Join Laura for a splashy, globe-trotting adventure in “Living Waters: Baptism Across the Christian World.” From Greek origins to Jesus’s own river baptism, we explore how Christians everywhere use water as a symbol of washing away mistakes and starting fresh.

In This Episode

• What Is Baptism?
• Discover how the word “baptizo” means “to immerse,” why water symbolizes new life, and how Jesus’s own baptism set the example for nearly 2,000 years of Christian practice.
• Guided Imagination
• Take a “River Walk” in your mind—feel the warm sun, hear the water lap, and imagine stepping into living waters surrounded by family and friends.
• Movement Moment: Water Stretch
• Stand tall, reach like a fountain, wave your arms like ocean currents, then jump in place as if splashing into a puddle. Let your body flow like water.
• Water Friendship Bridge
• Cross into Islam’s Wudu, Judaism’s mikvah, and Hindu ritual baths to celebrate how many faiths use water for cleansing and renewal.
• Baptism Detectives Game
• Match three characters to their baptism traditions (Baptist, Eastern Orthodox, Catholic) using clues.
• Baptism Science Challenge
• Turn your kitchen or backyard into a mini-lab with three experiments:

1. Color water to stand for “sins,” then add a drop of bleach to make them vanish
2. Soak dirty pennies in lemon juice until they shine
3. Dip a sin-doodle in a Ziploc bag to watch it disappear by refraction

• Download full instructions in our free Baptism Science Experiments printable.
• Belief Backpack
• Pack away three treasures from today’s journey:

1. Community – belonging to a supportive faith family
2. Fresh Starts – knowing every day holds a new beginning
3. Kindness – letting our compassion flow like water

• Story Time: Jesus’s Baptism
• Experience John baptizing Jesus in the Jordan River, hear the dove descend, and listen as God’s voice proclaims “You are my beloved Son”
• Sneak Peek & Wrap-Up
• Take a 4th of July break, then dive into “What Goes Around: Exploring Karma”.

Laura’s Book List

• My Baptism Book (Board Book Edition)
• By Sophie Piper, illustrated by Dubravka Kolanovic
• https://amzn.to/4jWHrcc
• A tender introduction for little ones, filled with simple prayers, blessings, and warm reflections perfect for reading aloud.
• Baptized in the Water: Becoming a Member of God’s Family
• By Glenys Nellist, illustrated by Anna Kazimi
• https://amzn.to/4jKCO4w
• Lyrical text and vibrant art celebrate infant and adult baptisms across cultures, showing how we all belong to God’s family.
• A Kid’s Guide to Baptism
• By Terry Glaspey
• https://amzn.to/3FWgdEj
• An interactive workbook of activities, reflection questions, and drawing pages that make preparing for baptism personal and fun.
• Baptism: For Kids and Parents
• By Jacob Riggs
• https://amzn.to/3SKNKV5
• A warm, conversational guide with discussion prompts, helping families explore the meaning and joy of baptism together.
• Baptism: Three Views
• By David F. Wright et al.
• https://amzn.to/4jWHhl6
• A respectful, scholarly look at infant baptism, believer’s baptism, and baptism’s role in salvation ideal for curious readers and students.

Connect With Us

• Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app
• Share your science experiments with #FaithfullyExplore
• Leave a Review to tell us your favorite water ritual

Thanks for diving in with us. Until next time, keep your hearts open and your imaginations flowing!

Do you hear that sound? That's the sound of water. And it's a big clue about what we're exploring today. Hello, hello and welcome to Faithfully Explore.

I'm your host, Laura, and I'm so happy you're here for today's episode, Living Baptism across the Christian world.

Get ready for some fun because we're going to travel to riverbanks and fountains, learn through games and stories, and even get moving with a couple of movement moments. So put on your imagination caps, open your hearts and let's dive in.

Faithfully explores the name Learning together is our aim. Beliefs around the globe we'll track filling up our belief backpack.

The word baptism actually comes from a Greek word, baptizo, that means to immerse or to put underwater. In baptism, a person is touched or dipped in water as a sign of Washington and new life.

It's a way to show that someone is joining the Christian family and starting a new, fresh chapter with God. Now, why does baptism matter to Christians so much? For one thing, Jesus himself was baptized.

About 2,000 years ago, Jesus went to the River Jordan and was baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. Jesus set an example by doing this. He also told his followers that baptism is important.

He said, go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

That's a big reason baptism is practiced. Jesus asked us to do it. Baptism uses water because water has special meaning.

When you take a bath or a shower, you use water to get clean on the outside. In baptism, the water is a symbol that you're getting clean on the inside, washing away bad feelings or mistakes and getting a fresh start.

