I’ve got an idea. No, no, this is a good idea. Really. This isn’t like pre-wallpapered sheetrock or cell phones. This is really a good idea.

What about baptism sirens?

Yes, baptism sirens. Why don’t we install baptism sirens throughout our church building? I think we should do this immediately.

A sweet young lady from our community, a junior at Richland High School who’s been coming to Legacy with her friends for a few months now and studying with Jason and a couple of others, confessed Jesus as Lord last night and put on our Savior in baptism. Sarah was added to God’s eternal Kingdom. Sarah was saved last night, forgiven of all her sins. God’s Spirit began living in Sarah immediately. She was transformed right before our eyes!

And while there were many of us who made it to the worship center to participate in Sarah’s baptism and congratulate her and pray with her and meet her parents, there were many more people out in the hallways. There were dozens of us in the gym and in the parking lots, hanging out in the atrium and in the kitchen. Not everybody knows when a baptism is happening. Not everybody gets the news every time.

Baptism sirens would change that. Can you imagine? The sirens go off throughout the building, inside and outside. A loud voice booms over the church intercom, “Attention, please! God Almighty is delivering another person from sin and death! God is acting on his Word and being faithful to his promises! That thing we teach and preach and dedicate our lives to and rest our hopes in is actually happening right now! Would all confessing Christians please make their way to the worship center. Thank you.”

The world needs to stop when someone is being baptized. When a person is baptized into the death and resurrection of Jesus, we need to drop everything and give it the complete and undivided attention it deserves. A baptism is the sure sign of God’s grace. It’s proof of his forgiveness. It stands for his mercy and love. It testifies to his present and continuing action among his people in the world. It’s God right there in front of us, saving somebody, defeating Satan, stealing another soul from hell, giving another person eternal life, fulfilling his promises for all time. Right there in front of us!

Why would we miss it? Why would we pass up an opportunity to personally participate in a sin-forgiving, life-bestowing, history-altering, cosmic event? Why would we eschew the chance the hug these new babes in Christ, to cheer them, to pat them on the back, to show them by our presence and our actions that what they’re doing — No! What God is doing! — is just as important as we claim it is?

It must be because not everybody hears the announcement. There can be no other reason. We don’t get the information to all the people.

Baptism sirens would fix that.

Peace,

Allan