Today we baptize Eyob Jack Marshall [at the 10:30]. Who doesn’t love a baptism? Especially the baptism of a 7 year old, new to this community but who, along with his mother Kelly, is quickly becoming a shining light among us.
Baptisms are GREAT DAYS.
Last month I began the practice of writing a letter to the about to be baptized as my sermon for that day. Today, with the permission of Eyob’s mama, Kelly, I share with you the details of how they became a family through a letter to Eyob from God.
My dear Eyob,
What a wonderful day this is—with the prayers of this community, the promises of your mama, your sponsors and this congregation, with a little splash of water and the sign of the cross in chrism, you are being marked, sealed as one of my beloved. Forever. No matter what..
Of course you’ve always been beloved. Today is just a ceremony to acknowledge what has been true since the moment of your birth: you are loved, forever and always.
It’s interesting how families come together. Throughout your life you may hear people talk about what a family “should” look like, how a family “should” be constructed. Pay that no heed my child. “People” don’t make a family, LOVE does. Look around your school, your neighborhood, this church, your mama’s friends…. you’ll see families made up of all sorts of people…a wide array —people of no color and people of some color, people who were born into the family and people who were brought into the family through adoption, two parents, one parent, same gender parents and different gendered parents, grandparents raising grandbabies, aunts and uncles, cousins, neighbors and friends all taking a turn at being the safe and steady adult all children deserve and need.
If anyone ever tells you that you don’t belong someplace remind them that we are all, as was just read from the book of Genesis, children of Abraham. I wasn’t kidding when I told Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than all the stars in the sky. Later on tonight, when it gets nice and dark, look up to the sky. All those stars? They represent all the brothers and sisters in God you now have.
It’s a whole lot, Eyob!!!
From today and forever, you will never ever be alone.
Jesus, (you’re getting to know him, I think you’ll really like him) said in that reading from Luke,
“where your treasure is there your heart will be also.”
5 years ago you and mama found your treasure—each other!
It was September 18, 2008, Mama and her friend Joyce traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Mama was one of nine families there that week. Families all looking for their missing piece. Mama saw you right away---you were so sweet and so so tiny, weighing only 20 lbs at age 2 ½ and she knew she had found her missing piece. Mama pulled that orange car out of her backpack and the two of you began to play. As the car rolled back and forth between you, I anointed you as a family--for you had found your treasure in each other. Your hearts were full to overflowing and a family was born. As your mama said you were mama and Eyob as if you had always been. Here’s a secret….you always were---sometimes it just takes a while for people to find their true treasure…but when they do, they always know it. Just like you and Mama.
The thing about love—the big type of love that is Me---that type of Love comes in all shapes and sizes and is expressed in all sorts of ways. Sometimes it’s expressed by saying good-bye. I know how brave and loving your birth mother was to do the hardest thing she ever had to do so that you and mama could receive the greatest gift ever. Today we honor and thank your birth mother for her kindness, her courage and her faith---in me, in you and in Mama. Today Mama is fulfilling a promise she made to your birth mother in having you baptized. She had never been baptized, but had always wanted to be. Today as the waters of baptism flow over you, please know that the waters of baptism are also flowing over her.
After your birth mother and mama talked there was a ceremony of candles. The birth families lit a candle and then the adoptive families lit their candles from the flame of the birth family candles, symbolizing the passing of the responsibility to love and care for the child forever to the adoptive parent.
Today there is a great big candle lit in the church, do you see it? That flame is the flame of Love. It is the flame of Me. That flame tells you that no matter where you go, matter how happy you are or sad you feel, no matter what , I will always be with you…for wherever you are? Wherever you are, there will be MY treasure, a treasure of that Love which passes all understanding, the love of a mother for a child, the love of a mama for her Eyob, the love of Me for my Son and the love of everyone gathered here today for one another.
As you are washed with the waters of baptism, Eyob, remember that you are Loved beyond all measure. Always and Forever.
Amen.
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