The needs of the many ... love thy neighbour

For to this you have been called,
because Christ also suffered for you,
leaving you an example,
so that you might follow in his steps. 1 Peter 2:21

Today is Sunday. As you gather together to hear God's Word, to sing God's praise, and to pray, this is my prayer. I am asking God to begin to shake our contexts - to reveal those presuppositions, presumptions and pretexts which shape how we see, hear, reason and understand. 

Admit it or not, like it or not, each of us is shaped by the 'west.' The west has become synonymous with influence, individuality, independence, capital, consumerism, and consumption - the self has taken center stage in the west; the individual has usurped the communal in our western mindset and our western worldview. Many would ask 'so what?' Well...

When the ways of "I" usurp the self sacrificing ways of The "I AM" the needs of the one override the needs of the rest. It is this shift that enables my wealth to stand in comfortable juxtaposition to their poverty. Our enlightened post-Christian society claims to be driven by knowledge and reason ... yet Spock, this geek icon of rationalism, modern-wisdom and human-reason speaks God's truth into modern life: love others as Jesus loves you. Jesus gave all He is for everyone else.

Look around you. Ask "what do I need?" As I write, I sit in a room surrounded by thousands of dollars worth of things I bought which I barely notice now - I spent from want, thinking of me and without even considering others or their needs. Ask "how will I spend my day? Count the cost. What could those resources have done in the lives of others?" 

This song opens stating truths - when Christ returns, or when we breathe our last breath what value remains in our riches? But do we hear this truth and sing "I surrender all to You" authentically and truthfully?

Probably the biggest question we will ever ask ourselves: Do I really surrender all to God our Father, God our Saviour and God our comforter?

Let us pray - let us ask God to reveal His will and shake our contexts. Holy Spirit move in us to reveal our presuppositions, presumptions and pretexts. Our Father in heaven, break our hearts for what breaks Yours - help us lay down our lives, our lusts, our wants and our worldly desires and take up the cross and truly follow You. Thank You Jesus for your work to restore and redeem us. We pray in the name of Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

A picture is worth a thousand words...

oh no ... not the R word!

Let your light shine before others,

so that they may see your good works and

give glory to your Father in heaven.

Dear Cooper:

We have covered the promises (which we remember means a covenant with God) and the Baptism (which is a Grace of God). As I mentioned earlier - we will now turn our attention back to your parents and God-parents. This illustrates just how seriously we take this idea of covenant making! You might notice that in the Anglican liturgy, we will spend most of our time asking your parents and God-parents questions and encouraging them to teach you to know and love God. You are Baptized as an infant because you come from a "household" dedicated to living as God desires us to live and to submitting to what He teaches (even when we don't "agree" with it or don't like it). 

In this next part, as the priest, I will summarize and confirm what your parents and God-parents have agreed to do by bringing you to Baptism. Some people like to skip over this part to save time - but we are not going to do that! Why? Because what mom and dad, and Bryan and Candice are agreeing to is way too important!

THE DUTIES
The Priest shall say to the God-parents and Parents:

†: Stephanie, Adam, Bryan and Candice, as you have brought this Child Cooper to be baptized into the family of Christ’s Church, and you have promised that he shall renounce the devil and all his works, believe in God, and serve Him - you must remember that it is your duty to see that he is taught what a solemn vow, promise and profession he has made here through you, and be instructed in all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul’s health.

USE all diligence therefore to see that he is virtuously brought up to lead a godly and a Christian life; and to that end, you should teach him to pray, and bring him to take his part in public worship of our Loving God.

TAKE care that he be taught the Creed, the Ten Commandments and the Lord’s Prayer, and be further instructed in the Church Catechism; and then that he be brought to the Bishop to be confirmed by him; so that he may be strengthened by the Holy Spirit, and may come to receive the holy Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, and to go forth into the world to serve God faithfully in the fellowship of his Church.

REMEMBER always that Baptism represents our profession; which is, to follow our Saviour Jesus Christ, and to be transformed into His likeness; that as he died and rose again for us, so should we, who are baptized, die from sin, and rise again unto righteousness, continually turning from all evil desires, and daily increasing in all virtue and godliness of living.

WILL you be faithful in the fulfillment of these duties?

God-parents and parents: I will, with God’s help.

