"For what one desires to do is transform the thing of becoming a Christian into a beautiful recollection, whereas in fact it is the most decisive thing a man becomes."
and something from my journal from a few years ago:
"Morning dedicated to church, where we had baptisms, 100% guaranteed to produce extreme and bizarre emotional reactions in me, this time no different. I’ve had very few moments as transformative as that one; each time, I think of my own experence, and what it has to mean for the person experiencing it. One note: there were young-ish kids there for the first time I can recall, and I felt more unsettled about it than I should, given that I was baptized at 7, and consider it valid. There was one boy who spoke about how he realized he was impure and God alone was pure; all I could think was, “oh, kid, you don’t even know.” Because what comes is a slog, what comes is complication. ... I’m closing in on twenty years as a Christian, and it’s gone…about as well as twenty years of anything can go. He’ll hit those bumps and have no idea what to do, and worry that when he falls short, it’s because he’s a failure, or that moment of conversion wasn’t enough…"
1 comment:
One of the most moving moments, for me, of infant dedication (not christening!) is being asked to rise, as a member of the church, and promise to help the parents nurture the child in the knowledge and admonition (?) of the Lord.
Totally awesome and not to be taken lightly.
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