Baptism (and a song)

I was doing a baptism for a cute, bright, and very active two year old. He was not about to be held in anyones arms and by the time we got to the sacrament of baptism he was exercising his two year old authority and practicing a favorite word.."No..No..No! He was about to wander away from the chancel area when fortunately I was able to lift the baptismal bowl out of the baptismal stand. I bent down to his level and said his name and the magic phrase.."Look, I have some water over here..." This caught his attention and drew him towards me. As I was putting my hand in the water and placing it on his head, saying the baptismal words, he also reached his hand in to the baptismal water and following my example , put the water on his head. Of course it was cute! But it was good Wesleyan theology and liturgy too. While baptism is clearly a sacrament of grace that we receive and a "gift offered to us without price" it is also something in which we co-operate. That's what this little boy was doing, whether he knew what it meant or not, he too was having a hand in receiving it. His "No, No, No," had now become "Yes." I hope and pray that it will be a picture for his journey of discipleship as he grows into it.

Now on a different note...A Song! Something from Prairie Home Companion passed on to me from Brent Olson. Follow the link (or address) to the Methodist Blues. Feel free to sing along. I did!http://prairiehome.publicradio.org/programs/2004/06/12/scripts/methodist.shtml
Rambling on.