by Demi Prentiss
There’s plenty of debate among theologians and scholars as to the meaning of Jesus’ baptism. There’s much less uncertainty around what our own baptisms mean for us:
- We have joined God’s mission.
- We are commissioned to pattern our lives after Jesus – the very definition of being a follower.
- We are sent out from our safe havens to be risk-takers, helping to shape a more loving and more just world.
Simple. Not easy.
To deal with that problem, Adam Hamilton, as he recounts in his book The Way, gave each of his 8,000 congregants a laminated tag to hang in the shower. He asked them to pray these words each day:
Lord, as I enter the water to bathe, I remember my baptism. Wash me again by your grace. Fill me with your Spirit. Renew my soul. I pray that I might live as your child today, and honor you in all that I do. Amen.
Simple. Not easy. So remember to walk wet. It takes practice.
Living God's Mission 
I would like the shower prayer to read:
Lord, as I enter the water to bathe, I remember the promises I made (or were made for me) at my baptism. Wash me again by your grace; fill me with your Spirit; renew my soul. I pray that I might be sent out from my safe haven to be risk-taker, helping to shape a more loving and more just world.
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