Sunday, January 08, 2017

Baptism: Profound Comfort for Parents

Mark 1:9-12 by Rev. David L.S. Robertson
Series:What We Believe as Followers of the Way of Jesus

In the tradition of the early Celtic church, when the child is baptized they are taken by the pastor and given to a member of the congregation. The child is introduced to the congregation and eventually, the child is given back to the parents. The meaning behind this tradition is extraordinarily meaning filled. You see, the Celtic Christians understand that every child born is a child of God and born into a community—a family of faith. Baptism celebrates the wonder and holy nature of birth by recognizing the mystery that we are born as sons and daughters of God into a community of faith. After the child has been given to a member of the congregation, formal words of welcome are said and that person places the child back into the arms of the parents. As the child is placed back into the arms of the parents, it’s like the community of faith is saying we trust you, we support you, and we love you as you take care of and raise our child in your home. The community of faith participates at a deeply spiritual place within the child’s family life. They hear the child’s name. They lay hands upon the child. They bless the child and together with the child’s parents they reaffirm their commitment to following the wisdom and way of Jesus. It’s not uncommon to notice that the lights seem brighter, or that there are more voices in the room than there are people as the ancient words of faith are spoken. It’s like the heavens open and the thin veil is pulled back that separates us from who we are and all the saints who have gone before us. We have the sense that we are together with the whole family of God. Baptism should give us pause. It should evoke within us profound comfort that comes from resting clearly in our identity as ones born of God. This is the way our tradition names who we are. This is the way that the tradition sets before us the statutes and ordinances that guide us with answers to the question of “how then, shall we live?” For me, this is both mysterious and cosmic.
Duration:9 mins 23 secs