The Promise of God’s Baptismal Waters

It was a fun Sunday back. We had three baptisms at our 10:30am worship, we celebrated baptism of our Lord and had a baptism reunion with some of the families who had a member baptized at Grace in the past year. My day was filled with adorable children and babies. We had the opportunity to remember as well, God’s declaration to us all that we are God’s beloved, claimed in the waters of baptism and marked with the cross of Christ now and forever. For those of us not baptized we were reminded that we are still made in the image of God and invited to the waters.

Next week, we will remember three people who have died in the faith recently.  Kathy and Jason Beekman, whose funerals will be on Thursday January 19th at 11am and Shirley Jacobson whose funeral will be on Monday, January 16th at 11am. It is a different opportunity to remember and rejoice in the significance of baptism. The traditional LBW liturgy for a funeral service begins with a thanksgiving for baptism, reminding us that in baptism we were baptized into Christ’s death and because of this we too will be united with Christ in the resurrection. This is the promise we cling to at these moments of heartache and grief. Our God has claimed us. As Isaiah states: “when you walk through the waters I will be with you. God is with us in the waters of baptism, in the difficult waters of life, in our dying and in our rising. We can rejoice and give thanks in the moments of welcoming new people into our community of faith through baptism, and the promise that holds us as we commend our loved ones into the arms of our merciful Savior”.

Wherever you are in life right now, I pray that God’s lifegiving, and promise-filled waters will continue to nourish you in life, and in faith. 

Pastor Joanna Mitchell