Monica (d. 387) comes to mind in May: her commemoration day is May 4 and, of course, she was a mother. A mother to Augustine, arguably the most important Christian theologian in the first few hundred years of the Christian church. 

But it was a line in a Lutheran Woman Today article that caught attention: when Monica’s son Augustine was baptized as an adult by Ambrose of Milan, the author notes that she “viewed the event as her life’s achievement.” You just know there’s a story there, don’t you.

Briefly, the story is that Monica was a Christian woman whose son resisted the faith for a long time. In fact, probably for 15 to 20 years. He tried “everything,” so to speak, including philosophy and all kinds of religious heresies. He himself admitted to being wayward and lazy. He lived with a concubine and had a child out of wedlock. But through it all, his mother never gave up on him coming to God. No wonder she viewed his baptism as “her life’s achievement.”

Could we pray that children had such devoted mothers – and fathers – today? 

Of course, when many parents bring their infant to the font for baptism today, this event is likely not, for them, a “life’s achievement” – unless, of course, it takes place in the face of huge obstacles, has been much prayed over, and requires personal sacrifice. Such often is not the case in the places I’ve lived. Instead, it’s sometimes easier to get the child baptized than not. Even for parents who aren’t sure they themselves are believers. Social pressure at work, you know, like getting grandma and grandpa “off their case.” Quite a different world from Augustine’s and we need to think hard about what that means.

 On this day in May, however, I thank God for the Monicas in every child’s life, the people who will pray and persist, love and live faithfully, so that our children will come to believe. Sometimes their “life’s achievement” today will be all the work that comes after baptism – which may be every bit as demanding as Monica’s was before her son’s baptism.

Sunday was a delightful day for my wife and me: our godson was confirmed in the Christian faith.

The day was dark and rainy, actually rather gloomy; but the confirmation brightened every part of the day. What happened with Brent is what should always happen after baptism: his parents and his church community nurtured him in the faith, so that on Sunday, he claimed for himself the faith of his baptismal day. We were so proud of him and happy for him and his family.

He knows this is not the end, but a really big step along the way with lots of steps still ahead. We listened to him express his faith in his own words – with a smile on his face! We heard his mom tell with pleasure that he’s been the reader of Scripture lessons at worship– frequently. We saw him surrounded by Christian family and friends who care about him.

Not everyone has what Brent does – a caring, Christian family and a small, close-knit congregation. That’s why too many children who have been baptized never make it to church worship, Sunday School, and confirmation classes. What could be assumed a generation or two ago – that a baptized child would be brought up in the faith – is no longer the case.  A sad situation. The reasons are many – and challenges for all of us who believe in Jesus as the way, the truth, and the life. But today’s not the day for that discussion….

Today we give thanks for Brent, his faith in Jesus, and all who surrounded him and led him to take another step on the journey of following our Lord. Best wishes, Brent. As the lines of an Irish prayer have it: Christ on your right, Christ on your left, Christ before you, Christ after you…May Christ always be your companion.

In my last post I said would tell about an important ministry in the church designed about marking milestones in people’s lives.

Remember: milestones are those occasions in our lives where something important happens, often meaning a real “before” and “after.” These milestones might include events celebrated in the home; others in the congregation (or community as well). The Christian ministry of milestones takes place in the recognition and the ritual, keeping close the Christ connection: that we are “in Christ” even as we leave behind the old and face the new.

Who among us doesn’t recognize the importance of getting a driver’s license? It’s a teenager’s dream! Of course my beloved aunt found it pretty exciting at 65 years as well. Here’s a definite before and after. A real milestone filled with promise and responsibility. A Milestones Ministry recognizes this – deliberately.

If anyone that deserves credit for lifting up this element of baptismal spirituality, it’s The Youth and Family Institute in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They are at the center of exciting work to pass on the Christian faith especially within families and congregations. Check them out. They say:

A faith milestone is a marker along life’s journey that says, “This is something important and God is here, tool!” It’s time to pause, to share the joys and sorrows, to give and receive support.

