Rethinking Our Baptisms and Connecting It With Others

We've had several baptisms at St C's Church recently which has reminded me of the sending worship service we had with YAGM where we relived our baptisms while a YAGM Alumn sang this song.  It was a very moving part of the worship where we all took our shoes off and walked through the 'waters' of the font, then had our feet dried by our other Alumni accompanists for the week.  I don't think anyone put their shoes on afterwards, and we all finished our time together in Chicago barefooted and bare souled.

It was one of the moments before we left for our years of service that stuck out to me as meaningful, and I think the best way to explain it is to refer to Luther's Large Catechism:

“Suppose there were a physician who had so much skill that people would not die, or even though they died would afterward live eternally. Just think how the world would snow and rain money upon such a person! Because of the throng of rich people crowding around, no one else would be able to get access. Now, here in baptism there is brought, free of charge, to each person’s door such a treasure and medicine that swallows up death and keeps all people alive.”

In our baptisms, we are all made equally loved children of God, and in this day where I hear something about the refugee crisis in Europe nearly every day on BBC news this is something important to remember.  Even should they not all be baptized Christians, they are all loved Children of God just as much as I am, and they are my siblings in this love.  The language surrounding my brothers and sisters in news articles and radio reports can be extremely xenophobic as the BBC has pointed out, and we as faithful people need to see past this and remember that there are people behind these reports.  There are children and parents and friends who are struggling to find a safe home and need not only our prayers on a Sunday morning but our encouragement of involvement from our respective Governments and relief agencies.

We waded into the water with Christ, why can't we wade into the water with our fellow man?

Ministry Found in a Cup

Figure 1. The view out of my room the
day I arrived.

It was the first words I heard when I arrived to my new home (Figure 1) in Manchester after exchanging hellos, "Would you like to come in for a cup of tea?" and I have not gone a day without hearing them since two months ago.

I think everyone who moves to England finds that a cup of tea is not just a drink to be consumed, but a type of communication shared within a group of people.  It's a sign of hospitality, welcome, and an invitation to start a conversation.   It's how you start and end your day; it's the middle of the day when you're tired after lunch, or when someone unexpectedly wanders into church (Figure 2).

Figure 2. The Church space I work in

It's this last part that I find so important.  You can never be sure of where someone is emotionally-wise when they walk through the front doors, but somehow tea is always the right way to start a conversation.  Whether it be celebrating joyous news, or working through some intense personal turmoil, or just to hydrate, having that cup in your hands helps to put life in perspective again.

These big revelations over cups of tea do not happen every day, nor am I probably aware of how important most of my cups of tea are; but it doesn't lessen the fact that sitting with someone and listening to what they have to say is so important.  That's one of the biggest lessons I have learned since moving to Manchester.  Fostering those relationships over a cup of tea allows for someone to find our church a safe space to be vulnerable and to talk to God, or just to each other.