In early November we gathered for worship at the Anthem Community Park and five were presented for baptism. It was a blessed day as we worshiped, celebrated, and played together.
Baptism is a beautiful and profound part of Christian identity. In the baptism ceremony of infants, parents affirm that they trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior and promise to raise their children in the faith. In doing so, they are proclaiming to the world and to God, that they already know that God has a claim on that child, that God is intertwined with who they are and they promise to play an active part in helping the child understand, appreciate, and rely on their identity in Christ. As individuals present themselves for baptism, they promise to fight their tendencies to sin, and to trust completely in God. Again, recognizing that God is already at work in their lives and that they believe they cannot separate their identify from God. It is a public profession that God is essential to who they are. Our baptism doesn’t end when all the parties recite the words and make the vow because baptism is a covenant, and covenants are a multiple party commitment. In baptism we are reminded of God’s constant, forgiving, unfailing love in our lives– and in baptism we proclaim that we are a willing participant in God’s relentless activities to renew the world. On the first Sunday of November we held worship by a lake in a community park to officiate and celebrate the baptisms of four children and one adult. God’s nearness and goodness refreshed all who attended.
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