Sawyer Cole was baptized this morning at our 10:30 service.

Sawyer's godparents, Nikki and Brian, met us at our home for breakfast where we dressed Sawyer in his baptism outfit. Sawyer woke up just in time to get dressed and leave for church. And he pretty much stayed awake for the rest of the day. Can you blame him? Kenny and I told him all day yesterday, "Tomorrow is your baptism day, Sawyer - it's a big day for you!" He didn't want to miss a beat. So he only fell asleep for 1/2 an hour in church in Nikki's arms, and a few minutes here and there at my parents' house after the service. It was his big day.

Baptisms have come a long way since New Testament days. The first baptisms recorded took place in a river. The "candidates" were baptized, and that's pretty much all that's recorded. Who knows if the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:38) ordered an almond cake with chocolate icing for his baptism party? Who knows if he even had a baptism party? These days, we not only have the sacrament of baptism, we have baptism outfits (aka "christening gowns"), and baptism cakes with icing crosses.

Perhaps this celebration following the service is a Westernization of the sacrament. But looking back on today, and looking back on Rowan's baptism a little over a year ago, I love that we had time to celebrate with friends and family. We can tell our children that we partied hard in joy and celebration on the days of their baptism. Because it was the day that they were received into the household of God, and marked as Christ's own forever.

Woo hoo!

_________________
(pictures: Nikki dressing Sawyer; Nikki and Brian and Sawyer; Godparents, Rector, and Smith family)

[link(pics/baptism/dressed.jpg)][thumb]pics/baptism/dressed.jpg[/thumb][/link] [link(pics/baptism/brian_nikki.jpg)][thumb]pics/baptism/brian_nikki.jpg[/thumb][/link] [link(pics/baptism/font.jpg)][thumb]pics/baptism/font.jpg[/thumb][/link]