Many Christians say that baptism means your sins are washed away and you're starting new as a child of God. It's also like a birthday. Some people call it being born again, not as a baby, but born into a new life with God and a big loving church family.

If you've seen a baptism, you might have noticed the person often wears white clothes. That's because white is a color for purity and new life. It shows that the person is now clean and fresh in spirit.

Sometimes there's also a special candle given called a baptismal candle with a flame to symbolize Jesus light in that person's life.

And there may be godparents, special helpers, or mentors who promise to support the person Being baptized as they grow up in faith, baptism is really about belonging. It tells the person, you belong with us. We're your faith family, and God loves you so much.

In many churches, the person might be fully dipped under the water for a second, then brought back up. Going under the water shows something important. It's as if you're buried under the water, saying goodbye to an old wrong way of living.

And then you rise up again, like you're coming alive, fresh and clean. Christians connect this to Jesus's story. Jesus died and was buried for three days, then rose up alive again on Easter.

Baptism symbolizes joining in Jesus's death and resurrection. The old you dies in a way, and the new you was born.

When you come out of the water, it's like God telling you that you are forgiven and free to start anew. Did you know that Christians all around the world practice baptism? But they don't all do it in the exact same way.

The Catholic Church is the largest Christian church in the world. If you've ever been in a Catholic church building, you might have seen a big stone or metal bowl of water near the front. That's a baptismal font.

In Catholic tradition, most people are baptized when they are babies. Here's how it's done.

The priest, that's the church leader, will gently pour water over the baby's head three times, or sometimes just once, saying, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. The water is usually blessed. Holy water. The the baby or an adult.

If it's an adult getting baptized is often dressed in a white garment or given a white bib or cloth to wear, symbolizing they are now all clean and new. The priest anoints the person with oil on the forehead, which is a sign of God's blessing and the Holy Spirit's presence.

Then a baptismal candle is given, lit from a big Easter candle to represent the light of Christ. The parents and godparents stand by, and they promise to help raise the child in faith. As I said, Catholics usually baptize infants.

In fact, church guidelines suggest doing it within the first few weeks after a baby is born. If someone wasn't baptized as a baby, they can be baptized later as a child or an adult after some classes to learn about the faith.

But no matter the age, Catholics see baptism as very important. They call it the door to the church, meaning it's the entryway into the Christian life. They believe it's not just symbolic.

It actually brings God's grace to the person and erases original sin. That's a term meaning the sinfulness that all humans are born into.

Now let's travel to another ancient Christian tradition, the Eastern Orthodox Church. Orthodox churches have gorgeous icons, holy images, and often a deep sense of sacred tradition.

Baptism for Orthodox Christians is also super important and usually done for babies as well. The Orthodox do it a bit differently. They usually immerse the baby fully in water. Here's how it's done.

In an Eastern Orthodox baptism, the priest will take the infant and dunk the baby gently all the way into the water, three times in a row. Why three times? It represents the Holy Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. And also, some say it honors the three days Jesus spent in the tomb.

Before rising, the priest usually uses a special font or basin, often a large, ornate metal bowl on a stand. After the immersions, the baby is anointed with holy oil.

They call this part Chrismation, and they anoint several parts of the body with oil to seal the gift of the Holy Spirit. In fact, in the Orthodox Church, the baby doesn't have to wait until they're a teenager to be confirmed or to receive communion.

They do charismation and even give a tiny bit of Holy Communion to the baby at the baptism service itself. This shows that even infants are fully part of the church and can receive God's grace. The baby is then dressed in a fresh white garment.

There is often a little hair cutting too. They snip a few locks of the baby's hair in the shape of a cross. It's a sign of offering something to God.

The godparent usually recites the profession of faith on behalf of the infant and even sometimes holds the baby during parts of the ceremony. Orthodox Christians, like Catholics, typically baptize infants soon after birth.

It's common to do it around 40 days after birth, or really as early as the parents are ready. If someone joins the Orthodox Church later in life and was never baptized, they'll get baptized as an adult, also by full immersion, if possible.

Orthodox believe baptism washes away sin, gives a new life, and actually unites the person with Christ's death and resurrection. Now, what about Christians who are not Catholic or Orthodox? There are many churches.

Each of these has its own styles and understanding of baptism, and we can't cover all of them.

Baptists, Pentecostals and similar churches, like many non denominational churches, believe that baptism should happen when you're ready to personally say, I believe in Jesus. A baby can't really make that decision or speak for themselves. So These churches don't baptize infants.

