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Let the Little Children Come
Dear Kaelynne and Nolan,
Welcome to the family!
Today you are being baptized, being made a part of God’s family through the church. What a glorious occasion, a time to celebrate the life and joy you bring to your families and for our church family to rejoice in seeing two new members added. On this day, we all witness the fulfillment of God’s challenge to Adam and Eve to love one another and fill the earth, God’s promise to Noah to preserve life forever, Jesus’ unconditional love for his children of all ages, and the church’s fidelity to raising up new generations of saints. Today, we are blessed!
Even though you won’t remember it, today is one of the important days of your life, as you experience God’s grace in a way none of us can fully understand. Today is important for your parents as they make a vow before God and this community to teach you about God’s ways and nurture you in the church. And this day is important to the members of this congregation as we also promise before God to love and care for you as our brother and sister in Christ.
How blessed both of you are, for the families you were born into are caring and thoughtful, dedicated to knowing God and sharing God’s love with others. Your families are wonderful; they love and cherish you. Nolan, your parents will teach you that your body is a temple, and that how you care for it is an extension of how you care for God, who lives inside of you. Kaelynne, you will grow up with literal songs of joy and praise in your house. Your sister and your parents will ensure you grow up with seeking God’s heart and knowing God’s mind.
You also are blessed because your parents have chosen to give you a second family, God’s family at this church. Even in these early months, you will make friends with Anya and Rebecca, Owen and Bennett. You’ll play in the nursery together. You’ll take one another’s toys. You’ll probably have a biting incident or two along the way. But you’ll also learn to sing, “Jesus Loves Me” in tune, you’ll play at Vacation Bible School. You’ll receive your first Bible together and you’ll learn the Lord’s Prayer in Sunday School. Your grand god-parents will spoil you with prayers and cards. Your Sunday School teachers will sing and play with you. Older people will pinch your cheeks and teenagers will change your dirty diapers. Through your baptism, your family will grow in number and in love!
Your parents choose to have you baptized, even though you won’t remember this occasion. They will make promises on your behalf to teach you about Jesus. We as a congregation make promises to love you as our own. But today, God’s actions are the ones that count. We baptize you with water at this young age because we believe that God does the holy, saving, grace-filled action when that water rolls down on your head. We dedicate your life to Christ in your earliest days because all of us come before God as infants and toddlers: we all are wholly and utterly dependent on God’s grace and mercy for forgiveness, for salvation, for a new life that is based in the Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward work that God does in you. The water is the arms of Jesus wrapping you in love.
Probably the first religious song you will learn is Jesus Loves Me. We know Jesus loves both of you, because the Bible has a story about his love for children. Jesus was teaching his disciples and friends very important lessons one afternoon. Some women in the crowd came to listen to Jesus and had their babies and their little children with them. The little children were fascinated by Jesus. He was so kind and gentle. He had a smile that was friendly and caring. He was irresistible. And so one at a time, the children crept up to him. Finally, two brash toddlers broke through the crowd and ran straight toward Jesus. Some of Jesus’ friends were horrified – little children should not interrupt grown ups. You will probably witness this lesson time and time again.
But Jesus didn’t see this little boy’s and little girl’s hug as an interruption. He saw it as an opportunity to show love. He scooped them up in his arms, sat them on his lap, praised them to the crowd of adults and gave them a blessing. He touched their face and their arms. He laid his hands on their heads. He embraced them with God’s love.
In just a few moments, your parents will bring you to the font, to be embraced with the water of God’s grace and God’s love. Water is necessary for life. We grow in water and we are made of water. Water washes us clean. Water revives us, refreshes us, and gives us a clean start. Jesus went down into the water of the Jordan River at the time of his baptism, where the water washed over him and the Holy Spirit fell upon him. He then emerged and began his public ministry, offering healing, hope, care and the good news of God’s closeness to a lost and lonely world.
When you come to this font, the water may seem small and insignificant. But in this small bowl, resides the power of God’s spirit ready to pour upon you. The water here represents the love of God that is as wide and deep as the ocean. It is a reminder that God’s presence is as powerful and forceful as thundering waterfall. This water embodies the peace of God that is as gentle as a bubbling stream. This water will become the spirit of God that is as surprising as a tear of joy. This water will wash you clean and begin your journey as one of God’s chosen people, utterly and completely loved by God.
When you are asked to remember your baptism in the years to come, you won’t be able to call up this day in your memory banks. You can look at pictures, read through the bulletin with your name in it, but you won’t be able to recall the words that we said or the prayers that were offered or the songs we sang. You won’t be able to remember the feeling of the cool water flowing over your thin hair and down onto your warm, baby body.
But I do hope you can remember this about your baptism: on this day, you were wrapped in the arms of Jesus. He drew you onto his lap and told you that you are special to him, that he loves you and that in the eyes of God you are precious and beloved. The liturgy today will tell you and all of your new brothers and sisters in this place that God’s gift of grace, love, and salvation is offered to us without price. Grace comes in baptism because you, too, are priceless to God.
So, Kaelynne and Nolan, welcome to God’s family. God’s grace is poured out on you today as you begin your journey with Christ. Throughout your life, remember your baptism and be thankful. Remember that you have been washed with the water of God’s grace and mercy. Remember that you are beloved by God and live your life in love with those you meet. Amen.