When I was a young boy, my family took a trip to Houston. The highlight of the trip was a visit to the Astrodome for my first in person Major League Baseball game. The Big Red Machine, Cincinnati Reds, was in town to play the Astros. I’ll never forget that Pete Rose hit the first pitch of the game into the stands for a home run. Joe Morgan was the next batter and he also homered. Cincinnati went on to win the game 3-2.
Bobby Murcer
Earlier in the day we visited the home of my mother’s aunt. While we were there the New York Yankees were playing baseball on television. As we were chatting, Bobby Murcer of the the Yankees fell over the center field wall while making a spectacular catch.
I’m not sure how long the technology had been around at that time, but Murcer’s catch was played again on instant replay. When Murcer fell over the wall on the replay, my mother’s aunt exclaimed, Look, he did it again!
Murcer didn’t actually do it again. He did it once and that one time event was replayed.
This past week I watched a youngster declare his faith in Christ through believer’s baptism in our church. That got me to thinking. Baptism is similar to my first memory of instant replay on television.
The gospel of Jesus Christ centers on what is communicated in baptism. Jesus died, was buried and was raised from the dead. God demonstrated his power over death by breathing life again into the lifeless body of Jesus. He was alive again forevermore. He is alive.
When a new believer rises out of the baptism waters, we could say, Look, He (God) did it again!
A new believer has his dead soul buried and a new creation rises. This is pictured in baptism. Just as Jesus was buried and raised, so the new believer is buried and raised. It is a replay of the gospel event.
How many times did you see the instant replay of the so-called touchdown by the Seattle Seahawks this week? Probably enough to be tired of it. May we never tire of seeing the replay of Christ’s death and resurrection as it is played out through the baptisms of new followers of Jesus.
May we shout Hallelujah or Look, God did it again!
