My Bucket List

a message of personal testimony

by Michael Wright

10-13

Do we all know what a bucket list is? It is a list of things we want to do before we die. Climb a mountain, go to a Mardi Gras, see Paris, parachute from a plane, ride a bull, drive a Formula 1 car. Well, my bucket list has changed quite a bit over the years. Lets Pray: Father, today we have a big gap to fill. Pastor Mike and his family are in need of prayer today; we are relying on the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit and our Baptist heritage to minister to the church family. Let my words be Gods Words and His Ways be our ways as we worship today. Amen. John 13:17 Now that you know these things, do them and be blessed. It seems our bucket list of the things to do before we die is usually a list of things that could kill us! Climbing a mountain, parachute, ride a bull, drive a race car, scuba dive in a cave. Why not jump off buildings, play in traffic, eat poison set yourself on fire? I think it is because young people see their lives as never-ending to begin with but maddeningly short as they grow older. An uncertain journey at best. I guess today I dont really have a sermon so much as a testimony. Im inspired by Corinas Baptism today and I am put in mind of my own journey. I suppose as a child I was introduced to God and to prayer. Both were designed to make a little boy behave. If I should die before I wake, I want the Lord my soul to take, and certainly my beagle Sam was in . I knew God wanted me to be good, but it was so hard. Being good is hard for a boy but it is impossible for a young man. When I was 12 I was taken to a Catholic church and baptized. I didnt know why. It was awkward and meaningless. My observation then, confirmed later in life, was that my folks put no faith in the Lord, if they believe in His reality at all. I guess Baptism was like insurance. Then, what was becoming a very bad man met and began dating a very good woman, a woman whose journey with the Lord had started within months of mine (she was two months older). Unlike mine, her journey included the dedication of a church family to her and her family. Then her own Believer's Baptism and Faith Journey into her early adult life. It seems the only two people who had faith in me were Joyce and Jesus. And I hadnt met Jesus yet. I asked her to live with me and she said that would not make her father very happy.

I tried to pull her down to my level; instead she lifted me up to her level. By some miracle, she agreed to marry me. For about a year we lived right across the street in Coopers house. Joyce went to church every Sunday and Mike didnt. A few years went by and we bought a house and had a couple of babies and Joyce went to church every Sunday and still Mike didnt. It began to dawn on me that only a fool would not recognize my children as a gift from God and that keeping my wedding vows to God and Joyce was bringing blessings to my life as well as a responsibility to raise these babies right. Of course our children were dedicated to this congregation as well, but that is for you to contemplate the whole circle of life thing. I started going to church, once in a while, looking for answers. (seek and ye shall find) Pretty soon a fellow named Fred asked me if I could do drywall. He needed help repairing the parsonage. I never knew they made purple drywall mud! We talked about plaster and knives and church and Jesus. He gave me a few short books to read while I was deer hunting. The books, something Fred said, the Holy Spirit, and my desire began to change my life. Another step in my journey. Step by step. The Holy spirit convicted me of the sin in my life I learned that sin separates me from God I saw there was nothing I could do about myself That God had a plan to save me That Jesus Christ had died for me That believing on Him and confessing with my mouth I could be saved

I guess I came to faith not in a flash of epiphany but in a step by step, logical approach. Not all at once, but one step at a time. A journey. The Lord never gave up on me and He brought me to a Baptist Church. A place where believers are baptized and made whole. I told the pastor that although I was previously baptized, I wanted to make more of a statement about joining with this church family. I told the Deacons that I knew Jesus was the Son of God and that I needed Him to be my champion. I remember that Norma Jean Foster hugged me and cried. My guess is I had been on her bucket list a long time. I was baptized and joined the church and soon my journeys pace became faster and faster. Before, it seemed as if I was immortal, jumping off buildings, driving a race car, swallowing poison, riding bulls. Now it seemed life was maddeningly short.