Instead, they might have a dedication ceremony where parents publicly dedicate their child to God and promise to raise them with faith. But they reserve actual baptism for later.

This might be when a kid is between 7 to 12 years old, or even as an adult, after they have decided to follow Jesus and want to declare their own faith. To these Christians, baptism is an outward sign of their own personal faith. It doesn't magically make you a Christian.

You become a Christian by believing in your heart. Baptism is how you show everyone else that you have made that choice. So here's how it's done.

In Baptist and Pentecostal churches, baptism is almost always by full immersion in water. Just like the way John the Baptist baptized Jesus in the river. They typically have a baptismal pool or baptistery in their church.

Have you ever seen a church building with what looks like a small swimming pool or a big bathtub near the front? Maybe behind the church area? That's a Baptistry.

In some Baptist churches, it might even be built into the stage with glass in front so people can see if the church doesn't have a built in baptistery, they might use a portable pool or go to a nearby lake, river, or even a swimming pool. When someone is going to be baptized, they usually wear regular clothes or a robe. Over their clothes.

The pastor or church leader stands in the water with them. The person getting baptized might share a short testimony, which is like saying why they want to be baptized.

Then the pastor gently lowers them backwards into the water so they briefly go under and then lifts them up again. Sometimes the pastor says while dunking, I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Or depending on the tradition, might say, in the name of Jesus. And up the person comes, soaking wet and smiling.

Even though different churches disagree on how or when to baptize, they all agree that baptism is important and special. Catholics, Orthodox, Baptists, Pentecostals, Angelicans, Lutherans, Methodists.

It's something all these Christian families share, each in their own style. After all that awesome info, how about a little joke break? Knock, knock, you say. Who's there? Water, you say. Water. Who water you waiting for?

Let's keep exploring baptism. It's time for a guided imagination adventure. This is like a little journey in your mind, so you can close your eyes if you want.

Imagine you're standing on the soft, muddy bank of a river. The sun is shining warmly on your face.

Tall green trees sway in a gentle breeze in the river a few steps away from You, a group of people stand in the shallow water. They're dressed in simple white robes. You see a pastor standing in the river beside a young person who wants to be baptized.

The pastor's hand is on the person's back, gently supporting them. The person looks a little nervous, also excited. You're on the riverbank with family and friends.

The pastor says, I baptize you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Then the pastor dipped the person backwards into the water for just a second. Water droplets sparkle in the air as they come back up.

Everyone on the bank cheers. The person who was baptized wipes the water from their face, grinning ear to ear. Now take a deep breath and gently open your eyes.

If they were closed, how did it feel? People were experiencing baptism in their own way, filled with community, faith and happiness. Great job imagining everyone.

Your mind is so powerful and creative. After that dreamy journey, let's get our bodies moving a bit with what I call the water stretch.

Stand tall and stretch your arms all the way up over your head like you're a fountain of water shooting high into the sky. Stretch, stretch, stretch. Drop your arms gently back down. Now put your arms out to the side and gently wave them back and forth like ocean waves.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Now jump in place with both feet as if you're jumping into a puddle. Ready? Jump. Splash. Jump. Splash.

Lastly, stand still and take a deep, deep breath in through your nose. Pretend you smell fresh rain and then breathe out through your mouth like you're blowing out a candle. One more time. Deep breath in.

Fill your lungs with that good air and out. Blow those clouds away. You just did the water stretch. Now that we're a bit energized, let's keep exploring.

Baptism is one beautiful, beautiful way people use water in their faith. But guess what? Water is special in many of the world's religions, not just Christianity. Imagine a big, sturdy bridge made of. Well, why not water?

On one side is baptism. Now let's walk across and see what's on the other side in three other religions. Islam, Judaism and Hinduism.

In Islam, before Muslims pray, they perform a ritual washing called wudu. It's an ablution, which means a cleansing. Muslims wash their hands, mouth, nose, face, arms and feet with water in a specific order.

They do this to be clean and ready to stand before God in prayer. It's not a one time thing. Like baptism. Muslims do wudi before each of their five daily prayers.

As they wash each part, they often say a short prayer in their Heart asking God to cleanse them, not just physically, but spiritually. In Judaism, there is a practice of taking a special bath called a mikvah. A mikveh is a pool of natural water used for ritual immersion.

Jewish people use the mikveh for various reasons. Converts to Judaism take a mikveh as part of joining the faith.

Some Orthodox Jewish women go into the mikveh for purification a certain time each month. And then there are other occasions, like before holidays or other certain life events. It's kind of like a spiritual bath.

