"You are Beloved of God....."
[The Anglican Digest, Easter 2008]

                    In the Sacrament of Baptism, the Church through the priest and the congregation reach out to the one being Baptized and say on behalf of God Almighty: "You are my beloved son or daughter. In you I am well pleased!"

          If that sounds familiar, it should. That was what Jesus experienced at His Baptism in the River Jordan (c. Mt 3:17). And it is a marvelous message or affirmation. In it we hear at a profound level the affirmation that we are created in the image and likeness of God, unique, one of a kind, irreplacable, special, a work of beauty, and a person endowed with the ability to create and to love _ the image of God!

          This is a message which needs to be heard loud and clear in our world today. There are so many hurting, lonely people, who end up on drugs or alcohol or making a name for themselves by violent behavior. And the culture around us tells us again and again that we are not "okay" unless we own or buy or have what is being sold to us through the media.

          But this vision of God, which was shown to us in complete form in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, is not something we can embrace in a moment. We do not learn that we are beloved of God simply from this Baptism service. It is an awareness that has to grow within us and be experienced by us from the interaction with others who seek to live out the Gospel.

          That's where Baptism is the beginning of a journey. Along the way, the love from family and friends, and from other Christian people, will continue the affirmation process. Eventually, the awareness can sink deep into our consciousness and we can pray with David: "I will thank you because I am marvelously made; your works are wonderful, and I know it well" (Psalm 139:13).

          Parents promise God in the Baptism event that they will be "responsible for seeing that the child you present is brought up in the Christian faith and life (BCP p. 302). The home is indeed the first place where this vision of being beloved by God can be taught and experienced.

          Godparents used to promise to care for and raise the child if something happened to the parents. Now the promise is to take a special interest in the child, in his or her growth and development. That means expressing that love and affirmation to them that adds to what they experience in the home. Whatever action is possible, it is directed toward helping "this child to grow into the full stature of Christ" (p. 302).

          As a congregation we make a promise also when we Baptize a child. We promise to "do all in our power to support these persons in their life in Christ" (BCP p. 303). This means we will affirm them when we encounter them at worship or in the activities of parish life. It also means that we as a congregation will organize educational programs and good experiences, such as Sunday School, Camp and the like to continue the affirmation as they grow into adulthood.

          Baptism, therefore, is more than the entrance rite into a Church. It is initiation into a whole people (the Christian Community throughout the world) who seek to live out God's vision for human relationships and God's vision for how we handle our things and the resources of the earth. 

           When a child is born, we begin to look forward to what their life might become. We teach them to care for themselves, to read and write, to play, to learn music or games, and such. We need also to teach them to pray and to worship, and to learn that they are beloved of God and called to share God's love and vision with others. What a beautiful challenge!

Fr. Joseph Neiman