August 5, 2002
It takes a village to baptize
___ After postponing their public profession of faith in Christ nearly two years because they were afraid to walk down the church aisle and be baptized, our two boys decided the whole affair was rather fun.
___ "I wish we could do this at least once a year," Garrett declared as he changed from his wet baptismal robe into his dry church clothes.
___ He was happy on the upside, even though he got water up his nose as he went under.
___ Luke and Garrett both were full of questions as they "suited up" in the baptismal changing room. They wanted to quiz the pastor on a number of matters before they hit the water.
MARK WINGFIELD
___ A member of the baptismal committee had called during the week to instruct the boys to bring swimsuits to wear under the white robes provided by the church. "Do girls wear bikinis under their robes?" Luke asked the pastor.
___ The pastor, wisely, said he didn't know.
___ "Has anyone ever peed in the water?" Garrett asked, drawing an obvious comparison between the baptistry and a public swimming pool.
___ Again, the pastor confessed he couldn't say for sure. "But we do drain the water immediately after each service," he offered.
___ Other than not being able to locate Alison in the congregation when we came out in mid-service, the day was a great success. The boys weren't nearly as nervous as I was, and they received lots of affirmation from fellow church members.
___ One of the traditions at our church is for the pastor to invite all those who have some direct connection to the person being baptized to stand in honor of their baptism.
___ Luke said he was amazed as he surveyed the Sunday School teachers, missions leaders, choir leaders and others who were standing in the sanctuary that day--each having some part in nurturing his faith.
___ "It looked like half the church was standing up," he said.
___That, I explained to him, is what a church family is all about. It does, indeed, take a village to raise a child.
___As my boys were baptized, the warmth and encouragement of the congregation touched me.
___True to form for the Wingfields, this solemn time was not without its humorous moments.
___Prior to their baptism, our pastor mentioned that by coincidence, the sermon that day just happened to be about the famous Bible twins, Jacob and Esau. We all got a kick out of that, but at the same time, I prayed that the boys wouldn't ever cause each other grief the way Jacob did to Esau. It does get a bit dicey at our house when the boys start fighting, but they normally get along quite well.
___When people are baptized at our church, small votive candles are lit within reach of the baptistry, one for each baptism that day. After a person is baptized, our pastor dips his finger in salt (also nearby) and tells the person that he or she is the salt of the earth. Then he hands them a candle and says "You are the light of the world," and they walk out of the baptistry holding the light.
ALISON WINGFIELD
___ This moving ceremony was briefly interrupted after Luke was baptized, because Garrett's candle had gone out. So, prior to handing Luke his candle, the minister said we need to make sure Garrett is a light of the world too, and lit a candle with Luke's candle.
___ One of the meanings of Luke's name is "bearer of light." And now that our prayers for our boys to accept the light of Jesus have been answered, we pray that they both might bear the light to others and light the flame of faith wherever they go.
PREVIOUS HE SAID/ SHE SAID COLUMNS:
2001: 1/1, 1/8, 1/22, 2/5, 2/12, 3/5, 4_19, 4/2, 4/23, 5/14 6/11, 6/25, 7/9, 7/23, 8/13, 9/3, 9/17, 10/9, 11/26, 12/3, 12/17
2002: 1/14, 2/4, 3/11, 4/8, 5/20, 6/24
Get printer-friendly version of this story
Send this story to a friend
News of religion, faith, missions, Bible study and Christian ministry among Texas Baptist churches, in the Southern Baptist Convention ( SBC ) and around the world.
Contents/ Masthead / Why We're Here / Links / Archive / E-mail us/ SUBSCRIBE!
