Introduction. Today is an important day in the lives of our three candidates for baptism, but it is not the most important day. The most important day in their lives was when they accepted the “Proposalâ€� from Jesus Christ to join His church. February is considered the month of love. We celebrate Valentineâ€"s Day next Sunday… commemorating and honoring those that we have great affection for. Love, as the porcupine so aptly lamented, is a “many splinteredâ€� thing. It is something that we all crave. Whether you go to Jaredâ€"s or any other fine establishment to buy that sparkler for the one you love dearly; we all know that the marriage proposal causes women to dream and men to sweat. Proposals come in many different ways. Illus> One day a Bible College Student who made extra money by running a small printing business was surprised to see a fellow student, Jill Ann ordering invitations. She had long maintained that God would have to speak to her out of a burning bush before she would marry. “Why did you finally accept Allenâ€"s proposal?â€� He asked. Jill Ann explained that, one day, as she left the dormitory, she saw an old, dead shrub in flames. From a hiding place nearby, in a slow, deep voice, Allen called, “Jill Ann! Jill Ann! I want you to marry Allen!â€� (â€"John D. Wild, Portland, Ore. Christian Reader, “Rolling Down the Aisle.â€�) Proposals can come quickly as the young couple that approached the minister following his sermon and told him that they had met during the “Right Hand of Fellowshipâ€� during the service and wondered if he would marry them. We all can remember that exciting time when the proposal came. It was important to us. It is not easily erased from our memory banks. Why? Because it was a defining day in our lives! For the proposer, someone that we love has agreed to be our spouse. For the “proposee,â€� the question has finally been “popped.â€� Someone wants to live their life with you. You are a valuable and significant person in the life of another. Our baptismal candidates today have recognized that they are significant and valuable to Jesus Christ; and, thankfully, they have accepted His proposal to be married to the Church of Christ…to become part of the body of Christ which is the Universal Church. The Universal Church is not made of brick and mortar. It is made of the spiritual people that have heeded Godâ€"s call to accept His Son, Jesus Christ as their beloved Savior. So, what does this mean to our newlyweds? First, they will show through their baptism that they have accepted this proposal and are willing to become new persons in Christ. Wedding ceremonies are the outward show, not only legally, but spiritually, of a coupleâ€"s commitment to each other. Vows are repeated and promises made regarding their everlasting faith, hope and trust in each other. Today our candidates are showing their commitment to our Savior. They are recognizing a need to be changed…a need that even Jesus recognized when He was baptized by John. When we seek baptism, we want to show others that we are serious about this new relationship into which we are entering. Does the baptism save us? No more than the wedding ceremony guarantees our matrimonial fidelity. Does the water change us physically? No more than the wedding ceremony physically joins us! But it is a spiritual event that never leaves us. It is the constant reminder of who we have stated and shown that we are becoming. This is more important to us than it is to anyone else including God. He knows our thoughts and our heart…much better even than we do I think. When we come to be baptized, we are saying; “I want to show Jesus Christ and everyone else where my loyalties now lie.â€� Secondly, this event today is a formal and public declaration of a commitment to fulfill responsibilities to Jesus Christ and His Church. The vows that we make at a wedding regardless of the venue are promises to each other. As I tell each couple that I marry, it is not my words that will make the marriage last, but their commitment to the promises that they make to each other. We also have a responsibility to Jesus Christ. Part of that responsibility is to remain true and faithful to Him in everything that we do. It is so easy to slip back into old habits and ill-fated friendships thinking that we have done what we need to do to be saved from going to hell; much like the erroneous belief that getting married saves us from having to be under the thumb of a parent or brings some long awaited freedom to do whatever we want to do.