†: GRANT, O Lord, that this Child may by thy mercy grow in health of body and mind, and serve thee faithfully according to thy will all the days of his life; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Note to Cooper: this next bit is not in the ancient liturgy but in some ways it completes what we have been talking about. Your mom and dad will read a part of the Scripture we started with. They will then light a candle from the Paschal candle and pass it to Bryan and Candice. Why? Because I hope that just as you remember to celebrate your birthday, you will remember to celebrate your new-birth day. As we light candles to mark your birth, I hope you will light this candle to remind of your new birth in Jesus and that Jesus commands you to be a light of the world. Being a Christian is about following Jesus and doing as He has taught. It is an active life, not a passive condition.

Stephanie: ‘You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hidden. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under a bowl, but on the lamp-stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Adam: In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.'

Together Stephanie and Adam light the Baptismal Candle and hand it to Candice and Bryan

† (taking Cooper and saying to the congregation):
I am pleased now to present to you Cooper, a child of God and an heir through hope of everlasting life.
All: Amen.

That is enough for today!

be blessed

†HE

Saturday, January 28, 2017

I Baptize you ...

Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus
 were baptized into His death? We were therefore buried with Him
through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

For if we have been united with Him in a death like His,
we will certainly also be united with Him in a resurrection like His.
For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— because anyone who has died has been set free from sin. Romans 6

Dear Cooper:

Now we move to the very ancient rite practiced in the Church in the Anglican tradition.

I hope we will be able to have the font at the back of the Church. Why? Because I love your Great grandma, and she asked if we could do this. When she was a little girl, she was told the font is placed near the entrance of the Church building to remind us all as we come to worship God, of our need for Him, and of His Love and His Grace in our redemption and restoration. The font reminds us of God's purpose in our Baptism. There is significance and wisdom in this - God shapes and forms His Church in Baptism - anything that reminds us of this can only be a good thing.

THE BAPTISM
Moving to and standing at the Font - Bryan or Candice will carry you to the font.

†: THE Lord be with you;
All: And with thy spirit.
†: Lift up your hearts;
All: We lift them up unto the Lord.
†: Let us give thanks unto our Lord God;
All: It is meet and right so to do.

†: IT is very meet, right, and our bounden duty, that we should at all times, and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O Lord, Holy Father, Almighty, Everlasting God, that your most dearly beloved Son did shed His most precious blood upon the Cross for the forgiveness of our sins; and after His glorious Resurrection gave commandment to His disciples, saying, all power is given to me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

REGARD the prayers of your Church. Sanctify this Water to the mystical washing away of sin; and grant that this Child, now to be baptized therein, may receive the fullness of your grace and ever remain in the number of your faithful and elect children; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, be all honour and glory, throughout all ages, world without end.
All: Amen.

Here, Cooper is where I finally get to hold you - taking you from Bryan or Candice I will ask your God-parents:
†: Name this Child.
God-parents: Cooper James

†: Cooper James, I BAPTIZE you in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

†: WE receive this Child into the Congregation of Christ’s flock, and do *sign him with the sign of the Cross, in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the faith of Christ crucified, and to fight under Christ’s banner against sin, the world, and the devil, and to continue as Christ’s faithful soldier and servant unto his life’s end.

All: Amen.

Adda will sing: No Longer Slaves

During the song we will return to the front of the Church

†: SEEING now, dearly beloved, that this Child is regenerated and grafted into the body of Christ’s Church, let us give thanks unto Almighty God for these benefits, and with one accord make our prayers unto him, that this Child may lead the rest of his life according to this beginning.

ALL: WE give you thanks, most merciful Father, that it pleases You to regenerate this Child with your Holy Spirit, to receive him as your own Child by adoption, and to make him a member of your holy Church. Grant, O Lord, that being baptized into the death of Christ, he may also be made partaker of his resurrection, so that serving You here in newness of life, he may finally, with your holy Church, inherit your everlasting kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

And that is that. With humble hearts, a desire to do God's will, and a few simple words and actions, it is done. When you think about it - it really is an awesome act of Love ... multifaceted, multi-level, multi-directional, multi-dimensional Love ... a Love that saves and a love that unifies us with God and with each other.

That's enough for today.

Be blessed

†HE
Friday, January 27, 2017

"I promise ... actually no! I covenant."

Dear Cooper:

In the Anglican tradition the Baptism happens in three (not surprising!) parts. The promises, the Baptism and the Duties. The promises are the covenant that your God-parents are making with and before God. Then you are Baptized. Then (because the promises are so important) I take a moment to remind your God-parents of their promises and what they mean, and I ask them if they really intend to follow through! If there are any hesitations about these covenant promises we should chat about them pretty soon.

