baptism...and the angels rejoiced

Some years ago I was reading a story in a quarterly magazine, the name of which I cannot remember. This is how I remember it: Two businessmen were dressed in white linen tennis shorts with matching logo shirts. They had been fitted with the best tennis shoes, rackets, wristlets and balls available. They had their suits and shirts carefully hanging in their cars. They would be stopping in their downtown athletic club for a shower, bagel and juice before arriving at their offices. Now they were opening the fenced door to some university tennis courts close to the downtown of a large metropolitan city. It was 6:30 am and their court was reserved until 7:45. Several of the courts were empty including one next to them. In the back corner behind that court there was a white porcelain bowl water fountain that would gently push a stream of bubbling cool water from its center when the foot lever was activated. The men, who had obviously played at some competitive level in earlier years, began to play their first set. Sometime during the second set an elderly man came quietly through the fenced door onto the courts. He was holding by one hand what looked like a plastic shopping bag. In it were all of his worldly belongings. He obviously lived on the street somewhere. He stood by the door and waited for the appropriate time to cross behind one of these two players. He followed the fence back and around to the drinking fountain in the far corner of the courts. One of the players couldn't help but follow him with his eyes. He didn't particularly feel safe among the people who lived on the street. In fact, he had no idea where they could find shelter among the downtown buildings during the night. He had seen many of them panhandling on the street corners, and he made it a point not to make eye contact with any of them. His game slowed down as he continued to glace toward the back corner of the courts. The elderly man had carefully folded his worn shirt and placed it on the ground and had begun to wash his chest and underarms with the water. Both men were now glancing over at him occassionally. His tennis partner seemed to be filled with disgust at the way the elderly man had contaminated the white porcelain bowl and somehow the water that flowed from the fountain. The elderly man was now taking another shirt out of the plastic bag that he was carrying. As he slipped it over his head the color of the shirt seemed to strike the tennis player as familiar. He'd often seen parking attendants on that campus wear shirts like that. They had always been extrememly friendly and had given him directions many times. His tennis partner seemed a bit annoyed and his interest in the game had waned and suggested that they head for the athletic club. He purposely let his partner go ahead as he continued to watch out of the side of his face the elderly man who had just finished brushing his teeth and running moist hands through his hair that probably hadn't been cut in...years. Soon he was left alone as the elderly man quietly left in the same way that he had come. He heard the man's welcome directed to some players who had just arrived. After placing balls and racket and towel into his duffle bag, he left it on the beach and slowly walked over to the drinking fountain in the far corner of the courts. Some 'soiled' water had been left in the bottom of the porcelain bowl. He carefully bent over the bowl and scooped some up in both hands. Pouring it over his head he said a silent prayer for his companion with whom he had never spoken, but in whom he saw goodness. Today there would be real eye contact...who knows what tomorrow would bring. He hoped to meet the elderly man so that they could talk. He'd treat for lunch at the club.

There was no laced baptismal gown, no candle, no annointing with oil, no pool to be raised up from, no choir...and no certificate...just a simple ritual...and the angels rejoiced...

Our next posting will be about Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5.