[6 min read]
My friends, let me catch you up on what a great week last week was. This is a long post so you might want to get your comfies on, grab a cup of coffee or bucket of popcorn and sit back and enjoy.
It started early on Sunday the 23rd with some hardworking young men who showed up early to rake and bale. Always a cool thing to watch and I now have 9 large round bales sitting in my field.
Then I headed to church with my family for a very special event.
Earlier this year, my granddaughter Leila asked to be baptized for her 10th birthday and she asked if I would do the baptism. I'm not a pastor, but the church where she goes allows family members to baptize children and grandchildren, so I thought it an honor to fulfill Leila's request. Also, earlier this year, I offered Leila my surname as a means of showing unity within our family and she accepted.
As we met with the pastor, he referred to three passages from scripture to clarify the need and purpose of baptism: Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 6:3-7 and 1 Peter 3:21-22 (I recommend that you take the time to read these passages for yourself and if you don't own a Bible, I recommend BibleGateway or YouVersion. If you're new to the Bible, the Common English Bible and Good News Translation are easy to read and understand versions.)
During this meeting, I sensed the pastor - my friend Richard, was speaking to me, not as someone about to baptize another, but as someone about to be baptized. I "went with the flow" and sure enough, he told me how I was about to be baptized. You should have seen the look on my granddaughter's face when she realized her "Pops" was about to get baptized also. Richard continued with his instruction and asked Leila a series of interesting questions.
He pointed to the ring on his finger and asked her what it was and she replied, "It's a 'marriage' ring!" He then asked her if he put a ring like that on her finger, would it make her "married", and she said no. He asked if he took it off, would it make him "not married" and she said no. His point? The ring is an outward symbol of a promise he made to God and his wife. Wearing the ring or not, doesn't change the promise, just like being baptized or not, doesn't change the promise. Likewise, if her promise isn't honest, the baptism doesn't mean any more than wearing a ring when you're not married. I thought this was a great analogy and realized it didn't matter if I had already been baptized, doing it again was just a way of showing those around me that I had made an internal promise to God.
Richard then pointed to a picture of a lion and asked Leila what it was. She replied, "A lion!" Richard kindly responded "No. It's a 'picture' of a lion." He explained that a picture of a lion isn't the lion itself. Likewise, baptism isn't the internal change and promise of God - it's only a "picture" of that promise. (Man, do I get a lot out of children's sermon sometimes).
I'm sure some of you are wondering, and yes, I was sprinkled when I was an infant, even though I don't remember. And before you folks get in a tizzy over the theological issues of baptizing twice (or three times, or more), and before you get upset over sprinkling or pouring or dunking, realize this: God gets it right the first time and I believe He can work with as much water as He sees fit. But on this particular morning, two things spoke to me: 1) How can I ask my granddaughter to be baptized and to make a promise that I am not willing to set the example for her, myself? 2) God has done some really amazing things in my life this year (another long post for another day) and how could I not start on this new adventure without a bath? I also had a third thought, that morning in Richard's office. It's the story from John 13 of Jesus washing the disciples' feet and Peter refuses to have his feet washed. Jesus said this, "If I do not wash your feet, you will no longer be my disciple." How could I ask Leila to be a disciple of Christ, if I refused to get my own feet wet?
Friends, (especially those from my home church of St. John's UMC) if I had known that I was to be baptized, I would have invited you all. But I invite all of you to watch the video below and enjoy. I think I even "baptized" Richard.
But our baptism wasn't the end of the week. Fun things were still happening. Remember the 23rd was Leila's 10th birthday AND she was just baptized. We went to lunch to celebrate and then went to see a movie: "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets". I'm a big Luc Besson fan and apparently, my granddaughter is too. If you don't know who I'm talking about, go find the films "The Big Blue" and "The Fifth Element". We all had an enjoyable time.
Then... (and yes, there's more) We went home for birthday cake and presents. Because you can't end a birthday celebration without cake and presents.
