The weather is turning warmer and the snow is beginning to melt in earnest. As we pray for those who have faced crisis created by spring floods releasing enormous amounts of water in melted snow and rain, we cannot help but to count our blessings here. The moisture this winter has been good for us. Chaffee County is no longer in a drought. The river will run this spring and summer, bringing tourists and income to our city. We give thanks for the water. Throughout the history of human civilization, building communities and towns has required water. Without water, there is no basis for meeting our needs. In the driest areas, water must be brought in. We need water; it is such a staple that it is often forgotten. But then we see towns that have lost their water supply and literally dried up. In them we see empty houses and schools, no longer in use, and once again count our blessings that we still have water enough to drink and clean.
We shouldn’t forget the water. That goes for the water of our baptism as well. During this season of Lent and Easter we focus on the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who had no sin died for us sinners. Death could not hold Him, and He lives. It is through water that we are made a part of Him. In St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans chapter 6, Paul writes, “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin.”
Your baptism makes you a part of Lent and Easter. You were put to death with Jesus in your baptism and you will be resurrected like Jesus because of your baptism. The water that washed you has brought you to eternal life. How can water bring life? Baptism is not a human work. God works through it. God’s promise and the water that washed you in baptism created a new you. God spoke, and just as in creation, what He spoke happened. Water and the Word has made you God’s child. As the water trickles and flows down the mountain this spring, bringing life to our community, remember also the water that washed you, bringing you eternal life. Thank you, God, for the water that brings us life.
Faith Lutheran Church 