Are you afraid of water?

That is a question I have now learned to ask every baptismal candidate.  One case of not asking it was enough for me to always remember to do it.  I should have known something when the woman (that I should have asked that question of) came to the baptistery in water shoes and a swimmers cap.  She never said she was afraid of the water, I did not know enough to ask.  What ensued was not really pretty.  She is the first person who half way submerged, going backward in the water somehow found a way to try to come back up.  Not really understanding what was happening, I was fully committed at that point to total immersion - that is what the Greek word for baptize means.  I cannot fully describe what happened, she and I got pretty wet and somehow people in the congregation commented later that they knew she had on water shoes.  I just knew that feet, hands and arms flailed.  When I came out of the door that lead to the baptistery area, back out into the congregation, no one would make eye contact with me.  They had the appearance of much compressed and contained laughter.  Now I always ask that question. 
But that is not the most important question about baptism.  There are a lot of more important ones.  I will attempt to hit on several this Sunday.  We will celebrate the ordinance of baptism.  I have asked both the candidates, they are kids and they love the water.

There is another question about baptism that is more Biblical.  It comes from the Ethiopian Philip witnessed to in the book of Acts.  I love the way he asks this after he understands the truth about Jesus, "Look, here is water.  What can stand in the way of my being baptized?"
You do not have to ask people my question, but how do you answer his?

For the journey...