What a Week: Jason's Baptism!

I am already going to have to amend the title of this post from "What a Week" to "What a Two Weeks!" after realizing that it's been exactly that since I last wrote here. Unbelievable, the pace of life sometimes.

Let's go straight to the greatest event of the two weeks: our son Jason, 13 next week, was baptized today (or baptised, as they write it here in England). I don't recall being quite that emotional in recent times. I had to hunt for the tissues in my purse and use several. I was filled with a strong sense of thankfulness to God for bringing my son to this point of asking (all on his own initiative) to be identified with the Lord in his death, burial, and resurrection...and I was so touched to the core as Jason stood before the whole congregation and declared his allegiance to God and his dependence on the Holy Spirit to walk with Him the rest of his life, forgiven and cleansed. As Jason came up out of the water, supported on one side by Dave, the youth pastor, and on the other by my husband, another David, the band struck up "In Christ Alone" - a song whose awesome words I blogged about back in June, but it's so great I have to mention my favorite lines again:

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From life’s first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny
No power of hell, no scheme of man
Can ever pluck me from His hand
‘til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand

It was so very relevant to what Jason was doing as the music played - making a new beginning in life, drawing a line in the sand and moving forward with Jesus as his Commander and Protector and Provider and Redeemer and Refuge.

At least six people from the church, of which we've only been a part for a few months, prayed for Jason and spoke words from God over him. Such powerful, encouraging, touching, gentle, affirming words from the Lord. Some straight out of scripture, and some more personal. There was such joy, such peace, such rightness. Thank You, God of the Universe, for loving my son, and for loving me.

I had been slightly concerned about the service because we'd never seen a baptism at this church before and weren't sure exactly how they did it, plus we had two guests with us (one not a Christian yet) and another lovely neighbour family too who were there only for their second time at ABC. But I kept praying and asking God to be in charge of everything to do with the morning, and to take care of how it all went, and people's reactions, etc. Then by the time it was all happening, I could think of nothing else but the excitement and awesomeness of it all.

Another woman was baptized after Jason and God blessed her strongly as well. The song she picked was Amazing Love, How can it be, that You my God have died for me...