Kirkepiscatoid

Baby Minu (pronounced "mee-new") is Trinity's newest congregant, and we were all glad to welcome him into the fold today.

I have to confess that I always enjoy baptisms and confirmations. Although the verbiage in the BCP seems a little on the Rite One-ish side, there are parts that I really like to take to heart as well as poke a little fun at in the process. First, the fun-poking...

Do you renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness that rebel against God?

For some odd reason, I always have flashbacks of "The Exorcist" at this part. I was probably ruined on ever taking this part too seriously by virtue of being junior high age when that movie came out and begging a friend's older siblings to take me to that movie, since it was rated "R" at the time. I know I really should be thinking about the presence of real evil in the world, but all I can see in my mind's eye is Linda Blair's head spinning, and puking split pea soup. That and I hear Dana Carvey's Church Lady saying the word "Satan."

Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God?

I usually think about my hard drive at this point.

Do you renounce all sinful desires that draw you from the love of God?

All of 'em? Well...ok, but you know at least one of them is going to come back and bite me in the rear. That one's just not gonna stick for long, human nature being what it is.

But on a more serious note, I do like the part in the thanksgiving over the water that goes, "...that those who here are cleansed from sin and born again may continue for ever in the risen life of Jesus Christ our Savior."

I like to think about that "continue for ever" part. I'm sure I'm not the only one who ever lies in bed at night and once in a while, gets that icy grip on my chest and hears that voice that says, "Maybe this is all BS...maybe everything I believe is just a fairy tale and when we die, that's it." That moment when the world is only what we see and experience and the lack of that is "the end." Or maybe that other "heart of darkness" thought sneaks in...that we do continue on, but we are not "us" and we all get assimilated into some big spiritual Borg where we are no longer an individual, and therefore have no recollection of who we were. Resistance is futile. Hearing the thanksgiving over the water is a bit of an antidote to that.

My other favorite part is, "Give them an inquiring and discerning heart, the courage to will and to persevere, a spirit to know and love you, and a gift of joy and wonder in all your works." Although that is a prayer for the newly baptized, every time I hear it, it speaks to me again and again. It is another antidote to those "heart of darkness" moments. To have an inquiring and discerning heart means it's ok to experience those moments of darkness and fear. It's ok to have those times in your life (like in my previous post about my cousin Jay) where you experience those "Oh, Lord, the sea is so big and my boat is so small" life episodes...when you feel your boat is the Andrea Gail and you are hitting that 50 foot wave and you realize you are NOT George Clooney.

Welcome, Minu. We are glad to share what we believe with you, and thanks to you, we have an opportunity to be reminded of these promises, ourselves, and affirm them in our hearts!