December 27, 2024
Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you. I’ll be with you as you do this, day after day after day, right up to the end of the age.” ~ Matthew 28:19 The Message Translation
I got one of the best Christmas presents ever on December 15 of this year. That Sunday, I had the incredible experience of baptizing three children, siblings for whom the time seemed right to them and their parents. I’ve baptized many people over the years. I recall the joy of baptizing a ninety-two-year-old woman in Hawaii. She grew up Buddhist and was an active part of the church for decades. She waited until her spouse (a devout Buddhist) passed away to be baptized. I’ve baptized adults and youth in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. As a hospital chaplain in Milwaukee, I was called on to baptize babies who did not survive birth. I’ve sprinkled children and adults, in church sanctuaries, in homes, and in parks. But what happened on December 15 was something I’ve never experienced.
I’d given the Benediction (from Latin: to speak a good word or give a blessing) and recessed down the church aisle. I said “amen,” then waited to greet people as they left. Newly baptized nine-year-old Jackson (one of the three siblings baptized), hopped out of his pew, raised his hands like a soccer player who’d just scored the winning goal and ran down the aisle yelling, “I’m baptized!”
Words cannot express the joy I felt. Even as I write about it today, my eyes tear up as I see his joy which spreads to me. Life isn’t always easy, even for nine-year-old boys. I know because Rod and I raised two of them. Life isn’t always easy for any of us. Remembering who we are and whose we, beloved children of God, helps us in challenging times.
As a young priest, Martin Luther, the great reformer, was neurotically scrupulous. Although he went to confession every day, he still couldn’t shake a sense of guilt and shame. One day, his confessor told him this. “Martin, remember your baptism.” Martin did just that and gradually came to understand the grace by which he was saved.
In the innocent, uninhibited, unself-conscious way of children, Jackson’s victory lap is forever imprinted in my memory. Perhaps hearing this story will imprint the same in your memory.
Lean into the grace of God. Remember your baptism in this season of Christmas, and all the days of your life. ~ Anne
Wayfinding 