And then... (yes, there's still more) on Monday we were at the Williamson County Courthouse bright and early. It was the hearing to have Leila's name changed. She had a few moments of cold feet, especially when she thought she would have to speak before a judge. But there was a small blessing hidden in all of this. The court has a rule that no one under 16 may enter the courtroom. So she stayed in the hall with me while her mother and our attorney met with the judge. 30 minutes later, it was official and she now has a new name: Sommerville.
Friends, this may sound like a wonderful story and that it is solely mine and Leila's. But let me share a few keywords that echo throughout this story that is for all of you: honor, love, family, and fatherhood.
Honor is a two-way street. It is not something we show to those in power or authority because of their position. It is something that we show others because of our love for them. Leila honored me by asking me to be the one to baptize her. I honored her by participating in her special moment because I love her. I honored her by offering her my name and she honored me by accepting it. Who do you honor? How do you honor others? Who has honored you and how?
Love is more than liking people or that tingly feeling you get when that someone special smiles at you. Love is how we are to live with one another (even those we don't like). Love isn't just for family, even though this story is all about family. But in reality, aren't we all family? Aren't we all made in the same way? My Hawaiian friends have a lovely word that means family, but somehow it sounds like something even more special when they say it: ohana. Let's all be ohana to one another.
Lastly, fatherhood. I've learned much about this concept over the last six months. It's more than a biological position. It's more than being a disciplinarian. It's way more than being the "man" of the house. Father is an image of a man with his arms stretched wide waiting to give his children a welcoming hug. To wrap them in love and honor. I want to continue to experience that in my life and show it to my kids and grand-kids. There is so much in this concept of being and having a father, and I know many may struggle with it. Just know we have a loving Father and he wants us to pass it on.
So, friends, I am passing it on.
This is my story and I'm sticking to it.
~~Ken
My friends, let me catch you up on what a great week last week was. This is a long post so you might want to get your comfies on, grab a cup of coffee or bucket of popcorn and sit back and enjoy.
It started early on Sunday the 23rd with some hardworking young men who showed up early to rake and bale. Always a cool thing to watch and I now have 9 large round bales sitting in my field.
 |
| Raking the hay... |
 |
| Raking on the left, baling on the right. |
Then I headed to church with my family for a very special event.
Earlier this year, my granddaughter Leila asked to be baptized for her 10th birthday and she asked if I would do the baptism. I'm not a pastor, but the church where she goes allows family members to baptize children and grandchildren, so I thought it an honor to fulfill Leila's request. Also, earlier this year, I offered Leila my surname as a means of showing unity within our family and she accepted.
As we met with the pastor, he referred to three passages from scripture to clarify the need and purpose of baptism: Matthew 28:18-20, Romans 6:3-7 and 1 Peter 3:21-22 (I recommend that you take the time to read these passages for yourself and if you don't own a Bible, I recommend BibleGateway or YouVersion. If you're new to the Bible, the Common English Bible and Good News Translation are easy to read and understand versions.)
During this meeting, I sensed the pastor - my friend Richard, was speaking to me, not as someone about to baptize another, but as someone about to be baptized. I "went with the flow" and sure enough, he told me how I was about to be baptized. You should have seen the look on my granddaughter's face when she realized her "Pops" was about to get baptized also. Richard continued with his instruction and asked Leila a series of interesting questions.
He pointed to the ring on his finger and asked her what it was and she replied, "It's a 'marriage' ring!" He then asked her if he put a ring like that on her finger, would it make her "married", and she said no. He asked if he took it off, would it make him "not married" and she said no. His point? The ring is an outward symbol of a promise he made to God and his wife. Wearing the ring or not, doesn't change the promise, just like being baptized or not, doesn't change the promise. Likewise, if her promise isn't honest, the baptism doesn't mean any more than wearing a ring when you're not married. I thought this was a great analogy and realized it didn't matter if I had already been baptized, doing it again was just a way of showing those around me that I had made an internal promise to God.
