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Peculiar things make me laugh, and some turn out to be the precise puzzle piece I was missing. Once in place it all comes together and you can suddenly see the whole picture.

I can not see the whole picture when it comes to beer baptism, but it cracked me up anyway. Water was a precious commodity in some places, especially in the 13th century, and many people drank wine or beer instead. Before water purification it was much safer. Wine itself is a bit of a miracle, in the sense that it doesn’t give us dysentery like water can.

Apparently in the 13 century some began baptizing people with beer because water was in such short supply. It must have become a real problem because the church had to denounce it. No, sorry, if you’re baptized with beer, it just doesn’t count. We’re to be baptized in water.

So, if anyone has been baptized with beer, you’re going to have to go fix that.

I love baby trivia, parenting wisdom from the days of old, odd traditions and mishaps that make moderns go, are you people insane? It’s a miracle any of us survived!

We also used to salt down babies, which was somewhat wise in ancient times before antibiotics. Salt purifies, sanitizes, and preserves. But salt was also a precious commodity, a sure sign that you had a father who was willing to claim you, provide for you. So when a baby was salted it meant, claimed and redeemed by his father. Salt in biblical times was a binding covenant.

We read about the covenant of salt in many places like 2 Chronicles 13:5, Ought ye not to know that the LORD God of Israel gave the kingdom over Israel to David for ever, even to him and to his sons by a covenant of salt?

Mark 9:50 says in part, “…Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.” To have salt in yourself really means to know who your Father is, to be claimed and redeemed, to be in a covenant with Him. It speaks to being secure and confident in who and what you are.

You have been salted and wrapped in swaddling cloths.

To say, “you are the salt of the earth” is another way to say, you are mine, I have a covenant with you, you are my gift and my promise, kind of like babies are bound to their fathers on the earthly side of things, and kingdoms are sealed and established by a covenant of salt.

Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.