A Sacrament of Belonging.

On Sunday, November 5, the 22nd day after Pentecost, we brought our son forward to be baptized. Many friends were able to join us for the ceremony and the following reception at our home. During the baptism, Soul-baby was calm and mellow, as he usually is. He rested contentedly in the arms of our Senior priest and trailed his small pudgy fingers through the font's shining water. His curly blonde locks were sprinkled with water and he was carried around the sanctuary as a sign of belonging and welcome into the church family we have come to call home.

We have grown to cherish the beauty and grace of infant baptism. It has become a visual symbol to us of our charge as parents to prepare the soil of our children's hearts and souls with loving, nurturing care. We see baptism as a nourishing ingredient of the soil. Through it,we express the hope that as they grow and as God plants seeds of knowing and yearning in the soil of their hearts and souls, they might readily recognize and respond to him, flourishing in response to his goodness and love.