infernal_baptism.charcoal

BEHOLD!!

I was having my own worship session this morning with Andy Hunter because I overslept. It was really cool. No roommates, no chaos in the hall... just me and the Holy Spirit.

I did some reading in the beginning of Matthew, and I read the part where John the Forerunner is introduced. He's practicing something we know today as baptism, by dunking people in rivers and such as a symbolic gesture of being saturated in Jehovah, and of the death of the sinful soul and resurrection of a holy one. Suddenly he goes on a tirade against the Pharisees, and announces his function of paving the way for the Messiah.

"I baptize you with water for repentance, but he who is coming after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."

I love that phrase. Baptism by the Spirit and Fire. I get this image in my head, and I just have to draw it... I used plain mechpencil for Jesus, and charcoal for the "fire". Lots of effects in Photoshop to make it looks like fire. I like the kinda surreal look it has... doesn't need to resemble fire that much, just immolating power. I like the stylized look.

I'm aware that they probably didn't wear pants in 30 A.D. Israel... but I think Jesus looks way cooler with pants than that man-skirt.

The title is a bit of a subconscious play on "infant baptism"... which I do not believe counts for either salvation or true baptism. I'll bet God honors the parents and blesses the child, but I don't believe it can count towards the kid as a voluntary baptism. Anybody here been baptized as an infant or young child? Who here's been baptized at all, for that matter?