To be baptized means simply to be immersed. The original baptisms by John took place in a river where the person being baptized would be fully immersed under the water three times into the name of the Father, Son. and Holy Spirit. Coming up out of the water each time symbolized rebirth and new life. Like so much about church this splendid ritual of gathering by the river and really dunking people gradually morphed over time so we simply sprinkle some water on the forehead of the one being baptized. By minimizing the real thing we are saying sprinkling is enough. It’s symbolic anyway.

To be baptized INTO the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit comes from the idea that the very name of the Trinity carries power. We have a vestige of that notion in our legal system today where someone may speak on behalf of another person. But what is the power of that name?

Turn to page 308 [of the Book of Common Prayer] and look at the prayer after baptism. “Heavenly Father, we thank you that by water and the Holy Spirit you have bestowed upon your servant the forgiveness of sin…” I do not think the wording there is a mistake. It is intentionally ambiguous.

The common interpretation of baptism is that OUR sins are forgiven by God. But we are made in God’s image. We are given the powers that Jesus’ disciples had, and in fact Jesus tells us he gives us GREATER powers than the disciples. One of those powers is forgiveness of sin.

There is so much pain and suffering and violence in the world at every level. From the intimate sphere of family life to our jobs and local communities, all the way to our nation and the world. You cannot drive down the street without encountering an aggressive driver. You cannot go to work or school without finding a bully somewhere. And you cannot turn on the news without hearing about bombs and bullets somewhere in the world.

The way of the world is to solve conflict by just having a bigger stick. The biggest guy with the biggest club wins the battle. But that is not what Jesus teaches. God may forgive our sins, but do we and so are we able to forgive the offenses others have done to us?

Many times in counseling I encounter people who say they are unable to forgive the parent for their alcoholism or their abuse, or they cannot forgive the betrayal of the ex-spouse, or they cannot forgive the colleague at work who gossiped and told lies. But if God has the ability to forgive sins and we are given the power to forgive sins in baptism, why do we say we are not able to forgive? In the Lord’s Prayer we ask God to forgive our wrongdoings in the same way as we forgive others.

Forgiveness is not an ability we are given, it is a choice we make. The only difference we will make in this world as Christians is how we forgive others who have wronged us. We will relieve the suffering in the world one wrong at a time.

So get out there and do the hard work of forgiveness. You may not reconcile with everyone, and that is not the point. When you forgive those who have wronged you, your heart will change and you will be much closer to God.