So what are the promises? Well - here is the text we will follow:

THE PROMISES
Then the Priest will say to the God-parents:
†: Candice, Bryan and Adam, you have prayed that our Lord Jesus Christ will receive, cleanse, and sanctify this child, and grant him the blessing of eternal life, which things Christ, for His part, will most surely do. And now this child, on his part, must through you, his God-parents, promise and vow that he will renounce the devil and all his works, believe in Christ, and obediently keep God’s commandments.

†: I demand therefore: DO you, in the name of this child, renounce the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous desires of the same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that you will not follow nor be led by them?
God-parents: I do.

†: Let us all recite the Articles of our Belief.

All:

I BELIEVE in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and buried. He descended into hell. The third day He rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven, and is seated on the right hand of God the Father Almighty. He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Ghost, the holy Catholic Church, the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen.

Then the Priest will say to the God-parents:
†: DO you, in the name of this child, profess this faith?
God-parents: I do.

†: DO you, in the name of this child, seek Baptism into this faith?
God-parents: I do.

†: DO you, in the name of this child, acknowledge the duty to keep God’s holy will and commandments, walking steadfastly in the Way of Christ?
God-parents: I do.

†: Do you promise to pray for this child, and take care that he may learn and do all these things?
God-parents: I do.

†: O MERCIFUL God, grant that all sinful desires may die in this child, and that all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in him.
All: Amen.

†: GRANT that he may have power and strength to have victory, and to triumph against the devil, the world, and the flesh.
All: Amen.

†: GRANT that all here who today may turn to you, and begin to walk in your ways, may continue to live according to your will, and know the light of your love forever.
All: Amen.

†: GRANT that this child here dedicated to You by this sacrament and ministry may also receive through your mercy heavenly virtues and everlasting blessings. We humbly ask this, O blessed Lord God, who does live, and govern all things, world without end.
All: Amen.

One reaction to this is: "Wow, it feels like my wedding all over again!" Exactly! Just like a wedding covenant this is a covenant and must be taken just as seriously. So just like a wedding, if there are any uncertainties, we must deal with them sooner rather than later.

So that is the end of the promises. If all goes well we can move on to the actual Baptism.

Please encourage mom and dad, and your God-parents to read these statements over and pray about each. It is completely OK for them to discuss them with their pastors, or call me if they have any concerns or any questions. Cooper, the very last thing we want is for anyone to make a promise to God that they are uncertain about. Covenants are a big deal - we really need to take them seriously and be confident we can faithfully do all we are saying we will do.

That's enough for today.

Be blessed

†HE
Thursday, January 26, 2017

Getting on with it ...

Cooper - as we approach your Baptism your Dad will say: Hear God’s Word written in the 10th chapter of the Gospel of Mark, beginning at the 13th verse.

They brought young children to Jesus, that He might touch them and bless them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought the children. When Jesus saw it, He was very displeased and said to the disciples, “Allow the little children to come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the kingdom of God. Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall not enter it.” And Jesus took the children up in His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them.

Dear Cooper:

Ok - time to get on with walking through the service and your Baptism. After the proclamation of the Word we will join together in making a very old declaration of what we believe as Christians. It is very hard to summarize what Christians believe in a short statement of faith. There have been many attempts over the years. Historically we first hear of an "Apostles’ Creed" in a letter dated around 390 AD - a long time ago. Today Adda will sing a song that states 12 things Christians have believed to be indisputable truths from the very beginning of the Church - each statement comes from the Bible.

After this song I will read a statement telling what we believe about Baptism (ya, I know what you are thinking. It took me two weeks to do it and the prayer book does it in two paragraphs - I told you; if there is a long way I'll take it!). The prayer acknowledges that we are sinful, that we really need God, that He calls us to Baptism, and that Baptism is necessary for our salvation. We will all then pray together a very old prayer of surrender to God's will. Your dad will read for us from the Gospel (see above). And finally, we will come before God humbly and obediently in a prayer thanking Him for His redeeming work, asking Him to take us and make us His children, and claiming His promises in Baptism.

After this we will move on to the promises your God-parents are making to God. So that is for tomorrow.

Be blessed

t HE

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Life happens. Death happens too.

And the dust returns to the earth as it was,

and the spirit returns to God who gave it. Ecclesiastes 12:7

Dear Cooper:

Sorry I did not post for the last few days!

