Baptism

Micah was baptized today at First Presbyterian Church of Brandon. I often cry at baptisms; there's something about standing in front of the congregation and committing a child both to God and to a congregation that just makes me very emotional. Micah's was no different. His Grandparents Williams, Uncle Matt & Aunt Kristin, and Uncle Ryan & Aunt Deci were there to witness his baptism. His Grandparents Black were there in spirit - the incredible outfit he wore was stitched with love by his Grandma Black. Micah was truly an angel - rare for the daytime! He was awake and calm during the actual baptism, even when Rebekah (the senior pastor at Tim's church and our dear friend) put the water on his head. Then she walked him around the church and introduced him to the congregation as their new brother in Christ. She talked about what his name meant (it means "Who is like God?") and she talked about how loved he would be. Tim participated in the baptism by asking the congregation questions about their commitment to Micah. After it was all over, he ate a little bit from his bottle and then fell asleep in Aunt Kristin's arms. Life since Micah arrived has been full of surreal moments when I can't believe that he is really ours, that we get to go through life with him from now on, and this one was another of those moments. But the thing that was reinforced for me today is that Micah really isn't "ours". He belongs to God and he belongs to the church. When we gave him to God today, we were giving him so much more than we ever could if we kept him to ourselves. The perfect ending to the service? Rebekah took Micah, and she and Tim held him at the door so that everyone leaving could greet him. It was truly a wonderful, God-full day and I wouldn't change anything about it even if I could. Our good friend Heather took some great pictures so here are some more photos of the day.