Richard then pointed to a picture of a lion and asked Leila what it was. She replied, "A lion!" Richard kindly responded "No. It's a 'picture' of a lion." He explained that a picture of a lion isn't the lion itself. Likewise, baptism isn't the internal change and promise of God - it's only a "picture" of that promise. (Man, do I get a lot out of children's sermon sometimes).
I'm sure some of you are wondering, and yes, I was sprinkled when I was an infant, even though I don't remember. And before you folks get in a tizzy over the theological issues of baptizing twice (or three times, or more), and before you get upset over sprinkling or pouring or dunking, realize this: God gets it right the first time and I believe He can work with as much water as He sees fit. But on this particular morning, two things spoke to me: 1) How can I ask my granddaughter to be baptized and to make a promise that I am not willing to set the example for her, myself? 2) God has done some really amazing things in my life this year (another long post for another day) and how could I not start on this new adventure without a bath? I also had a third thought, that morning in Richard's office. It's the story from John 13 of Jesus washing the disciples' feet and Peter refuses to have his feet washed. Jesus said this, "If I do not wash your feet, you will no longer be my disciple." How could I ask Leila to be a disciple of Christ, if I refused to get my own feet wet?
Friends, (especially those from my home church of St. John's UMC) if I had known that I was to be baptized, I would have invited you all. But I invite all of you to watch the video below and enjoy. I think I even "baptized" Richard.
 |
| About to go under... |
 |
| Dunkin' the pastor! |
 |
| Leila before... |
 |
| ...and after! |
But our baptism wasn't the end of the week. Fun things were still happening. Remember the 23rd was Leila's 10th birthday AND she was just baptized. We went to lunch to celebrate and then went to see a movie: "Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets". I'm a big Luc Besson fan and apparently, my granddaughter is too. If you don't know who I'm talking about, go find the films "The Big Blue" and "The Fifth Element". We all had an enjoyable time.
Then... (and yes, there's more) We went home for birthday cake and presents. Because you can't end a birthday celebration without cake and presents.
 |
 Mmmm... it was Red Velvet Cake!!! |
And then... (yes, there's still more) on Monday we were at the Williamson County Courthouse bright and early. It was the hearing to have Leila's name changed. She had a few moments of cold feet, especially when she thought she would have to speak before a judge. But there was a small blessing hidden in all of this. The court has a rule that no one under 16 may enter the courtroom. So she stayed in the hall with me while her mother and our attorney met with the judge. 30 minutes later, it was official and she now has a new name: Sommerville.
Friends, this may sound like a wonderful story and that it is solely mine and Leila's. But let me share a few keywords that echo throughout this story that is for all of you: honor, love, family, and fatherhood.
Honor is a two-way street. It is not something we show to those in power or authority because of their position. It is something that we show others because of our love for them. Leila honored me by asking me to be the one to baptize her. I honored her by participating in her special moment because I love her. I honored her by offering her my name and she honored me by accepting it. Who do you honor? How do you honor others? Who has honored you and how?
Love is more than liking people or that tingly feeling you get when that someone special smiles at you. Love is how we are to live with one another (even those we don't like). Love isn't just for family, even though this story is all about family. But in reality, aren't we all family? Aren't we all made in the same way? My Hawaiian friends have a lovely word that means family, but somehow it sounds like something even more special when they say it: ohana. Let's all be ohana to one another.
Lastly, fatherhood. I've learned much about this concept over the last six months. It's more than a biological position. It's more than being a disciplinarian. It's way more than being the "man" of the house. Father is an image of a man with his arms stretched wide waiting to give his children a welcoming hug. To wrap them in love and honor. I want to continue to experience that in my life and show it to my kids and grand-kids. There is so much in this concept of being and having a father, and I know many may struggle with it. Just know we have a loving Father and he wants us to pass it on.
So, friends, I am passing it on.
This is my story and I'm sticking to it.
~~Ken
