LENT DAY 37: One of my favorites

 Day 37 Wednesday - Apr 5, 2023; Mar 27, 2024; Apr 16, 2025

Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself. -Acts 2:38-39

We are allowed to have favorite Bible passages, right? I mean, it’s not to spit on the rest, but some are just more important to us for whatever reason: some of my favorite passages are because of great ways former pastors read them or preached on them; my confirmation verse is another; the one my mom’s pastor spoke to me as my mom was dying always stands out when I hear it; some songs etch a verse into our hearts. I’m sure you’ve got a few that mean a lot to you too.

Well this is one of mine, and in this case it is because the more I read it the more I realized that so much of what I believe about baptism resides in these verses: baptism is tied to repentance, what matters is the sharing of God’s name and Jesus’ saving work for our forgiveness, we receive the promise of the Holy Spirit, and this promise is “for you” and “for your children”, it is the way “the Lord our God calls” people to him still. As we’ve walked through so many passages this Lent you might ask yourself what baptismal text is most important to you? Is it one of the ones we read together? Is it a different one? Along with asking yourself that question ask yourself the why: why does this passage on baptism mean so much to me? 

Part of the principle of this devotional is we don’t always need to be learning 40 new Bible verses, but sometimes it is better to sit with a few. That way we get to know them a bit better, and the more we know them the better chance they have of standing out for us in the future. So even if walking through this devotional has not gotten you to pick one of these passages among your favorites, I pray it still writes them a little deeper in your memory that they might be a treasure in your faith bank, like a Sunday School song that still teaches us certain passages.

Help me to remember and treasure all you have said about baptism, Lord. Write these verses deeper into my being that they might not be idle words on a page, but a gift from your very lips to strengthen my faith. When I need them, bring them back into my mind that I might recall your good promises for me. 

This post is a part of my daily Lenten devotional on Baptism. You can read more about it here.