Symbols of Baptism

I enjoyed learning more deeply about baptism this week, and especially some of the deeper symbolism that we can learn from baptism. The Bible Dictionary talks about how "baptism symbolizes death, burial and resurrection." The scriptures also compare our physical birth to baptism, which is our spiritual rebirth.

Moses 6:59 teaches that when we are born into this world there is water, blood and spirit present at the birth. When we are born again into the Kingdom of Heaven, water, blood and the Spirit are all present. We come forth out of the water after being fully immersed. We are cleansed by the blood of Jesus Christ through His Atonement and we are given the gift of the Holy Ghost which allows us the privilege to have the Spirit of Jesus Christ with us as we live worthy of it.

There are other parallels we can draw between birth and baptism...(Follow Him Podcast)

• When we're born we become part of an earthly family: when we're baptized we are welcomed into God's family.
• When we're born we are given a name: when we are baptized we are asked to take upon us the name of Jesus Christ.
• When we're born, our earthly family makes a commitment to love and take care of us: God makes this same promise to us when we are baptized. 
• Children go and do the same things as their family: when we become part of God's family through baptism, we make a commitment to go and do the things God wants us to do.

Today during sacrament meeting I was introduced to another symbol relating to baptism by immersion. When we are baptized by immersion, our body has to be "all in" the water. This concept of being "all in" can also be symbolic of our commitment to be "all in" to living the gospel of Jesus Christ. Are we putting our best efforts into keeping our baptismal covenant to keep His commandments, always remember Him and to take His name upon us? If so, then we are continually immersing ourselves in His gospel.

The Word

While studying John 1 this week my thoughts were turned to the many different names of Jesus Christ that are mentioned in just this one chapter (I counted 13!). The one title I was most drawn to studying and thinking about was "the Word."

D&C 93:8 states that "He (Jesus Christ) was the Word, even the messenger of salvation" and "the Gospel of John emphasizes that Jesus Christ is the messenger of the Father to the world. As such, He declares the Father's words." (New Testament student manual)

While studying the talk “This Day” by Elder Rasband, footnote 7 shares the scripture 1 Nephi 15:23-24 which talks about how the iron rod symbolizes the word of god. Because I’d been thinking about “the Word” as another name of Jesus Christ, I read that scripture with new insight… “and whoso would hearken unto the word of God (Christ), and would hold fast unto it (Christ), they would never perish." 

Our scriptures-the "word", lead us to Christ-the "Word"-and it is through Christ that we are saved from the fiery darts of the adversary. So as we sing the words “hold to the rod, the iron rod, Tis strong and bright and true, the iron rod is the word of god, twill safely guide us through”, in addition to thinking of the word as the scriptures, we can also think about holding on to Christ who is strong and bright and true. He is the one who will safely guide us through the trials and challenges of this life.

As I attended my Stake Conference meetings this weekend, one of the speakers asked a question that turned my thoughts again to this particular name of Christ. The question posed was "how do we spend more time with the Lord?" The word that immediately came to my mind was "Word." The Spirit was teaching me that one of the most important ways we can spend more time with the "Word" is by studying His words.

Seeking Jesus

In Luke 2 we read a story about how Mary and Joseph lost Jesus and searched for him for three days before they found him at the temple (v. 46). I like the personal application here that teaches us what we can do if we feel separated from Christ:

• We can find Him at the temple.

In addition to finding Him at the temple, Jesus also tells his parents (us) in v. 47 that if they ever lose sight of  Him then they can always find Him doing His Father's business (v.49). What application does that scripture have for us today? What does doing the Fathers' business look like for us?

Moses 1:39 says that Gods work is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." So how do we help with God's work? The Handbook for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints says that we participate in God's work of salvation and exaltation by:

• Living the gospel of Jesus Christ.
• ​​Caring for those in need.
• ​​Inviting all to receive the gospel.
• ​​Uniting families for eternity.

We need to find ways to incorporate the work of salvation into our daily lives so that our connection with Jesus is always close. When we feel like we've lost our connection with Christ, focusing on doing these things will help us reconnect with Him.

The Influence of Parents

My thoughts this week turned to the character of Mary and Joseph, the mortal parents of Jesus Christ. I read Matthew 1 and Luke 1 looking for attributes and gifts that they possessed that they must have taught their Son, probably through their words but certainly through their examples.

Matthew 1:19 Before the angel ever appeared to Joseph to tell him what was going on with Mary, Joseph was willing to show mercy and kindness to Mary ("to put her away privily").

Matthew 1:20 Joseph knows the importance of giving time and space to pondering ("while he thought on these things") in order to allow the Spirit (or in Joseph's case, an angel) to speak to us.

Matthew 1:24 Joseph knows the importance of obeying Gods commands ("Joseph...did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him") even though marrying Mary "could have brought upon him public shame and ridicule" (New Testament Student Manual)

Luke 1:38 Mary shows us her willingness to be submissive to Gods will ("be it unto me according to thy word") even though she would also face many difficulties (New Testament Student Manual)

Luke 1:46-55 Mary has a powerful testimony of Jesus Christ and His mission, and she bears it!

Luke 1:48 Mary is humble ("For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden".

Mary and Joseph possessed wonderful Christlike attributes even before becoming parents to Jesus. I like to think that these attributes would have been taught and shown as Jesus grew up in the home of Mary and Joseph. It helps me consider what Christlike attributes my character is teaching my children - maybe not just through words, but by my actions. Do they see me being obedient and submissive to God's will, even if it goes against our current cultural trends? Do they see me bearing testimony of my Savior? Am I showing humility in my words and actions? The example we set for our children plays a big role in parenting. Understanding more about the character of both Mary and Joseph helps me better understand why God chose them to be the ones to raise His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.