in baptism;

raised to walk in the newness of life.

Last weekend Mark and I were privileged to witness a rededication baptism. (And a rededication wedding.)

On the way home (at close to midnight) Mark and I talked about baptism.

About the symbolic significance of it…about our sins being “buried” with Christ. About how going down into the water should be done with a sorrowful heart. Not sorrow for the loss of our old life, but sorrow for the sins we have committed against Christ.

Our sinless Savior.

For love.

And about how the rising out of the water should be a time of rejoicing. We should clap and sing and praise the Lord. Our sins are buried. They are no more. We have become new creatures…raised to walk in the newness (Christ-likeness) of life. 

(If you happen to have read Dekker’s Circle Trilogy -- we are no longer “Scabs” the ugliness on our outside and inside has been washed away, we have been buried in the water with Elyon and raised clean… we are Albinos.)

Salvation.

Buried with Him in baptism; raised to walk in the newness of life.

The next day as I was cleaning the house and listening to KSBJ the song Mighty to Save came on the radio. When I heard it I thought that this song would have been the perfect song to end the night with. A song of rejoicing…

There used to be a time in our church when (in the old days of hymn singing) the service would end with a song (the title of which I do not know) which went something like this “We go out with joy”.  

It was a joyful song and when we left church we did “go out with joy”.  So when I heard Mighty to Save I thought, “It is a ‘go out with joy song’.”

So…it has been on my heart…and this song has been in my mind all week…so here it is…dedicated to you and you…you know who you are.

He is mighty to save.