Dad's Gone Home

I received a call a short time ago from my daughter that her grandfather has gone home to be with the Lord. The chorus from an old Gaither song kept going through my mind:

It is finished, the battle is over
It is finished, there'll be no more war
It is finished, the end of the conflict
It is finished and Jesus is Lord

It seems very fitting that today, Veterans Day, should be the time of his homecoming as a World War II veteran.

Thank God for the hope we have in Christ. As Paul wrote, "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied" (1 Cor 15:19). It is good to know that he is in God's loving care and has no more pain or sorrow. Thanks be to God for this amazing gift.

Defining Moments

Birth, baptism, marriage, and many other times of our lives are defining moments. Yesterday, I participated in several of these, culminating in one profound one.

At the left is my granddaughter, Grace, who was baptized yesterday. After Greek class, which ends at 5:45 Friday afternoon, we packed and started the trip to Rochester, NY for Grace's baptism. We rejoiced as we witnessed this momentous event in her life. Hearing, "Grace, child of God, you have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever" (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, p. 231), was an answer to prayer. For Grace, this was a defining moment. This was the capstone of our visit and why we were here, or so we thought. That was only part of the reason as far as God was concerned however.

We found out that Grace's great-grandfather was in a hospice and was not expected to live much longer. His name is Fred and he has been like a father to me from the time I met him. I felt closer to him than my own father. After church and lunch, we went to the hospice to see the rest of the family and him. Dad (as I've always called him) was unconscious and is not expected to regain consciousness.

Though unconscious I talked to him. The rest of the family was in the lounge and just Ray, my daughter Sarah, and I remained. When I ran out of things to say, instinct kicked in and I asked Sarah to get the Gideon Bible out of the nightstand drawer and I read aloud several New Testament passages and Psalms. Repeatedly the verse from Psalms included in evening prayer kept running through my head, "Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit." And I just prayed as I read that God's would surround Dad with his angels and would carry him into God's presence. I had such a sense of God's presence, knowing that I was doing what God wanted me to do. I came to a greater understanding of what a day in a pastor's life can look like: baptism in the morning, sitting with family, and with the dying in the evening. And I suspect I will experience more of the latter in CPE in the summer. This was a defining moment for me--when I realized, "This is what ministry is."

We are brought into God's family by water and the Word, comforted and sustained by that same Word, nourished in the Lord's supper, and ushered into God's very presence.

It was a weekend of mixed emotions. We were thrilled to see Sarah and Grace. We hadn't seen each other since last Christmas. Seeing other family members, friends, and others was good. I would have felt awful if I didn't have the chance to say good-bye to that wonderful, good man, Fred, whom I have called "Dad" for many years. Any day I expect to hear from one of my children that their beloved grandfather has gone home to be with the Lord. After all, he is 100!

Bible
Pall picture.

Baptismal Ruminations...Coming Full Circle

My thoughts on the meaning and importance of baptism as well as the mode and timing of one's baptism have changed significantly over the years. I was baptized as an infant into a family that did not participate in the life of the church.

As a teenager I had a religious experience that some would refer to as being "born again." After some time, I was baptized again, as a believer by immersion. I then, saw no validity in my infant baptism.

I have now been a Lutheran since the late 1980s. Lutherans primarily baptize infants. This is something I have struggled with for a long time. Was it really valid if the recipient was not exercising faith? What if the parents of the child did not believe? What if it was being done simply for "fire insurance," just in case there might be something to this God thing? Or, what if the baby is baptized because the parents have caved into pressure from other family members?

My appreciation of infant baptism, including my own, began with studying church history in undergrad. I was amazed at how far back in the history of the Christian faith this practice goes! In studying Luther's Large Catechism with Rural Pastor, I have come to a better understanding of why we do the things we do as Lutherans. Luther's wrote this concerning baptism:

...We do not put the main emphasis on whether the person baptized believes or not, for in the latter case baptism does not become invalid. Everything depends upon the Word and commandment of God...baptism is simply water and God's Word in and with each other...when the Word accompanies the water, baptism is valid, even though faith is lacking. For my faith does not make baptism; rather, it receives baptism...for it is not bound to our faith but to the Word.

"Misuse does not destroy the substance, but confirms its existence." Gold remains no less gold if a harlot wears it in sin and shame. (pp 463-464, "The Large Catechism," The Book of Concord)

At the time of baptism, God comes and works and does what God wants to do in spite of us. It is all about God, not about us. As Carl Jung wrote, "Bidden or not, God is present."

So, the questions for me really end up being, "How do I walk in my baptism? How do I live this out to the glory of God? How do I in my daily life incarnate God's presence?" May God gives us all the ears to listen for that still small voice of direction and guidance as we seek to live in service to God and neighbor.




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