Baptism

This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending the baptism of our close friends' baby (Gavin is exactly 24 hours older than my daughter Adah). It was a joint service between Christ Church Somerville (where his mom is senior warden) and St Luke's and St Margaret's, Brighton (where his dad is the vicar). I don't often get the chance just to attend church, and it was a treat to be at a baptism where I didn't have to do anything! In the sermon, the preacher (Chris Fike, from CC Somerville) talked about how baptism is the very best gift anyone can give a baby. We don't baptize babies because they're sinful, he said, and we don't baptize babies to keep them from going to hell. We baptize them to welcome them into the "household of God," as the prayer says, to invite them to take their place in the councils of the church and our work together. Gavin's ministry so far is mostly one of love--he loves and is loved--and in the eyes of God, that is enough.

Baptism is a gift: it is a gift to raise a child in a Christian community where they know that no matter what, they will always be loved. Church isn't just an activity to be squeezed in next to all the other activities in our lives; church is an identity, a way of being in the world (all seven days--not just on Sundays). It's an event, not a location. In the words of William Stringfellow (thanks to Gene Burkart for passing this on)--"God's people are called now, not now and then." We are called to love and be loved. And no matter what we do, however diligent or half hearted we are, baptism can never be revoked. You can't lose it, and you can't give it back.

But we are forgetful people--every baptism we celebrate is a reminder of our own baptisms; we say the baptismal covenant together to support the newly baptized and their families and to recommit ourselves. We need to do it, need to make those promises again and again--to respect the dignity of every human being, to seek and serve Christ in all persons, to love our neighbors as ourselves.

This Sunday at our 10 AM service, we'll gather at the font with Claire Mailman and Henry Nolte (his older brother, Griffin, was baptized at Christ Church a few years ago). As part of our regular children's service, all the kids will gather around the font and remember the gift that they were each given. They might not know exactly what it means, or quite grasp all the intricacies of the Trinity and the sacraments. That's not important right now--they know enough: baptism is a party! When else do we get to throw water around inside? The whole season of Easter is one big celebration of the resurrection, and every baptism connects us to that incredible event. In baptism, we join with Christ in his baptism, and we are raised with him to a new life of peace, justice, and love. And with every drop of holy water on every person's head, the gifts multiply and the joy extends. Thanks be to God.

Blessings,
Sara+