Grace Community Christian Church

 

Archived Things Above

Baby Baptism (8/22/94)

I baptized a baby last Sunday night. I never thought I'd say those words, or do such a thing. But then again, I never thought I'd find myself in that predicament, either.

Carrying the beeper for the vacationing "Protestant chaplain" at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, I was called out of a meeting to have prayer with the family of a baby born eight weeks premature. The helicopter team from Halifax was already there, preparing to fly him to the IWK for more specialized care. Upon checking in with the nurse, I discovered that the mother wanted the baby baptized, & that it was also standard hospital procedure (just in case).

Decision time. What to do? What would you do? Just two days earlier, I had chided my chaplain friend for baptizing an infant in a similar situation. His church tradition also holds to believer's baptism, & I sarcastically (& perhaps a bit self-righteously) informed him that I would have simply asked the baby if he believed in Jesus & was willing to turn from his sins. Then, after it became obvious that the child had no coherent answer, I would proceed to teach the parents the way of the Lord more perfectly. (Funny how it's easy to be so cocky when you're not the one facing a grieving & terrified parent, especially one as young & afraid as this mother was.) Somehow, a lecture on the finer points of Christian doctrine seemed wholly inappropriate here. What this lonely mom needed most right now was to know, "God is here, He loves you, your child is in His hands. Trust Him."

Technically, I really didn't "baptize" the baby at all. A dab of water just doesn't square with the Biblical concept of immersion. I'm aware of that. And I felt funny doing it. But three hours later, when the little fellow died in the helicopter, still on the landing pad outside the hospital, I was glad that we had formally committed his soul to God. I don't think the "baptism" did any harm, & it certainly opened a door into the heart of a confused & troubled girl, who at the moment of her greatest crisis simply needed a friend & some reassurance from God.

I'm convinced that's all most people need, & that if we lecture less & love more, we'd see a lot more people embracing Christ & the things He taught.

Hidden with Christ,


Jim Dewar --