Each step in my journey brought more of Gods Blessings, each trial more wisdom, each task more gifts. My bucket list has changed from things that could take a life to things that could give life. Why would anyone want to go to Mardi Gras except to sin? Here is a short list of some things on my Bucket List: I want to save someone from a burning building I want to see Casey baptized, graduate, get his first job, drive a car, find a wife Save someone with CPR I want to help deliver a baby in gridlock traffic I want to foil a bank robbery I want to be the guy who says I can when they ask Can anyone land this plane? I want to give more to Gods Kingdom I want to lead a bad man to Christ I want to baptize someone when we are fishing I want to tell my grandkids about Christ

My journey is not the same as your journey or Carinas journey, but our destinations are the same. Joyces mom was one of those people who bought birthday cards way ahead of time and had them ready to go as their birthday approached. More than a year after she had passed away, Ronnie brought me a card that she had prepared for my birthday as she was fighting cancer. On the inside she had written, In my Fathers house are many mansions. I hope yours is next to mine. Shes dead and I am still on her Bucket List. If you havent declared Jesus your Lord and Savior, or havent admitted to yourself there is nothing you alone can do to bridge the gap between you and God, or you havent been baptized, or joined a Grow Group, or joined the church, or gone to Sunday SchoolI have to ask you when will you start your journey or take the next step? John 13-17 Now that you know these things do them and be blessed. If you have been hitching a ride; maybe it's time to Join the Journey. Its time to make your commitment to Jesus, to us, to the world around us. The pool is full, weve got all day, the music is cued up, weve got big fuzzy towels and Id like to check one more thing off my Bucket List. Thank you. Lets pray. Lord, if there is anyone here who wants to confess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and Savior and desires to be baptized, please give them the strength to come forward and speak with me or any deacon. Amen

Introduction (by Michael Wright) to Baptism of Carina Kingsbury by her father Jeff. Acts 8:26 Phillip and the Ethiopian

Today Carina Kingsbury is being baptized. What is baptism? It is one of two ordinances we observe. Communion and Baptism! These two things the Lord commands us to do. Luke 22:9 He took bread gave thanks and broke it. He gave it to them saying Do this in remembrance of me. AND Matt 28:16 The Great Commission: Go forth and make disciples of all men and baptize them in the name of the father, Son and Holy Spirit. Mark 16:16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. Is baptism required for salvation? No! Actually it is quite the other way around. First comes our belief on the Lord Jesus Christ, for our salvation then comes baptism. All who believe on my name shall be saved Believe on my name and confess with your mouth, then you will be saved The thief on the crossBelief always comes first

Years ago in the sanctuary we, the church family, and Jeff and Amy dedicated ourselves to baby girl Carina. Some folks are inclined to see this Baptist Dedication as equating to the infant baptism practiced by some other faith traditions. Make no mistake we practice a believers Baptism. It is an outward symbol of what has already happened in Carinas heart. It is a symbol: That she knows who Jesus is That she knows that the Holy Spirit has convicted her of her sin and that sin separates her from God! That she believes on the name of Jesus to save her That by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in her heart, that it is time to confess with her mouth that she is saved Her immersion in the water and subsequent victorious rise again is a symbol of one's old self dying and being buried to be raised again by the power of Christ as a glorious new creation! It is Carinas way of showing and telling us that she is ready to Join the Journey.

When we discussed Carinas baptism at Deacons, Pastor Mike asked Jeff if he would like to be in the water with Carina. We were all in love with the idea! When Pastors sister fell ill and took him away this weekend, we took our cue from Phillip in Acts and, realizing that we are a priesthood of all believers, decided to proceed. Years ago we dedicated ourselves, this family, and this young person to raising her up to know the Lord. We worked, we struggled, we tithed, we prayed, we served, we planned, we loved, we laughed and we cried, and church, this is the moment we have been waiting for! Can I get an Amen? We will sing the chorus to Now I Belong to Jesus as Carina rises from the water..