act of commitment. When we are baptized we announce that we are disciples, or followers, of Jesus Christ. We state clearly to others as we are submersed in water in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit that we believe Jesus is who He says He is, that He will do what He says He will do, and that we will obey His Word and His will for our life. When we are baptized we commit to this and give every witness of the testimony permission to hold us accountable to this.
Where is the proof? Where are the Facts? Read Acts 2:40-47; 10:34-48 and Romans 6:1-14 and get back to me... but this time, I will cut the hair :)
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