Baptism Sundays are one of the best days of the year. Our church and the world get to see tangible evidence of people who were brought out of death and spiritual darkness and into life and the light of Jesus Christ. The pattern of scripture is a pattern of believers who make a conscious choice to dedicate their lives to Jesus Christ. Here at Citylight we practice believer's baptism as opposed to infant baptism. When you see people publicly proclaiming their faith in Jesus through baptism at a church, and regularly, you can determine that you are at a healthy church. It’s why we do what we do.
The past few weeks, at both gathering locations, we celebrated death to life through baptism. We heard story after story, how Jesus saved someone and the hope and joy He gave in return. We never take these for granted and we celebrate as a church each and every one. It means that the church family has a new member! Here are just two of those stories from our new family members.
Saige Christen’s story
“I’ve been a part of Citylight for little over a year now. If you were to tell me two years ago that I would be at church, let alone getting baptized, I would have laughed at you. That’s how lost and removed from God I was. Even though my parents took my brother and I to church sometimes, I grew up without God truly in my heart. Throughout most of middle and high school I struggled with severe depression and anxiety. My parents went through a rough divorce, so I felt alone in my own home. I just remember feeling sad, worthless and like my life had no purpose. How I carried myself and the values I held were nothing to what I have now. Ironically, despite what was going on internally, I was a top athlete at my school, city, and state, I had good grades, I volunteered, had friends, and on the outside people genuinely believed I had it “together.” That simply couldn’t have been the furthest from the truth. I constantly was trying to find fulfillment from these things and was never satisfied. When looking for a college, I had many things in mind but more importantly, I also wanted to escape my unhappiness. I thought starting at a new place with new people would turn things around for me.
My first few months at Creighton were rough. I was a fifteen-hour drive from home, I didn’t know anyone, and I was training to walk onto Creighton’s track team. I was stressed because I was trying to get straight “A’s” and so many other things were weighing me down. Until suddenly, they were not. On November 17, 2022 everything changed for me. By this point I was staying up all night and sleeping all day. I was showing up to practice, if I even went, many times with just an energy drink in me and I was missing classes. It was late at night and 11 degrees outside. I was journaling about what was going on in my heart and suddenly I had felt the desire to run. I couldn’t shake the feeling on needing to go. It being 10 pm, I bundled up, dropped my location to a few friends, and started running toward the pedestrian bridge. The bridge is two miles from campus. I somehow got there in under 30 minutes without feeling the slightest of fatigue. I remember standing on the line where the Nebraska state line meets Iowa’s when I felt something cold on my cheek. I looked up and saw that it started snowing. Being a girl from Louisiana, I thought this was awesome. I texted my friends about it but what was surprising, they couldn’t see the snow. In fact, it wasn’t even in the weather forecast. I was agnostic and didn’t think of God, but at this very point, my mind, heart, and spirit all seemed to harmonize that this was God. I wish I could describe the feeling of your heart knowing God is there and calling for Him. My body instantly warmed up and a smile came across my face. I felt overcome with peace and I remember closing my eyes when I faced toward the sky with the snow all around me. I stretched my arms up and I had a vision of a large hand gently embracing me. I knew it was God telling me that He was with me, that He had me and that everything would be okay. Coincidently, my friend Morgan, who is baptizing me today, was praying at this very moment, asking God who she should bring to church to receive Him. He told her to bring me. I remember when she asked me, I thought the timing couldn’t have been more significant considering that I ignored all the other invitations in the group chat. (I’m sorry, Morgan.)
I remember awkwardly sitting next to her and some friends at service and observing everyone worship. I couldn’t tell you what the sermon was on, but I do remember at the time like I was being spoken to directly. I felt seen, heard, and loved. I felt a genuine worth and attempt from the church and the service and it started to feel like home. Since that day, my life has changed dramatically and it’s all thanks to Him. It was a few more weeks after my encounter that I truly began to understand the Gospel and my friends helped. Their observations of my heart change as well as their own testimonies are what solidified for me that Jesus is real and that it was He who saved me. As these things happened, it didn’t automatically make my life perfect after this revelation and acceptance. I found community in this church and in so many different groups. It’s difficult to wrap my mind around having so many relationships at once. Things that used to bring turmoil and anxiety rarely phase me and seem so much easier to solve. I have seen the Spirit work in and through my family, relationships, and I can’t put it all into words how much change has happened in my heart and life in just over a year because of Him.
I never knew I could experience this much joy in my life. I simply can’t and will not deny the work Christ has done for me and how He has saved my life. I’m so excited to proclaim this to all of you through my baptism. Thank you.”
Nick Gage's Story
"I was born and raised in Omaha, Nebraska and currently go to UNL. I’ve been attending Citylight for a little over a year. I grew up primarily in a Catholic home. At a young age I learned about the name of Jesus. Even though we did attend church on Sundays I couldn’t help but view the church as a “have to.” My level of understanding was very low. With this poor foundation and lack of knowledge, I got the news that every kid doesn’t want to hear. My parents were getting a divorce. Things like discipling became secondary. My dad remarried and drifted away from the church. Things like praying before meals, praying in general, were not just practiced, but were scolded upon because we don’t do that anymore. It’s tough to see parents split and to loose family members is even more difficult. I lost my grandmother a few years later and became angry and who I thought God was. I asked “Why would God do this? Why would God do that?” I chased sin not only with my actions but with my eyes, my mind, my hands, and my mouth. I liked to say deep down in my heart I knew I was a sinner, but I didn’t care to think what God felt about what I was doing. I was actively fleeing from Him and I didn’t even know it until my senior year in high school going into my freshman year in college.
I began dating a girl that was invested into her faith. I attended a church camp for the first time that summer. People were singing songs about God that I never heard and talking to God as if He was there. Somehow all the anger I had towards God came to the surface, but it was through tears instead of hate. It clicked all of a sudden, that God loves me so much that He sent His only Son who lived a perfect life to die a death that I deserve. I realized how imperfect I was, and that Jesus was the way, the truth, and the life. At first, I was only at this camp because this girl was, but as the week progressed, I realized I was to be there for a completely different reason. I realized how far away I was from Him, and I began to join in on the activities and listen to His Word with purpose.
2 Corinthians 5:17 out of the NIV says “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, a new creation has come. The old is gone and the new is here.” I was dead in my sins and Jesus saved by grace through faith! From that week on, I began to see Him in everything. Everywhere I looked in my life I would see the good He was doing. I felt naturally happier and in times of loss and hurt, instead of feeling like it was me fighting alone, it now feels like me and the Holy Spirit against the situation. My relationship with that girl ended, but my relationship with God has continued to grow. A little over a year later, I joined an intermural volleyball team at UNO while attending classes at Metro. Little did I know that it would be a way God would use others to bring me closer to Him. I met people there who invited me to Salt Company and I found a community to help me grow in my walk with Jesus. That was in November 2022 and since then, I have wanted to be baptized as a believer not only because it is a command for us, but because I feel like it’s the perfect time for me. Thank you.”
As a church, let’s celebrate what God did and give Him the glory. Also, would you pray for these two people and the others who got baptized? Thank you Citylight!"
For more information on baptism, visit citylightomaha.org/baptism.