Thoroughly Loved

This morning I had the privilege of being present in a church where this year's confirmation class members answered for themselves the questions of baptism and belief. Three of the class had not been baptised and wanted to be immersed, so arrangements were made to have a water tank (borrowed from the Baptists) placed int the sanctuary. It worked very well for the immersions. But I wasn't thinking about that during the baptisms. I instead watched as the pastor held the handkerchief over the mouth and nose one by one, took them down into the water, and brought that newly baptized back up. And what pulled at my heart was after each time the child was brought up, the pastor would hold him or her tight to his chest, encircling that boy or that girl completely in his arm and pray over each one in a most beautiful way lifting up unique gifts and and hoped for future for that specific youth. And as I watched this, I watched the face of each youth, as the pastor held him or her tight, and I saw the radiance on each face, the expression of one who knows what it is to be thoroughly loved and held tight in the arms of God just like was happening in that moment. It was a thing of unspeakable joy. Thank you, God.

I want to keep this image in mind as a picture of what I want my pastoring to be---yes, sometimes holding a person close in body, but more often creating relationships with persons, young and old, of trust and love, as a vehicle of God's love, as a person whose heart will not let go no matter what. Can I do that? By God's grace, I will.