Matthew's Baptism

When asked big questions like, what was the happiest day of your life, it can be hard to answer.  You think you should say your wedding day or the day your children were born, but that's often not the truth because there is a high amount of emotion that goes in with those big events and you're not able to really be present.  My happiest of days are when Mike and I have just been hanging out at home doing a whole lot of nothing but laughing and really, really enjoying being together.

Well, I can now tell you that the most special day of my life was the day that Matthew was baptized which was on Sunday, April, 22 at Winnetka Covenant Church.  

A week prior to the baptism we met with our pastor, Peter, and discussed the significance of baptism.  He encouraged us to think and pray about the sacrament in the coming week so that when it occurred, we would be fully prepared.  This really helped to make the baptism something that we were prepared to take in fully.

One of the things that made the baptism special was that pastoral staff:

Peter has known us for many years.  He was a Youth Pastor at the church when I was growing up and has been Senior Pastor for most of the time that Mike and I have been together.  He has spent time getting to know both of us personally and spiritually.

Art is a Parish Associate who used to work full-time at Winnetka.  Back in 1979, he baptized Paul when he was a baby.  After Matthew as baptized, he carried Matthew around the church for the congregation to see while we sang I Was There to Hear Your Borning Cry. 

My brother Paul was the one that actually did the baptizing.  And he preached that day.

Dustin and Brittany came in town for the baptism which was amazing of them.  They are Matthew's godparents.

And here is a full family picture:

You will notice that here again, Matthew and Titus are touching.

And when all was complete at the church:

The day was so special because it was a significant day in Matthew's spiritual life and I was able to stay fully present in the moment.  It was really nice for so many close friends and family members to be there and for the church to make the commitment to Matthew's spiritual life that they did.  And to solidify what was already true: to have the commitment from Dustin and Brittany to Matthew's spiritual life and to Mike and I in being Matthew's guides; their prayer, support, and accountability are invaluable to us.  And most importantly, I felt close to God and my family in ways that we had been growing into over the last several months.