Baptized in Water

Today was a celebration at Scottsville Baptist Church as we baptized Jen Gaines, Caleb Bouw, and Ashley Gaines!  You could feel the joy in the sanctuary.

Caleb, Jen, Ashley, and Katie

The call to ministry allows me the amazing privilege to baptize these folks.  What a beautiful, humbling thing.

Before immersing these friends I asked each of them "Who is your Lord and Savior?" Jen, Caleb, and Ashley each replied "Jesus Christ is my Lord and Savior!"  I love that.  It is testimony.  It is ownership of the decision.  It is proclamation of Jesus Christ.  In a nutshell:  It's the good news.

When I was at the Jordan River last week I bottled up some of the water.  I poured some in the baptistry this morning to mix the waters of Jesus' baptism with the waters of Jen, Caleb, and Ashley's baptism.  I later invited those who wanted to remember their baptisms to come forward to receive the sign of the cross on their hand or forehead with Jordan water.  It was a special time.

You would think the day couldn't get better, but then…cake appeared! Thanks to the families of Jen, Caleb, and Ashley for providing lunch and cake for everyone.

Thanks be to God for a wonderful day.

(At press time UVA is beating Duke:  The wonderful day continues!  Praise be!)

Sprinting in My Heels

More than once now I've darted from the sanctuary mid-service to retrieve a forgotten item.  Our sanctuary is detached from the education wing, so this darting requires a sprint across the church yard.  On Sunday I was wearing HIGH heels (not to be confused with regular high heels) when I remembered I had forgotten something.  I wonder what the congregants thought as I exited stage right like a teenage gazelle.  Is Pastor Katie sick?  Does she dislike this hymn?  Did someone yell "Cake"?  Well...none of those.  Yesterday I forgot a prop for the children's sermon.  The other time...I forgot my clothes.

At my first baptism in Scottsville it was a busy day.  It was a happy day (Easter!  Baptism!  Decorating the cross!  Church family photo!) but one with many moving parts.  I think in details, but when there are many I tend to lose track of one or two.  Following the baptism I hurriedly made my way to the dressing room only to not find my dress.  "WHERE ARE MY CLOTHES?" I whisper-yelled to myself and the skies. 

Here's the thing about being a pastor who happens to be a lady:  Fishing galoshes aren't made for dress-wearers.  Come to think of it I've never seen a trout or bluegill fisherperson hit the rivers in a fashionable frock from Target.  I get it, we cool, but still...maybe there's a market for fishing galoshes for the pastor who happens to be a lady?

Anyway...I opted for a t-shirt, shorts, waders and baptismal robe.  I would change immediately following the baptism.  These waders were a gift of a smaller friend, so they are a bit like tight swimsuit overalls on me.  It's a bit o' a struggle to breathe, but we good.

Post baptism it's a goal to get thee back into the sanctuary as soon as possible, so the whole no-clothes situation put me in a serious bind.  I had three choices:  1) Channel my inner Petrine self and preach in wet galoshes.  2) Wear regular black robe over t-shirt and shorts.  3) Sprint across the church yard whilst worship continues and search for my clothes in the education building.  I chose 3. 

Somehow I managed to bring high heels into the changing room, which was a blessing since I could free myself from the swimsuit overalls-galoshes-waders-situation.  Clad in a black robe, t-shirt and shorts and patent leather pumps, I bounded across the church yard in search of my grown up clothes.  Luckily I found my dress and made my way back to worship in time.

So yes.  There's a reason this blog is called Hermeneutics in High Heels.