Saturday I attended a funeral for a boyhood friend (and a fellow pipe band drummer) who died suddenly last week. It was a sad day - a nostalgic day - it was a day for asking two of the biggest questions we tend to ask in this generation. First - what happens when we have breathed our last breath? Second - what is this life about? I say this without any particular authority - but in my experience it seems true - everyone has a sense that there is more to our lives than the joys, struggles, trials and victories that we experience between our births and deaths. Having this sense, those two big questions need answers and those answers should impact the way we live our lives.

For the Christian we know there is something more. For the Christian the answers to those big questions are centered on God, on His Love for us, on His desire to restore our relationship, and on His calling each of us to reveal Him to others in this world. For the Christian, this life is confessional, transformational and missional. We confess our faith. That faith changes who we are and how we live. Our changed life is given completely to God and His work.

So Cooper, I hope you are hearing echoes of things we have shared over the past few weeks! What I am saying is that in Baptism and in the Eucharist (Communion) you, your parents, your God-parents and your family are declaring that the answers to those big questions we have are found in Christ alone!

So Saturday I heard what was said and I watched what was done and it made me very sad. Is that it? Is that all there is? I thank God that I was not alone. Others confided that they had questions - their questions were not that different from those big questions of ours. They promised me that we would meet and talk - I will call them - but I know that as our sadness ebbs so too will our questions; as life happens, asking what happens next becomes less urgent. So, death still happens.

But for the Christian, death has no sting. In Christ we move from mortal life to life with Him. In Christ, we are born to life beyond death. In Christ we are restored to Life.

We will pick up again tomorrow. I do apologize for the gap in these letters.

Be blessed

t HE

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

The Beginning ...

Dear Cooper:

I thought that maybe today I would walk you through the first part of the service. It is important for everyone to know where they fit in and to feel comfortable as we worship together. Hope this is ok.

After Adda and the worship team lead us in worship we will begin the service at 10am. They will start music at 9:40ish to allow people time to pray and sing to God. It is nice to have a time of calm to begin with.

You will notice we made four choices for our gathering: lots of Bible! lots of worship music! lots of prayers! and as I mentioned the other day, the two sacraments commanded by Jesus.

So as we begin at 10am the worship team chose to celebrate God and His amazing Grace.

This is Amazing Grace

After the song I will pray a prayer called the collect, which is pretty much what it says: a prayer to draw us together, to focus our hearts and minds … to collect us. Then your mom will read our first Scripture reading from Matthew 3 – it tells us about Jesus’ baptism.

After that we sing a song of surrender to God.

Take my life and let it be

I hope and pray that by this time we all will be coming to a place together where we can open ourselves to God’s work in us. A place where we decrease and He increases – a place where we begin to realize how much we need Him and how much He Loves us.

We will hear the great commandments and then your Godparents will read to us from 1st Corinthians 2 and Matthew 5. We will hear how God’s ways are so different from our ways. Then through the Gospel Jesus will tell us a bit about what it is like to follow Him.

The sermon comes next. I like it when the sermon is called the “Proclamation of the Word.” Why? Because too often sermons become about what a preacher wants to say rather than about helping us hear what God says. I am an old man – but let me tell you this – old men can learn a great deal from young priests. When a particular young priest I know proclaimed God’s word, he rarely spoke for more than 10 minutes - in those minutes he beautifully illuminated God’s Word – I can still remember so many of those messages. I have forgotten a ton of long, drawn out sermons. Your great Grandma will remind me: God took 10 verses, you have 10 minutes – use them well and lives will change. I think she is right.

After the proclamation of the Word, we will sing again and then we move on to the Baptism.

No Longer Slaves

Tomorrow we can walk through the first part of the Baptism.

Be blessed

t HE

Friday, January 20, 2017

He trumps presidents!

Dear Cooper:

Can we take a break today? Maybe I can just prattle on a bit? Not sure why - but I just don't feel up to writing the "blog" stuff. Tell you something - when I started this blog for your Baptism I would have guaranteed there'd be no pics of Donald ... so what do I know. As I read the news today I got thinking, it is fair for you to demand of me how this Baptism thing even makes sense in this world.

You know, there are lots of folks who tell the Church to chill, to stop being so darn negative; to stop judging; to just relax! They say we don't need God; the world is beautiful and people are awesome. How dare you cast it as negative! How dare you point at me and say I sin! I’m ok, you're ok – smile, have some fun and be cool.