As you might guess, some milestones are very public, such as high school graduation, and others more private, such as parents sending their child off to school for the very first time. So they may call for different kinds of celebrations, more public in the congregation or more private in the home. The Youth and Family Institute recognizes the differences, and it works with congregations to find their own pathway into this local ministry.

The opportunities to mark milestones are many. I know a congregation that for many years has given handmade quilts to its high school graduates on a special Sunday. I just served a congregation, Holmen Lutheran, that has been presenting the baptized with faithchests® to keep important mementoes and items for growing in faith through the years. Then there’s my personal experience: when I retired recently, my congregation celebrated, remembered, and did a Ritual for the Closure of a Ministry.

With Milestone Ministry, there’s a real sense of “before” and “after,” as I said, but in the words and the rituals, we realize there God is here too. Over the expanse of time, we truly we grow in faith and experience belonging to God.

So how do you “remember your baptism?” Start with the basics: recall the date when it took place. If you can’t remember that, dig out the baptismal certificate with that information. If you are unable to locate it, do a little talking within your family to learn of the church where it took place and write for the information.

Why should you do this? Because your baptismal day is that day when God spoke wonderful promises over you and God in Christ promised to be your God forever. Words spoken and water washed over you gave you this and more.

Some folks not only look up their baptismal date so they can carry it in their memory and heart; they may even frame the certificate and hang it on a wall in their home. They’ll ask family members for their stories of the day. They’ll pull out the old photo album and reminisce. For me June 11 is the date. My mother told me I was supposed to be baptized earlier along with two cousins, but to her disappointment, I was sick that day. So June 11 became “plan B.” Imagine my surprise when, many years later, my wife and discovered we were baptized on the same day, I in Wisconsin and she in Louisiana.

A Bible study group in my church is planning to use my book, Water for Your Soul, for their spiritual growth and conversation in the months ahead. As a prelude to that study they recently gathered. Each brought mementoes and told stories about their own baptism. For one it happened while her father was in the army during World War II. For another it involved the surprise of being baptized at a different church than she had assumed. Everyone had a story. Some had never talked about some of these matters of the heart and faith before. What a wonderful idea for sharing, a delightful and appropriate introduction to a book on baptismal spirituality.

So, back to the basics: Do you know when and where you were baptized? What can you learn about the day that will help you take the next step, which is the act of remembering your baptism as a spiritual meditating on the grace of God?

Now that was fun! I’m talking about the book signing I was privileged to have this past Sunday morning with the folks of my congregation. The ninety minutes between our two Sunday services were filled – signing for half an hour, then talking about the book for 15 minutes or so, and then signing again. What a joy to share this day with people who support my ministry.

I had a chance to talk about this favorite subject of mine, but in retrospect, I just scratched the surface of what I wanted to say. I guess that’s what happens when something’s become so deeply imbedded in your life. If I were to summarize the core of my motivation, it would be that deep in my heart I hope that baptism will become more closely connected with discipleship – and especially that baptism and discipleship are never separated. 

In the tradition and practice of my Lutheran church where the baptism of infants is the ordinary experience, it’s obvious that a baby knows very little about discipleship – well, nothing really. So the future is needed for discipleship to happen, a future with that little one surrounded by people of faith who keep telling her that she is a child of God and helping her understand and practice what that means. This sounds a lot like my book’s subtitle, doesn’t it: “living in baptism every day.” 

A few days ago I learned that there are about 70,000 baptisms annually in our Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. If the average ELCA congregation is still around 500 members, that’s the equivalent of 140 congregations. What if all those baptized children also become effective disciples of our Lord? And what if the hearts and lives of the parents and sponsors who surround them are changed and motivated and empowered to live new lives of faith and love? Think how many people are affected.

 When I think these thoughts, I remember again why I wrote this book, Water for Your Soul. Here in baptism God reaches into human lives with such grace and love that, tapping into it and living it daily, we are blessed – and changed – and can make a hopeful difference in the world as people of Christ.