Fr. Mark Selvey
June 21, 2010
I am not against infant baptisms. In fact, I am thoroughly in favor of them. They are among the most joyful things we do in and as the church. As I hold the child in my arms and pour the water on them and name them and mark them as Christ's own forever, my soul sings as we recognize God's promise of full inclusion fulfilled yet again.
On the other hand, I do sympathize with those who quibble with this practice, however historic, on the grounds that infants are not able to make the decisions necessary to substantiate the claims contained in the Baptismal Covenant. I baptize infants because the church has done so for nearly its whole history, because I believe that something real happens which is the work of God and God alone, and because I take the parents and godparents at their word when they make their own promises to raise the child in such a way that he or she can someday own those claims.
All this matters. It matters to the church because it mattered to Christ.
This week's readings (see our homepage for a link) all center around the cost of discipleship. Turning "to" God means turning 'away" from something else, otherwise there is no use in making any sort of commitment. While it is not our actions, but the actions of God in Christ which save us, our actions are a reflection of our beliefs, which derive from our faith, which is itself a gift of God and God's Holy Spirit. The joy and peace which Paul speaks of in his letter to the church at Galatia come from an honest commitment to the work of Christ, which is, of course, loving God and neighbor. The cost of discipleship is this -- the free offering and commitment of lives, our souls and bodies, to this work.
Fr. Mark+