Children in grades 5 and below will be learning about baptism this Sunday. Do you remember when your children were baptized? I remember finding it much more emotional than I thought it would be. I even had trouble not getting teary eyed as promises were made to raise my child as a disciple of Jesus. It is a BIG promise and not to be taken lightly. What does it mean? In a bit of research I've done, I've found some of the chief components that help this promise become a reality are: making church a priority, encouraging Christian friendships, making faith a part of our everyday life as we read, pray, discuss. It also means praying for our children.
And, not only do we promise to raise our own child in the teachings of Jesus, we promise to support the other children of our congregation in their faith as well. I saw that promise at work on our Faith Formation Hayride at the farm where other parents were helping children on and off the wagon and assisting them as they picked crops. I see that promise every Sunday with our Sunday School teachers as they strive to make class meaningful and fun and reach out to individual children who need an extra dose of love and care. It can be very powerful to have other adults in our children's lives who cares about them and model Jesus.
As we remember our baptism this week, remember those promises you made for your children and remember how much God loves us and wants relationship with us.
