Sunday's Sermon

VERA’S BAPTISM

        Baptisms are the most fun thing of all that I do as a priest.

        There are other important things.

        Sitting by a sick bed.

        Administering last rites.

        Buring the dead.

        Offering healing.

        Hearing confessions.

        Teaching classes.

        Celebrating the Eucharist.

        But the most fun of all is baptisms.

        I wear this stole for baptisms. It was given to me by some Sunday School kids when I retired from St. John’s in Waterbury after 21 years.

        I probably baptized most of them.

        I’ve done over 500 baptisms in my career. The oldest person was 78. And there were lots of babies.

        But what I like most is baptizing children like Vera, who are old enough to know what’s going on and can say “yes!” when I ask her if she wants to be baptized.

        In today’s gospel lesson there is lots of talk from Jesus about his ‘sheep’.

        We are all Jesus’ sheep and today we will welcome Vera into the fold.

        Baptism makes us ‘all new’—not on the outside, but on the inside…in our soul.

        We become “Christ’s own forever!”

        That’s what you will be today, Vera—“Christ’s own forever. Forever!”

        This is so much fun!

        Let the fun begin….

        Vera, parents, god-parents, grand-parents and all the young people here today, come on up the font.

        Let’s have some fun….