In touch with God

The priest of the Lutheran parish of Rovaniemi, Aki Hätinen:

Baptism is a gift we receive at the beginning of our lives and lasts throughout our lives. It is the most wonderful event that can take place in the human life cycle. According to Martin Luther (1483 - 1546), in baptism God gives man the gift of faith, which does not depend on our understanding, because faith is God's work in us.

This certainly begs the question of how a hair wash can bring this about. It is not only the water itself that does the work, but the Word of God with the water and the faith that God has given in His Word. Without the word of God, water is not baptism, but just water. In the story of the Flood, water is the tomb that covered the sins of mankind. In the beginning of Genesis, water is the prerequisite for all life and growth. In baptism, water has both of these functions. What happened to Christ, applies to us who are baptized into his fellowship. And on the other hand, what we are or do as baptised cannot fail to touch our Saviour. Our sins are taken by Christ and atoned for by him. Christ's holiness is our holiness and his victory over death is our victory. Our lives are interconnected in a way that is nothing less than a grace and a gift to us as human beings.

The idea of baptism is that a visible and ordinary substance, water, is combined with God's great promise to be with us. In baptism, God does not remain just a distant influence, but in baptism man can for that small moment be in contact with God. It is said in the Psalms of Baptism: “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor” (Psalm 8).

For a brief moment He can be touched with your own hands - it is this very touch of God that works wonders in man.