I confess - sometimes I'd really like to just go about living my life. I'm doing fine. And this would be ok until you really open your eyes; until you open your mind and step outside your own little world. No question you and I are doing fine. Of course we are! But, you know what? We are the “rich” – its true – even you (an infant) are better off than 98% of the rest of the world. Did you know that we, that other 2% of the world, have 98% of the world's wealth – true story. We live in prosperity. Those other 98% are suffering … and somehow us 2%, we think that's ok? How is that possible? And in the end, let me ask you this: are we happy?

I stumbled across this today. 90 years of Time magazine covers in 120 seconds. No doubt there have been moments of wonder – man in space – galaxies far far away first seen – diseases cured – moments of kindness and technological advances. But can we take the exceptions and make them the rule? Sorry to say it, most of our history speaks of hate and hurt…

At 11 seconds, there is Hitler; at 19 seconds, Stalin; at 48 seconds, you read “God is Dead.” If history is a dance, it is true that there are moments of beauty – but sadly – most of our history is discontent and madness without bounds, a wildfire burning out of control.

I suppose the big deal today is that it’s the end of the world as we know it! Tomorrow the Americans get their new president! Some call it great … others are a bit less impressed:

Who knows - we humans have a knack of getting it wrong. What else is happening? Well as I write this the developing stories involve earthquakes, an avalanche, an office tower burning, suicide packs, a rogue nation testing nuclear missiles, the US bombing IS, a foreign army invades an African nation and Paul McCartney is suing Sony for rights to Beatles songs. Pride, greed, anger all leading to despair and desperation.

Cooper, how is it that we continue to go it on our own? We push God away and we claim to have it all under control? We do the same pride-filled greedy stuff over-and-over and seem to expect better results? Isn’t that the definition of insane? You know, really, about the only thing we have not tried is loving God and loving each other. I wonder what that might look like?

So we Baptize. Why? We Baptize because we believe God wants more for us. We Baptize because we believe if we love God and thus love, love, love each other, we will draw closer to who God created us to be. We Baptize because there is more, and that More wants more for us. We Baptize because we know our Redeemer lives - Time was wrong, God is alive - He takes precedence over presidents, He is Lord of lords and He is King of kings.

In case you are wondering, this is my King ...

Be blessed

t HE

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Two sides of the same coin?

Dear Cooper:

How are you, mom and dad making out with your Bible reading? I know it is sometimes really hard to get into the habit of reading each day. I often wonder why bad habits form so easily while good ones seem so hard? But then I remember that sin thing ... and it all makes sense.

Adda, Zach and Aunt Cathy have picked three songs to play as we gather to worship God ... hope you like them?

There are lots of folks reading this blog which is really pretty nice. Everyday, people in Africa, the USA, Europe, and Asia (and Canada!!) are opening the Bible and are pondering with us the mystery and joy and Love God lays before us in the sacrament we call Baptism.

For the next little while, we need to walk through your Baptism – which will follow a very old and beautiful liturgy. I really hope that mom and dad, your godparents, your grandparents, Adda and the worship team, Aunt Cathy, and Victoria will all be ok with the bits of the service they have been asked to do. I hope your Great Uncle is ready as well!

Ok – so the first thing to know is that your Baptism will be part of a Eucharist (sorry, fancy name for Communion) service.

Why? Well, because Baptism and Eucharist are sacraments given us by Jesus, each directing us to our salvation in Him. One might say Baptism is the first step on the Eucharistic path.

In Baptism, as we have said, we are embraced in Christ and we are made alive in Him – we realize our life in His crucifixion and resurrection. Baptism places us within God’s covenant people, His Church. If we say Baptism is the first step (or at least an “early” public step) toward being who God created us to be, then the Eucharist is our encouragement and nourishment on that journey. In the Eucharist we surrender ourselves, our souls, and bodies to God. In the Eucharist we lay down all that we are in a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. In the Eucharist we continue our journey after Christ; we deny our self and we take up the Cross and we follow Him. In the Eucharist we lose our self in His death and passion so that we are made alive in Him – we lose our life for His sake so that we will find life. If this sounds familiar it is because we said all of this about Baptism!

So, Baptism within Eucharist is simply a natural celebration of God’s work in us and passion for us from beginning to end. You might say they are two sides of the same coin ...

Here is the last song chosen to open our worship together …

Be blessed,

t HE

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Wow ... didn't know that!

Dear Cooper:

Your Baptism is on a Sunday which the ancient Church would have called the 5th Sunday in Epiphany.

