The pastor who married me and Ben, Darris Baker, was from Sharp Memorial United Methodist Church in Young Harris, Georgia - a neighboring town to Hiawassee. Darris was reassigned to a church south of Atlanta about a year after we were married and a new pastor, David Tinsley, was assigned at Sharp. When we learned of Darris' reassignment we were sad, not only because we felt like a friend was moving away, but also because we hoped he would be able to baptize our child one day. We have continued to attend Sharp when we are in Hiawassee and Ben and Peggy have become members since that time as well. Ben and I have not found a church home where we both feel comfortable, so we consider Sharp to be "our" church despite the fact that it is far away and we are not able to attend regularly.
We have gotten to know David a bit over the past few years and asked if he would baptize Max. He was happy to do so, and we feel so fortunate that Max was able to receive the sacrament of baptism in such a close knit and loving community. As you may recall, Ben and Peggy's friends hosted a baby shower for us last summer, and they have continued to be supportive and enthusiastic. It's sort of like having an additional 20 - 30 sets of grandparents. :-)
The weather was beautiful for Max's baptism on Sunday, January 27 at the 11:00am service. David gave us the choice to do the baptism after the first hymn or before the last hymn. We chose to have it earlier in the service as we thought it would give us a better chance at not having a tired, cranky baby. haha Max was his sweet, observant self during the whole thing. Our hearts swelled with love and pride for Max, and we were overwhelmed with gratitude that God has chosen us as his parents. We hoped to take formal family pictures at the church after the service, but poor Max was ready for a nap and wasn't quite in the mood to have his picture taken.
After the church service our family and 30 - 40 of Max's "honorary grandparents" enjoyed lunch at a nearby restaurant. Because we had such a large group we were able to reserve a private room. I made table tents that the staff put out before we arrived. It has a baptismal prayer on one side and a thank you note from me and Ben on the other. We also had a little table off to the side with the alter flowers (given by Ben and Peggy in honor of Max), another framed thank you note from me and Ben, and cookie favors for everyone to take home. Peggy made sugar cookies and wrote "Max" on each one, and Ben and I made chocolate cookies and lemon cookies. Everyone seemed to enjoy the extra touches, and many people even started getting their favor before lunch!
Max fell asleep on the car ride over to the restaurant and got in a good snooze. When he woke up he was Mr. Smiles and enjoyed meeting everyone and getting passed around. Needless to say he was quite the little charmer and he received many invitations to come play.
Enjoy some more scenes from the day!
Video Watching Tip: Turn up your volume to watch the speaking portion of the video and get ready to turn it down again when the congregation begins to sing. Special thanks to Max's Uncle John for videoing the event, and to cousin Olivia for taking pictures!
The Sacrament of Baptism for Children
(To Parents:)
Do you believe in Jesus Christ and put your trust in Him for all things? Yes
Do you promise to bring up your child in the Christian faith, including prayer, Bible reading, and the example of your own life? Yes
Do you promise to bring your child to church to worship and learn about God until he believes in Jesus Christ and becomes a member of the church? Yes
What name have you given this child? Max Julian
Max Julian, I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Congregation, the Lord calls upon you to support these parents in fulfilling these baptismal vows. How do you respond? We will, by the grace of God.
Baptismal Prayer
(printed on the table tents at reception)
Lord,
We bring this miracle to you so fresh from heaven and ask that you would hear our prayers and share our joy this day. Pour your Holy Spirit into this tiny heart, and wrap your loving arms around this special child. May your grace freely shine into this precious life, and in all the days ahead let this heart rejoice in living as your own forgiven child.
Amen.
