Today (January 25) I celebrated my Baptism Birthday. I was born on January 5; and as you might have guessed, I was baptized on January 25 (59 years ago).
Baptism Birthdays tend to go unnoticed. We make the effort to intentionally celebrate (or, sometimes intentionally ignore) birthdays. But, our Baptism Birthday is probably as important, and in some ways more important, than our actual birthday, because on the day of our baptism we were born for the second time. We were born again spiritually (John 3).
I found this post in Gene Veith’s blog about “David Ellefson, bassist for the heavy metal group Megadeth, who is studying to become a pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod:
“Ellefson grew up in the church. Each Sunday, his family drove from their farm in southwest Minnesota to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, where David attended Sunday school and was confirmed at age 16. His mother sang in the choir. His father was active on the building committee.
“Just a few years after his confirmation at Our Savior’s, in the summer of 1983, Ellefson moved to Los Angeles. Within a week of arriving, he had formed a band and named it Megadeth for the unit of measurement equal to the death of 1 million people by nuclear explosion. Soon, he was playing bass on stage in front of thousands of heavy metal fans in New York with other bands like Metallica and Slayer. In 1985, Megadeth released its first album, ‘Killing Is My Business … And Business Is Good!’
“In the 1980s and 1990s, Megadeth gained a reputation for an intelligent take on heavy metal, earning several Grammy Award nominations, and was known for its album covers, many of which depicted a character named Vic Rattlehead, a skeleton whose eyes, ears and mouth were fused closed with metal.
“But by the time Ellefson was 25, the rock star lifestyle had caught up to him. In a 12-step recovery program, he was reintroduced to his faith and embraced it. He moved to Arizona, married and had children. He also began church shopping, eventually landing at Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation in Scottsdale.
“‘I came from a good family, not a broken home,’ said Ellefson, 47. ‘That became a model for me, and I saw church at center of it.’
“The Rev. Jon Bjorgaard , pastor of Shepherd of the Desert, asked Ellefson to start a contemporary worship service. Ellefson began to use lyrics from the Old Testament as a springboard for songwriting, penning praise music — worship songs with a soft-rock hook.
“‘For a Christmas service, I remixed some classics, not quite in a Megadeth fashion, but in a pretty heavy rock fashion,’ Ellefson said.
“Combining his musical abilities and his faith led Ellefson to a deeper exploration of Christianity, he said. And it led him to start a new music ministry within the walls of Shepherd of the Desert.
“He called it MEGA Life, partially a play on Megadeth. But it’s also a reference to a verse from the Gospel of John: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’
“MEGA Life became so popular in Scottsdale that Shepherd of the Desert bought a new space for the ministry.
“And last year, Bjorgaard asked Ellefson and MEGA Life director Jeremy DaPena to enroll in Concordia’s Specific Ministry Program.
“‘Most people want to become a rock star,’ Bjorgaard said. ‘David’s a rock star who wants to become a pastor.’”
When I read about a life changing experience like David Ellefson’s, I am reminded of the power of a person’s baptism experience. The Holy Spirit, who comes to us in baptism, is reluctant to ever leave. 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 Reminds us: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”
Thus, as I reflect today on my baptism experience 59 years ago, I realize that beginning that day, and continuing every day since then, the Holy Spirit has been in my life, guiding and shaping it.
Please join me in prayer: “Holy Spirit hear us, on this sacred day, come to us with blessing, come to us to stay. Amen.” (The Lutheran Hymnal #229)
Baptism Birthdays tend to go unnoticed. We make the effort to intentionally celebrate (or, sometimes intentionally ignore) birthdays. But, our Baptism Birthday is probably as important, and in some ways more important, than our actual birthday, because on the day of our baptism we were born for the second time. We were born again spiritually (John 3).
I found this post in Gene Veith’s blog about “David Ellefson, bassist for the heavy metal group Megadeth, who is studying to become a pastor in the Lutheran Church Missouri-Synod:
“Ellefson grew up in the church. Each Sunday, his family drove from their farm in southwest Minnesota to Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, where David attended Sunday school and was confirmed at age 16. His mother sang in the choir. His father was active on the building committee.
“Just a few years after his confirmation at Our Savior’s, in the summer of 1983, Ellefson moved to Los Angeles. Within a week of arriving, he had formed a band and named it Megadeth for the unit of measurement equal to the death of 1 million people by nuclear explosion. Soon, he was playing bass on stage in front of thousands of heavy metal fans in New York with other bands like Metallica and Slayer. In 1985, Megadeth released its first album, ‘Killing Is My Business … And Business Is Good!’
“In the 1980s and 1990s, Megadeth gained a reputation for an intelligent take on heavy metal, earning several Grammy Award nominations, and was known for its album covers, many of which depicted a character named Vic Rattlehead, a skeleton whose eyes, ears and mouth were fused closed with metal.
“But by the time Ellefson was 25, the rock star lifestyle had caught up to him. In a 12-step recovery program, he was reintroduced to his faith and embraced it. He moved to Arizona, married and had children. He also began church shopping, eventually landing at Shepherd of the Desert Lutheran Church, a Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregation in Scottsdale.
“‘I came from a good family, not a broken home,’ said Ellefson, 47. ‘That became a model for me, and I saw church at center of it.’
“The Rev. Jon Bjorgaard , pastor of Shepherd of the Desert, asked Ellefson to start a contemporary worship service. Ellefson began to use lyrics from the Old Testament as a springboard for songwriting, penning praise music — worship songs with a soft-rock hook.
“‘For a Christmas service, I remixed some classics, not quite in a Megadeth fashion, but in a pretty heavy rock fashion,’ Ellefson said.
“Combining his musical abilities and his faith led Ellefson to a deeper exploration of Christianity, he said. And it led him to start a new music ministry within the walls of Shepherd of the Desert.
“He called it MEGA Life, partially a play on Megadeth. But it’s also a reference to a verse from the Gospel of John: ‘The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.’
“MEGA Life became so popular in Scottsdale that Shepherd of the Desert bought a new space for the ministry.
“And last year, Bjorgaard asked Ellefson and MEGA Life director Jeremy DaPena to enroll in Concordia’s Specific Ministry Program.
“‘Most people want to become a rock star,’ Bjorgaard said. ‘David’s a rock star who wants to become a pastor.’”
When I read about a life changing experience like David Ellefson’s, I am reminded of the power of a person’s baptism experience. The Holy Spirit, who comes to us in baptism, is reluctant to ever leave. 1 Corinthians 6: 19-20 Reminds us: “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”
Thus, as I reflect today on my baptism experience 59 years ago, I realize that beginning that day, and continuing every day since then, the Holy Spirit has been in my life, guiding and shaping it.
Please join me in prayer: “Holy Spirit hear us, on this sacred day, come to us with blessing, come to us to stay. Amen.” (The Lutheran Hymnal #229)
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