So here is something you may not know – we often think of the twelve days of Christmas beginning December 13 and ending December 24. Frankly, this is because Christmas has been hijacked by retailers and shopping and all the stuff ‘I want!’ So the twelve days of Christmas have become “the 12 days of super awesome extraordinary christmas specials” to buy buy buy!! - a marketing gimmick to draw people down the slippery slope of dreaming of a consumer christmas. So, that’s not the real deal when it comes to the twelve days of Christmas (despite the old song which has sadly helped give rise to the consumer culture that now surrounds the Christmas season).

The Twelfth Night comes after Christmas. On January 6 the Church celebrates Epiphany – the day the young Jesus is visited by wise men from the east. The visit didn't actually happen when Jesus was 12 days old; its just a day we chose to celebrate the wise men's visit and their epiphany moment! You see, the moment when these wise men see Jesus they just know that He is God! "On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage." Epiphany refers to a moment of clarity when a truth dawns on you – it’s the “oh, wow, now I get it!” moment. In this moment, we can see God's truth spilling over the ethnic, physical and spiritual bounds of Israel to the gentiles - in this moment we see nothing can constrain God's blessing for the world - in this moment we know that wise men will always seek and follow Jesus.

Each Sunday in Epiphany we study parts of Jesus’ life that point us to an Epiphany moment!! At your Baptism we will talk about Jesus’ teaching that Christ followers are the salt of the earth and the light of the world. By hearing who He says we are, we should hear something pretty awesome about who Jesus is!! I love Epiphany because I always walk away from the readings saying "wow! ... didn't know that!"

Be blessed

t HE
Tuesday, January 17, 2017

You have put on Christ.

For as many of you as have been

baptized into Christ have put on Christ. Galatians 3:27

 Dear Cooper:

Only a couple of weeks until your Baptism. I hope you, mom and dad are reading the Bible and praying lots each day. I am praying that you are developing this habit … praying helps us focus on God, His Love for us and our need of Him.

Here is a truth about God. To our mind, He simply makes no sense. The Bible says His ways are far beyond our ability to figure them out. We will spend our entire lives confronted by this truth – we can push back (that is we can try to tame God’s awesome infinite nature and contain it within our ability to understand it), or we can smile and simply be amazed. It is completely reasonable then to say two things – one, we will not fully understand why God commands certain actions and two, we will not fully perceive everything God is doing.

I can truthfully proclaim the spiritual reality of each believers union with Christ in His death and resurrection. I can say water baptism is a 'mark of' or marks that unity. Cooper, I can say death is broken and defeated. I can say that your physical baptism relates to your spiritual baptism. I can say your baptism is public, internal, ceremonial, liturgical, physical, spiritual and wonderful and brings you into association and identification with Jesus; in it you have died to sin and risen to life-eternal in Christ. So while many people ask how, I pray you will simply receive and be thankful … He is risen, He is alive and He extends life to us. God does this and it is awesome.

Through your Baptism you are embraced and entitled to all God’s promises – all that remains is for you to be raised in the knowledge and love of Jesus (mom, dad and God-parents take note here!!) and for you to confess your faith in word and how you live your life. So here we also notice again Baptism is not an act done by a human but a Grace extended by God. The Grace in Baptism is not bound up in your age or my words; the Grace in Baptism reflects God’s nature and His work. The Grace is that you are baptized into Christ and you are now immersed in Him.

t HE

Monday, January 16, 2017

You are a child of God ... and that is everything.

The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. Exodus 14:14

For the Lord your God is He who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies,

to give you the victory. Deuteronomy 20:4

But they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings like eagles;

they shall run and not be weary;

they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

Keep your life free from love of money,

and be content with what you have, for He has said,

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5

I came that they may have life and have it abundantly. John 10:10

Jesus said to him:

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. 

No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Dear Cooper:
So a couple of videos today. Why?

First it is Sunday!! It is a great time to join with God's people and just sing!! Smile at mom - she will sing and dance with you - I think that make's God smile.

Now the Sermon! Try to imagine God. I try to picture Him and as I read the Bible I try to see what He is doing. I don't do a great job of it ... it is hard for my finite imagination to begin to shape His infinite majesty. So - Baptism ... I wonder if just maybe Baptism is something like 4:40 to 5:12 of this video... just thinking out loud. Give it a look.

Now, if you play your cards right - and do that cute smile thing again - mom and dad will put this on the big screen, turn up the volumn and you will convince them to dance around the living room and sing ... so smile and just sing ... God loves you.

