Ridgell's Originals

 I met John when he started worshipping at Hillcrest.  He had been invited by one of his good friends living in the same Half-way house.

Joseph was baptized right before he was incarcerated.  But he stayed faithful thru his entire prison stay.  Gary was a Christian that knew Joseph when he was converted.  Stayed in touch while Joseph was in prison.  When Joseph got out, it was Gary he turned to for help.  And Gary and his wife Sarah did help.  

That is how Joseph showed up at Hillcrest.  He wanted to go to church with Gary.  And since he and John were good friends, he wanted John to come with him.  He did.  And John started going to the Bible study Gary does at the Half-way house.  He went to our preacher's seeker class.  Came to the Jesus Journey class most Wednesdays.

Joseph kept talking about Jesus and John decided he wanted to be born again.  Gary spent several sessions talking to John out of the Scriptures about what it meant to follow Jesus.  

He wanted to be baptized at church so last Sunday between worship and class we baptized John into Christ.

But it was a major effort.

John is physically handicapped and it is hard to walk and navigate stairs.  And our baptistry stairs are narrow and steep.  Gary guided his feet and Joseph and I helped John down into the baptistry.

We announced that there was going to be a baptism if anyone wanted to stay.  Probably only about 98% did.  They get what matters.

I introduced John to his new family.  Asked what he believed about Jesus.  John firmly stated his conviction that Jesus was God's son and that he had died for his sins.

And all three of us, Joseph, Gary, and I baptized John.  

As we were all in the water right before his baptism, we opened the baptistry doors and found the whole congregation singing the closing song.  The Great I Am.  That is a great song.  Tears were streaming down John's face.  And mine. And Joseph and Gary.  John struggled to life his hand to God during the song.  Joseph reached for his elbow and held their hands up together.  

John later apologized for being so emotional.  I told him he should be emotional because his sins were being washed away forever.  And he said, "But Steve I have so many sins."

Me too John.  We all do.

And that is why Jesus came and died for us.

Welcome to the forever life in the Kingdom of God.

# posted by Steve @ 5:42 AM