By the Way: To rise anew in Christ

By Scott Raible on January 18, 2025.

It was a bright Sunday morning, and the air seemed to hum with anticipation. As I stood by the edge of the baptismal tank, I could feel my heart pounding, not out of fear, but out of a strange, overwhelming sense of awe. The pastor’s words from earlier in the service echoed in my mind, “This is not just a ritual, it’s a declaration. It’s a moment where the old life is left behind, and you rise anew in Christ.” [Romans 6:4].

I stepped into the water, the coolness of it startling against my skin. The congregation’s eyes were on me, but in that moment, they faded into the background. It was just me and Jesus. The water lapped at my knees as I walked to the centre of the baptismal tank where the pastor stood, his hands outstretched and a warm smile on his face.

He spoke gently, his words filled with both authority and compassion. “Do you believe in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior?” I nodded, my voice catching as I whispered, “Yes.” He smiled even wider. “Then, in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, I baptize you.” [Matthew 28:19-20]

As he lowered me into the water, everything seemed to slow. My ears filled with the muffled rush of the water, and I was surrounded by a quiet stillness, like the world had paused. For a brief moment, submerged, I felt weightless. It was as if every burden, every sin, every mistake was being stripped away, dissolved into the water around me. [Act 22:16]

Then, I was lifted up – in more ways than one.

Breaking through the surface, I gasped-not just for air, but for life. It was a strange and powerful sensation, as though I was breathing for the very first time. The water streamed down my face as my heart felt like it was on fire, not in a painful way, but in a way that made me feel alive-alive in a way I’d never known before.

The congregation cheered, their voices ringing out in joy, but I hardly noticed. All I could feel was an overwhelming sense of peace, a peace that I’d been chasing for so long but had never been able to grasp.[Phillipians 4:7] It wasn’t just peace I found in that moment, it was freedom. Freedom from the chains of guilt and shame, freedom from the person I used to be, and freedom to embrace who Christ had called me to be. I truly felt like I was born again, a new creation in Christ Jesus. [John 3:3,5] [2 Cor 5:17]

As I stepped out of the pool, water still dripping from me, making a watery mess on the stage, the world seemed brighter. Colors were more vivid and the air felt cleaner. But more than that, I felt lighter. I was new. I couldn’t explain it fully, but it was as if a door had been unlocked in my soul, and I could finally step into a space of grace and purpose that I didn’t know existed before.

That moment changed everything. I still faced challenges and I have stumbled along the way, but the difference is that I no longer face those challenges and storms of life alone. I knew then, as I know now, without a shadow of a doubt, that I had been claimed, redeemed and set free. [Ephesian 1:3-12]

When I think back to that day, I often compare it to a sunrise. Just as the night surrenders to the light, my old life had surrendered to something greater, as I embraced my Savior, Jesus Christ in an act of faith and obedience. [John 8:12] And every day since has been a journey, walking in His Light through the hills and valleys of life, forever grateful for the moment when I responded to His call to step into the water-and be forever changed by His love, mercy, and grace.

Scott Raible has served as an ordained minister in Medicine Hat for the past twenty years, and started Christian radio in Medicine Hat with Alive 99.5 and later served as an announcer and music director on 93.7 Praise FM. Scott Raible can be reached at scottraible@gmail.com

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