#278 Here We Go Again

Tess and I are expecting our third child in May. We are incredibly excited! But we're also nervous. As longtime readers of this blog will remember, the birth of our second child, Mia, was an adventure. Seven weeks before Mia's due date we suddenly learned that she needed to be delivered ASAP. After that terrifying experience, we spent six weeks with her in the NICU before she was able to come home. For a while we weren't sure that we'd ever try pregnancy again. However, as Mia grew older, we started to think about expanding our family again. Before we shut the door on pregnancy, we decided to have Tess talk to her doctor. The doctor gave her plenty of reassurance, which made us feel confident enough to try again. Still, now that Tess is pregnant, it's not easy to completely push away our worries and fears. Mia—thank God!—turned out fine, but we're well aware of how easily things can go wrong. We have been and will be praying hard for this baby and for Tess, too. We'd appreciate your prayers. And I'll be sure to keep you updated if there are any important developments.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#277 Adventures in Baptizing

Yesterday, I preached at a different church. In our classis (regional group of churches), we pastors take turns filling in at churches that are between pastors. It's a good system. I get to meet some church members at one of our sister congregations, and they have a week where they don't need to find a preacher. The change of pace is almost certainly good for me and the church I serve. Plus, as an ordained minister, I can administer the sacraments at the other church.

So yesterday I baptized a baby at this different church. I've performed a handful of baptisms in my career, but baptizing a baby the day I met her and her parents was a new one for me. This little girl was a sweetheart. She was a little bit confused when I took her from her dad and told her, "For you Jesus came into the world. For you He died and conquered death. He did all this for you little one, though you know nothing of yet. We love because God first loved us." She started to fuss as I moved her over to the baptismal font. When I put the water on her forehead and said, "I baptize you in the name of the Father," she stopped and stared, giving me time to put the water on her head two more times: "and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Then I gave her back to her dad.

I'm sure this baby won't remember yesterday. I don't know if her parents will tell her the story and explain why an unknown pastor baptized her. But I won't forget her. I pray that she grows to believe in Jesus Christ, accepting the promises God made to her in her baptism. Who knows? Maybe I'll meet her again down the road.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#276 Meaning

Christians sometimes wrestle with questions like "Why is Jesus waiting so long to come back?" and "Why does God have most Christians continue living their imperfect (though thankfully slowly growing in holiness!) lives for so long after coming to faith in Christ? My daughter Lanie asked me a variation of the first question earlier tonight. Generally Christians talk about witnessing and evangelism and the growth of the church. I think that's a good answer. I told Lanie that Jesus waiting to return means more people can come to believe in Jesus and live with Him forever. We who love Jesus have time to tell others about Him.

But I think there's another good answer that we can give in addition to that one. Let me explain. I've been preaching from the book of Ecclesiastes for a couple months. The author of this book, who identifies himself with a Hebrew word that means something along the lines of "the Teacher," is on a search for meaning. Again and again he concludes that nothing we humans do on our own can give meaning to our lives. Ecclesiastes argues that everything is meaningless without God. As the Teacher sees it, human life ends at death. All our possessions are lost; all our achievements fade and are forgotten. So nothing is ultimately gained; in the end nothing matters. (Remember that the Teacher is presenting us with life viewed apart from God.)

Here's where Jesus comes in. Jesus comes to save His people from death and sin and misery. Christ conquers death for Christians in His resurrection, guaranteeing eternal life for everyone who belongs to Him. This isn't some sort of otherworldly spiritual life: Jesus promises to resurrect and transform our bodies for eternal life. Our life after death and resurrection isn't completely separate or detached from our life now; in a very real sense it is a continuation of our current life. That's why some places in the Bible talk about Christians already having eternal life.

(Now to be clear, some parts of the Bible also talk about how Christ gives us new life, emphasizing how Jesus puts our old, sinful nature to death and raises our new, godly nature to life. The Holy Spirit makes Christians different than we were before, and when Christ returns, He will change us even more so that we no longer sin. Our life as Christians is never the same as it was before. But we shouldn't lose sight of the continuity. These are our same bodies that Jesus transforms. These are our same souls that Jesus purifies. Jesus saves us.)

I think the fact that our Christian lives continue in God's eternal kingdom is part of why Jesus doesn't whisk Christians away once He leads us to believe in Him. He wants us to see and understand that He is saving our lives. Our lives have meaning because they matter to Jesus. Our long, slow process of growth as Christians isn't a waste. It's moving us toward Christ's goal for us. Everything Christ does in and through His people now carries over into eternity. Everything Christ does in and through us now is a further sign of how much He loves and values us and our lives. In Christ our lives don't end. In Christ our lives have meaning.

Grace and peace,

BMH