Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh! Sploosh!

And so it was that I baptised 8 (yes, EIGHT) children this morning during the service.

It is hard to think of anything more pleasurable in church than baptising so many lovely children in such an exciting community. I have to admit that I never expected to baptise so many at once. I even managed to get everyone baptised with the right names though I nearly caused great, great confusion in the life of twins by almost using the wrong middle name for one of them. Fortunately my hand was stayed, and everyone ended up being who they needed to be at the right moment.

The wonderful thing was that we never lost sight of the fact that everyone who was baptised today is an individual. Each one has their own special gifts to bring to the world. Each one is a gift from God to the rest of us, and our gift to them is to help them to be the best they can be, fanning the flame of faith within them and encouraging them in every good thing going.

As the congregation stood around the six families involved, encircling them with the light of 250 or so candles, we prayed:
May the Spirit of God be in you,
wisdom and understanding keep you,
the power of God encircle you,
and God’s truth lead you into freedom. Amen.

May it be so.

(Eightfold).

Comments

  1. RosemaryHannah says

    Indeed, and 250 or so fold, too.

  2. R Rt. Revd. Donald Smith says

    What! Only 8? I once did 78 during a visit to a church in Madagascar. They hadn’t seen a priest there for 20 years (yet they had just built a new church), so there was something of a backlog! In another parish I confirmed 433 one a Saturday afternoon. That place hadn’t seen a bishop for 59 years.

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