This past week we have seen what the power of water can do. Social Media has been full of images that are absolutely amazing, breathtaking, and even horrifying. We’ve seen pictures of the Sioux Falls falls, in which there is so much water going over the falls that you can’t really see them. It just looks like wild rushing water. There were pictures of culverts sticking out of roadways, forced up and out by all the water. We’ve seen pictures of roads that have been washed away, leaving large gaps or trenches where pavement used to be.
We’ve seen pictures of dam structures coming to a point of near collapse or that water has simply made its own path around the dam. We’ve seen pictures of cars swept off the road when someone ventured too far into the rising flood waters.
Probably the most horrendous images I’ve seen are from a video on Facebook that showed the devastation in North Sioux City. Dan and Juanita Grewing used to live in that area and traveled many of those roads daily. The video shows homes swept away, the landscape totally changed, even a railroad bridge has been damaged and moved by the force of the water. Roads and streets are totally gone. 20–30-foot ravines have replaced the roads, yards, and homes in some areas of that community. Watching that video made me think of my own involvement in the Minot, North Dakota Flood about 15 years ago. It is truly heartbreaking to witness such devastation. Seeing those pictures is a reminder of the incredible power of water.
Yet, I also have another image of the power of water in my mind today. Yesterday, Thursday, I attended the funeral of Rev. Rodney Gist, a fellow United Methodist pastor and colleague. Rod was such a joy filled, love filled human being who faithfully served churches across the Dakotas, he championed the UM Camping Ministry, and he was also a voice for justice and healing in a broken world. In fact, at the funeral there were several people who spoke about how Rev. Rod had touched and changed their lives because of his love and radiant smile.
The reason Rod would say he was filled with joy and hope was because of the love of God and the power of the waters of his baptism, which regularly reminded him that he was a child of God and that he was baptized into a life of love and service.
Mother Teresa would be another person who would likely say that it was the power of the waters of her baptism that caused her to do what she did – living a life of selflessness caring for those who no one else wanted to care for on the streets of Calcutta. And there are so many others… People of faith who would say that, in part, it is the waters of their baptism that has influenced and shaped their lives. I would be one of them and maybe so would you. You see, as United Methodists we believe that our baptism isn’t just about saving us “from” something, rather it is about realizing we are saved “for” something…a life of service, a life of ministry, a life of seeing the world as our parish.
We often focus on the destructive power of water, and there is good reason for that. Today, I’m going to focus on the positive impact water can have in a person’s life, mainly the waters of baptism that calls us to a life lived beyond ourselves. Thank you, Rev. Gist, Uncle Walter, Mom, Dad, Alan Olson, and so many others for bearing witness to God’s love and the power of the baptismal waters in each of your lives. All of you have had a powerful impact on my life…and on so many others. May we all live out the power of the baptismal waters in our life and in our faith!! Our world really needs to experience that kind of power and love!!
Pastor Keith