I Do

Jada was baptized this morning, along with three other kids at our church. It was a special day for our family, made even more special by the attendance of Amy’s parents, Amy’s brother and sister-in-law, and my sister.

I’ve sat in the pews at Woodland for countless baptisms of people of all ages. Every time they get to the part where the congregation is asked if it will do its part to help that person (or his or her parents, if it’s a child) follow Jesus, I take my “I do” seriously. And I know the person to my left and my right take it seriously too. And so it was a wonderful thing to observe this baptism not from the pews but from the front, and hear an entire sanctuary full of people say “I do” to the question of whether they would help Amy and I raise Jada to follow Jesus.

As a baptized member of Woodland, Jada was able to participate in her first communion later on in the service. As much as I tried to whisper an explanation in her ear, I don’t think she quite got what it meant to eat the broken-off piece of bread dipped in grape juice. But I guess that’s on us to keep explaining what it means to be part of a worldwide body that partakes in a spiritual relationship with an eternal God. It’s up to us to keep on explaining that mystery, and up to us and to the whole congregation that said “I do” this morning to live that out for her to see, experience, and eventually contribute to.