“We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4). God willing, on December 3 I will have the privilege of baptizing another class of Iranian catechumens after over three months of instruction. I was touched by one of the candidates, a young man aged 22, who recently texted me regarding his upcoming Baptism: “thank you. I want my people around me to be with me in this happiness, from now on I have 2 birthdays, one on January 19 and one on December 3.” He has learned that in Baptism something really happens: our sins are buried, we are forgiven, and rise again to new life, as the Apostle Paul explains. At the churches where I serve, Zion Lutheran and Trinity Lutheran (both SELK) in Hamburg, candidates decorate their own baptismal candles. Our young man chose images for his candle which beautifully demonstrate His correct understanding of Baptism. He glued a black rectangle on the bottom next to his birth date (January 19, 2001—written in the European style). This represents that we are all are born in sin. Then he glued an arrow—indicating his Baptism—above the black rectangle and above that, a gold rectangle next to the date of his upcoming Baptism. This young man has comprehended that the words of Christ that the pastor delivers in Holy Baptism, Holy Absolution and Holy Communion are not merely symbolic or spoken in remembrance, but actually change reality, conferring Christ’s forgiveness of sins and eternal life on the recipients. As Luther says, “To be baptized in God’s name is to be baptized not by men, but by God Himself. Therefore, although it is performed by human hands, it is still truly God’s own work” (Large Catechism, IV 10). Praise God that this young man illustrated Christ’s truths so meaningfully—and will soon have two “birthdays,” as do all of us who are baptized!
The Tiews in Germany 