You are a child of God. Be blessed

t HE

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Repent and be Baptized

“Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2

Dear Cooper:

Confession – uncertainty and mystery inspires me. I love going to the Bible and imagining all the ways we can read a text. What if the emphasis of the sentence is different? What if the emotion of the speaker is different? What about punctuation – it is assumed – so what if it is changed? What I love is how these questions will reveal the multi-leveled, multi-directional, multi-faceted and magnificent way God moves in creation. What is sad is how ‘christians’ try to impose their certainty where God chose to leave questions.

The Bible makes it pretty clear that somehow, someway a symptom of being Christian is being baptized. We see examples in Scripture of people hearing about Jesus, believing, repenting of their sin, and then being baptized. So, using these narratives folks have presumed a Baptismal formula – essentially this formula is called the "believers baptism.” As we have said, if someone comes to hear, believe, and repent then by all means Baptize!! Baptize and let every Christian celebrate and give thanks for a newborn Christian! Did you know that Great Grandma and Grandpa Edwards were both Baptized long after they were considered ‘infants’. Now that I think about it, Matt, Zach, Adda and Callum were all older as well. True story.

But there is a problem with creating a formula from word order in the Bible - sometimes words are inconveniently out of order or missing. In Greek (the language the New Testament was mostly written in) syntax (that is word order) is less linear than English. And, like it or not, the Bible is not rigorously consistent in Baptism narratives. We have to be careful then not to read into the text things that may not be there. Read Acts 10 for a good example of everything getting out of order – people have received the Holy Spirit without any water baptism at all! None of this variance is biblical error – but it demands that we be very careful drawing our conclusions and creating our formulae.

Here is something else. You were born into a family and a home who profess Jesus to be Lord and Saviour and who stand now within the confessing Church. Nobody, absolutely nobody we read about in the Book of Acts makes this claim. Why? Because the Church of Christ was brand new! – all members were converts to Christianity. If we read Acts really closely we have to concede that this ‘context of conversion’ might impact (perhaps should impact?) our understanding. So at the very least we have a question to ponder about the setting for these baptism stories in relation to the setting of your baptism story – your great grandparents, your grandparents, your mom and dad, your God-parents and your great uncle are professing Christians – so that story, your story is very different. All I am saying here is the "pattern" of your baptism is set differently than the pattern of the Book of Acts baptisms. Does this effect the process of baptism. Maybe, maybe not?

So, think about that for a bit. Your baptism is not writing a new story in Christ's Church, it is the continuation of a very old story told in the faith of your fathers …

t HE

Saturday, January 14, 2017

Is there something in the water?

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

…For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body… 1 Corinthians 12:12-13

Dear Cooper - awhile ago I was asked about this song. I was stumped. What could I possibly say?

I admit it - I was tempted to jump all over the lyric and the thin superficial theology - it would be too easy - the internet is full of that commentary - so lets not do that!

Please remember I have said the water of Baptism remains water - and it does.

Remember I said God is up to something in Baptism beyond what we can sense or even perceive - and He is.

But ... as I thought about this song it occurred to me - you are going to be in the water - and you are something... so both those facts made me think twice about the assertion "there must have been something in the water."

Every baptized Christian has been in the water of Baptism. The Church then has been in that water. You are Loved by God, and you are loved by mom and dad, and you are loved by lots of us - so, love follows you into that water ... the fact that you are there means obedience, trust, and faith are in that water. If God is Love (and He is) and God is infinite (and He is) - then God is in that Water. If God works through that water, then God's amazing Grace is reflected in and through that water. That God chose to mark His covenant and His agency in water suggests there is something about that water. Lives are saved in that water - God moves in, above and through that water. There must be something in the water?  ... perhaps there is?

Washed in the water, washed in the blood ... lines not easily dismissed ...

t HE

Friday, January 13, 2017

... and God poured out His Spirit on them

Affusion

“Afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh;
your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
your old men shall dream dreams,
and your young men shall see visions.
Even on the male and female servants in those days
I will pour out my Spirit.” Joel 2:28-29

“And in the last days it shall be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh,

and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, 
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.” Act 2:17

Dear Cooper:

Yesterday was a rather long post. So, today, a rather short one.

It is fair now for you to ask me: well Uncle Howard, how will I be baptized?

I have thought about this a lot over the last few months. Here is what I am proposing based on all we have covered to this point – we will baptize you, an infant, using flowing (that is pouring) water. The Anglican liturgy allows for immersion (dunking you right in! and that would be great fun) and it allows for aspiration (sprinkling of water; a bit less fun) … but the image of pouring out of God’s Spirit and of God giving of Himself, the Holy Spirit is really awesome and quite significant - so let’s go with that. OK? 

