Two Babies Baptized

Today Lucy and Elliot were baptized! 




Despite several days of what I hoped would be adequate preparation for Lucy--(repeating again and again that "baptize" means water on your head by a nice man named Mr. Davis and that it's all happening Sunday!) -- she was completely horrified.




Neither of us grew up Presbyterian, so the concept of infant baptism was foreign to both of us.  We were acquainted with "baby dedications" and assumed that's what the baptism would be - plus some water. 
 

In fact, our church recognizes both paedobaptism (infant baptism) and credobaptism (baptism of faith).  Our church baptizes infants because baptism is a sign of the covenant Christ fulfilled - one of grace and mercy for any who believe in Him.  Just like circumcision in the old testament was a sign of the covenant between God and Abraham to bless him and his offspring (which He did, through Christ). 
 

It's not a baptism to "save" Lucy or Elliot -- rather, it's a sign of the promise that God has made -- to love them (more than we ever could) so that they can some day begin to be freed from their sin... free to worship Him, instead of themselves. 
 

So it was a (stressful, but) exciting day for us!  I remember my 9th grade teacher going on and on about ceremony.  I can't remember exactly what she said, but it had to do with the importance of ceremony.  Today I was grateful for ceremony -- the opportunity to remember God's goodness to us in the presence of other believers and our children.  Really cool.
 

We were hugely blessed to have the company of many family members at the ceremony and then at a brunch afterward at our house. 



And also very blessed to have these pictures - thank you, Nickie!