The sacrament of baptism is a celebration of a person's entry into a life of faith in Jesus Christ. In the United Methodist Church, baptism is a gift of God's grace that is available for people of all ages. When infants are baptized, parents/guardians who are professed Christians along with the church family promise to surround the child with a community of love and forgiveness.
Whenever I baptize an infant, I am especially aware of God's prevenient grace which is God's grace that is extended to us even without our conscious awareness. It's a humbling moment as we anticipate how God's grace will be at work in this little one's life beginning at such an early age. Our prayer is that as this child of God grows and becomes more and more aware of God's love through Christ that he/she will claim the name of Christian, a follower of Jesus Christ.
Last week, I had the priviledge of baptizing Alexander James Schmelzer, the infant son of parents, Kris and Ashley. Ashley has a nice web blog and included this recent article of her reflections on Alex's baptism. It's a helpful way to reflect on the joy and celebration of infant baptism from the perspective of the parents.
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