If we are to make a mistake in our choice lets err on the side of assuming the majesty and mystery of God and of submitting to His work. And Cooper remember this: nothing we do can or will limit God in His work – your God knows the beginning, the end and present together; He stands above time and He knows you completely. He will never be thwarted by the likes of me. He pours out His Spirit upon you, He washes away sin and forgives you, and He identifies you in Christ – He marks and seals you with the sign of His covenant and He Loves You. It is accomplished.

‘He marks you with the sign of His covenant’ - there is something we can talk about. But let’s save that for tomorrow.

Be blessed

t HE

Thursday, January 12, 2017

... and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.

Awesome!

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

The earth was formless and void, darkness was over the surface of the deep,

and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water. Genesis 1

... all the fountains of the great deep burst open

and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

On the very same day Noah and the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth,

and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them,

entered the ark. Genesis 7

Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea,

and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night,

and made the sea dry land, so that the waters were divided.

The children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground,

and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left. Exodus 14

Then he consented. And when Jesus was baptized,

immediately he went up from the water, and behold,

the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove

and coming to rest on him. Matthew 3

I want you to know, [our fathers] all passed through the sea,

and all were baptized into Moses in the cloud and in the sea,

and all ate the same supernatural food [and all drank water from the supernatural Rock

and the Rock was Christ,] 1 Corinthians 10

In patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark,

in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water.

Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you. 1 Peter 3

Dear Cooper:

Yesterday we came to a crux of some of the thoughts I have been sharing with you. There are so many ideas about how we “should” perform a Baptism – what is the right way of doing it - what does it means and what happens. In Baptism we find a symphony of thoughts and ideas not easily summarized. That is why I gave you so much 'Bible' today ... it gives us so many images and ideas which we draw on as we ponder Baptism.

So how should we Baptize?

Here is a story. When I was quite little, my Grandma – your great-great Grandmother – bought two toy cars. One was red and one red-and-white. I really wanted the ‘white’ car, but Uncle Dan being oldest got first choice. He said he wanted the ‘red’ one and when Grandma started to hand him the ‘red’ one he said, “no, not that red one, that red one” and he took the red-and-white car. Frankly, I was pretty upset that I did not get the car I wanted! I’ll let it go at some point … maybe.

So, what is the point?

Well its this. Dan looked at the same car and for him the red bits really stood out, so he decided that that particular car was ‘red.’ For me, looking at the same car, the white bits defined the car and thus it was ‘white.’ Every illustration breaks down. But, here is a truth. Some people look at the Baptism bits of the Bible and can’t help but see being ‘identified’ with Jesus; living, dying, buried and resurrected with Him. We already said, those bits are very definitely in the Bible. Others, see God giving of Himself in pouring out the Holy Spirit and this mystery of what God is doing is awesome and it too is very definitely in the Bible. I told you already – the Bible clearly says Baptize but does not provide a clear instruction manual. So, people (trying to be obedient) have done what they ‘see’ revealed to them in the Bible. And there is so much to see that we should not be surprised, or upset when different people see different things a bit differently. But your are right; we still need to take care that we are hearing and seeing God.

As we talk about Baptism we must ask: are we seeing the whole thing, or just the bits or just a picture? Baptism is wonderful ...

I have to say this also. People I really admire and respect, and who have done awesome jobs teaching us how to read the Bible and helping us hear what God is saying have really disappointed me when it comes to Baptism. I don’t know why, but instead of focusing on what God is doing in Baptism, they go off and argue about the correctness of affusion or immersion. It all ends up feeling just wrong. We need to be careful.

Me, I think it is better in moments like this to ask: I wonder why God did it like this? Why not lay out the qualifications for Baptism? Why not give criteria? Why not write out the instructions? Maybe, if we think about it, Baptism means a little bit more. Maybe it is better to ponder the truth behind the water and see the majesty and glory of the One above the waters, whose Holy Spirit moved over the deep, who parted the waters and whose Word was spoken. Think on Him. Think about what He is up to, and thank Him for reaching out to you, claiming you and calling you His own.

As all creation sings, hear the symphony … not just the drip of water.

In Baptism we are identified with Jesus, the Holy Spirit is given and we are washed free of sin.

Those are the big ideas over the past few days. God does it, not me – and I am good with that.

t HE

Wednesday, January 11, 2017