You go in and dunk your whole body under the water, say prayers. It symbolizes becoming clean and spiritually renewed. In a way, this is similar to baptism's idea of going into water to come out purified.

It's different because mikvah can be done multiple times in life. In Hinduism, water is super sacred too. Hindus often perform ritual baths in rivers, especially holy rivers like the Ganges.

The belief is that these waters, blessed by God, can wash away bad karma or spiritual impurities. Many Hindu families will start the day with a small bath or sprinkle of water, sometimes accompanied by prayers.

Hindus also use water in temple ceremonies.

A priest might pour water that's been blessed over a deity's statue or give devotees a few drops of holy water to sip or sprinkle on their heads when they visit the temple. Do you see a pattern? All of these practices show a belief that water purifies not just the body, but the soul. There are even more examples.

Sikhs have holy water at their gurdwaras. Buddhists have water blessings too. Isn't it cool that something as simple as water carries so much meaning for so many people?

Explorers, we've got a mystery to solve. And you are the baptism detectives. I have three mysterious characters here. Each one just got baptized, but their stories are all mixed up.

Up your mission. Match up each character to the right tradition. Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, or Baptist.

You'll have to listen very carefully for clues and make your best guess at the end. Character number one.

I'm 12 years old and today was a big day. I stood in the water next to my pastor, told everyone why I believe in Jesus, and then, whoosh. I went all the way under the water.

When I stood up again, the crowd cheered. I was soaking wet and so happy.

Character number two.

I was just a baby when it happened, so I don't remember. But my family says I was dipped into the water three times by a priest wearing gold robes.

Then I got blessed with oil, dressed in white and even Received my very first communion.

Character number three, I was baptized as a baby too.

My priest poured water over my head while saying special words. My godparents were right beside me. And after the ceremony, I was wrapped in a white cloth and given a candle to keep forever.

Alright, detectives, did you catch the clues? Let's go through them one more time. And this time, after each one, I'll ask you to guess the tradition out loud.

River splash big enough to speak for themselves. One all the way under the water. Hmm. What kind of church does that take a moment. Now shout your answer. Character one was Baptist.

That full dunk at age 12 was a believer's baptism. Character two, triple dip for a baby. Golden robes, oil and communion. Which tradition could that be? Say it softly like a prayer.

Character two was Eastern Orthodox. That triple immersion and the baby receiving communion. Big clues. Character three, baby gets water poured a white cloth and a candle.

What tradition might that be? Tap your head gently if you've got your guess. Character three, that was Catholic, sprinkled as a baby, wrapped in white and given a candle of faith.

You did it, explorers. You cracked the baptism mystery. Mix up each one different, but each one meaningful, sacred, and full of love. Now let's dry off and keep going.

There's more to explore. Faithful explorers, it's time for our baptism science challenge.

This week we're turning our kitchen or backyard into a mini lab to see how baptism washes away sins in three science experiments. Download the baptism science printable from our website. You will find all the material, lists and step by step instructions for each experiment.

For the first experiment, you'll color water with a few drops of food coloring. Each color stands for a sin. Then add a drop of bleach, always with an adult's help, and see the colors disappear.

Just like baptism clears away our mistake. For the second experiment, drop some dirty pennies in lemon juice and let them sit.

The acid in the juice removes the corrosion, making your pennies shine again, just like baptism brightens our hearts. For experiment number three, you will slip a sin drawing into a sealed Ziploc bag.

Dip it into water, and through refraction, the sins vanish before your eyes. Another neat way to visualize being made clean. Once you finish each experiment, jot down what you saw. Share your photos and observations with us.

I can't wait to see how you explore the science behind baptism's beautiful message of fresh starts and clean slates. We've traveled so far in this episode. Now it's time to zip up our belief backpack.

Every episode we want to Put a few precious things into that backpack for you to carry as you grow. Let's see what we've got from today's episode. First, I am part of a community baptism reminds us that we belong to a bigger family.

Not just our relatives, but our faith community. We carry in our backpack the knowledge that we are never alone.

We have people who support us like godparents, pastors, friends, and we too can welcome and support others. Community means we celebrate together, like at a baptism, and help each other on our journeys. Another lesson is every day is a new start.

Baptism is a one time thing in Christianity, but its meaning of a fresh start is something we can have again and again. In our backpack, we keep the lesson that we can always try again. If you have a bad day or make a mistake, you can apologize, learn, and begin anew.

Our last lesson is I will spread kindness like water. Water finds a way to flow and nourish everything in its place path in our lives. Kindness should flow freely from us to everyone around.

