July 29th, 2007 - Ninth Sunday after Pentecost

It was a special service today; with three baptisms, three pastors baptizing and the new Bishop of the Oregon Synod in worship with us.

Pastor Mark’s son Brandon was one of the three babies being baptized. The others were Taylor and Samantha.

Due to the visitors for three baptisms there was more than the usual number of people who came early to the service. One of the grandmothers requested You Are Mine, so we performed it as an instrumental before Creator Praise. They later performed Make This Child Yours with David’s accompaniment and it was a musical moment that felt right after the baptisms.

This was the second Sunday of Baptisms and once again the liturgy was inspiring. It reflected our thanks and joyousness.

It is not just joyousness, however. There are moments of teaching, of understanding; the Old Testament God, for example. Janice was the reader of the Old Testament lesson Genesis 18; where Abraham pleads with God not to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, if God finds enough righteous men. Abraham bargains God down from fifty men to ten. Janice delivers readings that always draw attention to the text and the comple meanings within it.

Janice also gave a reading from Colossians 2 that Pastor Mark quoted in his remarks during the Children’s Time,

…when you were with him buried in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.

Pastor Mark talked about the power of water that can drown, but also that Jesus was baptized by water. He had the children all dip their fingers in the water and make a sign of the cross on their foreheads.

Pastor Dayle’s sermon was joyous. Her topic was the promises we give God and God gives us in baptism. She talked about our life in the church and questioned us about our prayer. She asked if we were tellers or askers in prayer. The teller wants to tell God how things should be, the asker wants to listen to God and feel the love that sustains us. The asker is on a search for the wisdom of the Lord.

Pr. Dayle then talked about her reading the new Harry Potter book this week, shopping at the new IKEA store that opened last Wednesday and the worship at Creator. She wondered what it would take to get everyone she saw shopping at IKEA to go to a church on Sunday. She wanted them to feel the blessing of connection that the church feels in worship. She wanted us to understand our promise to show Brandon, Taylor and Samantha the closeness of Christian connection at Creator.

The baptisms were performed as a beautiful series of inter-connections. Visiting Pastor Rev. Dr Richard Albert, Brandon’s maternal grandfather, baptized Brandon. Pastor Mark baptized Taylor and Pastor Dayle baptized Samantha. Pastor Mark also spoke from his dual role as Brandon’s dad and the as Associate Pastor to strengthen Pastor Dayle’s request to demonstrate Christian community and help nurture these babies in the days, weeks, months and years ahead.

Joe ended each baptism with the hopeful:

Let your light shine before others that they might see your good works and glorify your father in heaven.

He then proceeded, (after the three baptisms) with the earnestness and sincerity of everyone present, the Prayers of the People.

After the baptisms, and the Gospel reading (which contained the words of the Lord's Prayer) the Lord’s Prayer felt new on my lips and in my heart.

The last song Go, My Children, with My Blessing emphasized that feeling of connection and community as did most of the music selected for the service.

Another service that drew the ties that bind a little closer.