It was Baptism of the Lord Sunday at First Baptist Church, Chattanooga, and senior pastor Thomas Quisenberry wanted the several hundred people present to experience in a small way Christ’s gift to humankind.
According to the story in the Gospels, John the Baptist was explaining to his followers the need for water baptism and the repentance of sins. Jesus, without sin, also came to him for baptism. John, though first protesting he was the one who needed baptism, did indeed baptize Jesus, who declared that his baptism was fulfilling God’s will.
“[Jesus] went into the water anyway,” Quisenberry told the congregation. “For us, he was saying, ‘Just because I love you.'”
Moments later, the pastor invited ushers to pass the offering plates down the aisles and for each person to take $1 out of the offering plate. Church members, Quisenberry told them, now would have a chance to give a gift to someone else.
“I want you to think about how you can share like Christ shared,” he told them. “You can make life better for someone.”