Whether it's sharing with a friend, helping someone who's sad, or respecting someone different from you. Kindness is a sign that your spirit is refreshed and alive. So our belief backpack is nicely packed with community renewal and kindness.

These are like three shiny water bottles of wisdom you can pull out whenever you're thirsty for some goodness. We're almost at story time, but to keep your wiggles at bay, let's do a little celebration shake to celebrate everything we've learned.

This one's simple. A little dance break. Show me your best move. Now.

Show.

Shake, shake, shake and spin. What's your signature dance? I'm doing a goofy dance in the studio. Hope you're dancing at home too. Oh, yeah.

Take one more deep breath and plop down in a comfy spot. Because we're moving to one of my favorite parts of the show. It's Bible story time. Today, of course, we have to tell the story of Jesus baptism.

This story can be found in the Gospels, which are the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John in the Bible. Almost 2,000 years ago in the land of Israel, a group of people made their way from the towns and villages into the wilderness near the Jordan River.

Who is everyone coming to see? It's a man named John. People call him John the Baptist because guess what? He baptizes people. John is a prophet, kind of like a holy messenger.

He's been telling people, turn back to.

God, prepare the way for the Lord.

And he's been baptizing folks in the Jordan river as a Sign that they want to wash away their wrongdoings and start fresh. Now you arrive at the Jordan river. You see John standing in the water near the shore. One by one, people are stepping into the water with him.

They confess the bad things they've done, and John dips them in the river, baptizing them as a sign of repentance. That means saying sorry to God and choosing to do better. As you watch, someone else steps forward to be baptized. But this is no ordinary person.

It's Jesus of Nazareth. Yes, the Jesus. He walks down into the water where John is. You hear John exclaim, wait, I need.

To be baptized by you, and you come to me.

John knows that Jesus is special, the Messiah or the Savior king that God promised. John feels he's not worthy to baptize Jesus. Jesus smiles gently and says, let it be so now.

This is right to fulfill all righteousness.

That's a fancy way of saying, it's okay, John. This is what God wants. This is part of the of the plan.

Jesus is so humble, even though he's the Son of God, he's willing to receive baptism just like everyone else. To set an example and begin his mission, John nods and agrees.

John leads Jesus a bit deeper into the river, where the water might come up to their waist. Jesus closes his eyes and folds his hands in prayer. Prayer. John places one hand on Jesus back and the other on his chest.

And then John lowers Jesus under the water for a moment. And then Jesus comes back up, water streaming from his hair and beard. In that exact moment, something extraordinary occurs. You gasp.

The sky above seems to part. A beam of warm, radiant light shines down on Jesus.

The Holy Spirit of God comes down in a visible form like a dove, gracefully fluttering down and resting on Jesus. Then you hear a voice echoing from the open sky.

This is my son, the beloved with whom I am well pleased.

God is telling everyone that Jesus is indeed God's son. And God is pleased. So pleased, so full of love for him. That's the story of Jesus's baptism. Did you feel like you were there?

Jesus was identified as God's beloved Son at his baptism. And whenever someone gets baptized in church today, they believe God is saying, you are my beloved child.

This story shows all three persons of what Christians call the Holy Trinity together. Father, the voice we heard. Son, Jesus in the water, and the Holy Spirit, the dove.

It's one of the reasons Christians baptize In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I hope you liked that retelling. Maybe later you can draw a picture of Jesus coming out of the water with the dove above.

That would be a beautiful scene to capture here at Faith Explore. I'm taking next week off for the 4th of July so I can spend some time with my family. I hope that you can do the same.

Use the time to catch up on any episodes that you may have missed. Or maybe re listen to one that was your very favorite the week after Boy, do we have a special episode for you.

Have you ever heard someone say what goes around comes around? Or if you do good, good comes back to you?

The idea of karma is found in religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and even people who aren't religious. Talk about karma as the idea that your actions somehow affect your future. So don't miss our next episode, what goes around Exploring Karma.

It's going to be good. And that good will definitely come. Come back around. I'm so proud of how you explored with me today.

Maybe next time you see water you'll think about some of the things we talked about. New starts, Love and belonging. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe so you won't miss future adventures.

I'd also love it if you left us a review or told a friend about the podcast. That way we have more friends joining us in the future on our journeys. Thank you for joining me. It's been a joy to have you.

Until next time, stay curious, stay kind, and keep your spirit afloat. I'm Laura and this has been Faithfully Explore. Goodbye my young explorers. May your week be filled with blessings and maybe a splash of fun.

See you next time.

Faithfully Explores about you. Let's grow kinder together. Together. It's true.