sting

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A couple of weeks ago, we baptized Wes down at Caldwell Pier in Port Aransas. It was actually my second baptism in the Gulf, at that site. The first was a vacationer, and we were just there with his family. This time it was our family: someone from Trinity by the Sea. 
Before the first baptism, I called up the Baptist Pastor in town to ask him how it worked. We just didn't get much experience with "living water" baptisms in seminary. Pastor William gave me some advice, and I took it. This time I had a bit of experience, and I had a relationship with Wes.

We gathered there on the beach for the first part of the service, then Wes and I waded out together for the actual dunking (the Greek word for dunking is where we get the word baptism.) Wes had been for a run right past that very spot earlier that day. I had been surfing there a day or so before. What we both learned from our previous activities was that there were a ton of jellyfish in the water! I don't know why they all congregated at that particular time, but we knew they were there. So, we both thought we might bump into one or two. And we did. Then a few more. Wes even got stung on the chest when we was under water. 

 I felt bad for him, but he's tough enough. He knew to expect a couple of stings. They weren't man-o-wars or anything, just moon jellyfish. They don't hurt that bad. But still, stung while being baptized? I had about thirty minutes to think about that after we all left the beach to get cleaned up before going to the reception dinner. Was there a theological or spiritual reflection from that experience of baptism in the living waters, waters with living jellyfish? The King James Version helped me out: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"  
1 Corinthians 15:55

When we are dunked into the waters of baptism, we are dunked into Christ's death and raised to new life. I guess Wes got a little taste of that sting, and then rose with Christ, victorious, into new life. Death does not have the final say: we are free to live a full life in Christ. Alleluia!

Then we laughed about it over beers and enchiladas.

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