“Through the Watery Door: Baptism as the Threshold to New Life”

This exploration of baptism takes us beyond ritual into the profound reality of crossing thresholds from death to life. Drawing from Noah's ark and Israel's Red Sea crossing, we're reminded that baptism isn't merely symbolic—it's a genuine passage from one kingdom to another. Behind us lies a world under judgment, ravaged by sin and death. Before us stands the church, God's ark of salvation, where we enter as regenerated people, literally reborn. The placement of the baptismal font at the church entrance isn't accidental; it marks the boundary between two worlds. What makes this teaching especially compelling is its honest acknowledgment that being born again doesn't mean we instantly become perfect. Like Noah's family after the flood or Israel after the Red Sea, we still face choices about whether to live according to the gift we've received. Baptism opens the door, but we must choose to walk through it daily, to come 'further up and further in.' The message challenges us whether we're considering baptism, have drifted from our baptismal promises, or need encouragement to progress deeper into faith. Our baptismal identity transcends national, ethnic, and even biological family ties—baptism water truly is thicker than blood.