“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you;
    I have called you by name, you are mine.
 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
    and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;” Isaiah 43:1-2

There is so much life here! So much of goodness, so much of love, so much of grace. Yesterday a wedding; today a baptism – twins no less!

Rites of passage. Landmark moments. Rituals. Cultural milestones. True, but people can miss the best of the story when these special events are all there is to their experience of church.

But first, let’s list them:

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• Marriage
• Death
• Oh, and the occasional Christmas and Easter.

Place markers in the continuum of life.

But what we forget (if we limit our church experience to these important sub-headings) is that outside of a living, active, worshipping faith community these events lose much if not all of their meaning.

This is one reason why Presbyterians do not go for “private” baptisms; because the community makes promises too. Not only do the parents vow – before God and all these people – to raise their child in the faith and to dedicate their household to God, the church makes promises too.

Baptism makes little sense outside of a commitment to and participation in a local church community. Baptism is a covenant with three stakeholders: the family, the church and God. Later, when parents take their promises seriously, children tend to confirm the baptism covenant in themselves.

Ditto marriage in a church.

Fact is, life is challenging enough for married people and for families that living out these promises in the context of a church family is the only way forward that makes sense.

The good news is that God is faithful!

The good news here is that God does not will not walk away from the covenant – even if we do. Jesus is always right there, ready and willing to say, “Welcome home.”

As for me, I did not simply attend the Ryan and Meagan Mayo wedding, or passively watch the Cherry twins get baptized, I was serious when I promised to pray for them and to do my part to keep this amazing congregation active and alive.

Because, as I wrote earlier, these vows were not taken in a vacuum, they were spoken in the context of a very real, very vital, very active and engaged church family that takes its promises seriously. Promises to God, promises to these two beautiful families, promises to this community.

Howard Memorial Presbyterian Church did not get to be 150 for nothing! These are not just rituals they are real life, and without that kind of real life we will never imagine, never know what is possible!

Because I believe – DEREK