This Sunday is my favorite Sunday of the year...Palm Sunday! I know, as Easter People, all of us should probably say Easter...and listen, I love Easter almost as much, but there is just something about Palm Sunday! Maybe it’s the parade...I admit it...I’m a sucker for a good one. (My partner, Cyndy, for instance loves the Macy’s parade on Thanksgiving). Maybe it’s the donkey. I mean who can’t love that humble donkey. What other faith has a donkey as the lead character in not one but two stories! (Jesus birth story and the Jesus is King story) But I think, for me, what makes Palm Sunday so great is the children! Whether they are shouting “Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna to the King”, waving palm branches way up high, or singing “Hosanna, Loud Hosanna! The little children sang...” the kids are always psyched up for Palm Sunday! And I just love that.
This Sunday, though, we have a special add on to all this...we’re having a baptism! Little Anna Lee Hartman, all 10 months old, is getting baptized. As I was talking with Matthew and Emily, Anna’s proud mom and dad, all sorts of memories of baptisms past came rolling into my heart.
To be honest some of my favorite baptisms (besides my own children and my granddaughter’s) have been “believer baptisms.” Baptisms where children, youth, or adults, are able to express their faith in our Grace-filled God. One I will never forget is the baptism of a little boy named Henry, age 7. Henry’s family had just joined our church, and one day as I was visiting with them, they shared that they had never had Henry baptized. And so, Henry and his parents came in to the church one night and I told Henry all about baptism. I had him stand up by the baptismal shell (we had a beautiful and magnificent Conch shell for a bowl), and we even pretended to go through with it. All the time, Henry was smiling to beat the band. And then I asked him the question, “What do you think, Henry! Do you want to be baptized?” And I’ll never forget his response. “You bet! I mean who wouldn’t want to be a wonderful and sacred child of God! I’m all in!”
That Sunday, we were all ready for the big event! Before the service, I asked Henry to come up and practice one more time and asked him if he had any questions. He shook his head and said, “I’m ready! For sure!” And we were set.
Except....when it came time for the baptism, we couldn’t find Henry. Mom and Dad were ready! Grandpa and Grandma were ready! Older sister was ready! But Henry was nowhere to be found.
And so, we all sang Jesus Loves me about 6 times while Henry’s sister and a couple of youth looked all over the church for Henry. Finally, after about 8 verses of Jesus Loves Me, who should pop into the sanctuary but Henry.
“Are you ready for me Pastor?” He yelled. I said, “Sure are Henry! Where have you been?”
“Oh, we were playing hide and seek. And I was hiding in my favorite spot.” (At this point Henry cupped his hand and whispered into my ear) “When I hide there, Pastor Brook, no one has found me yet!” (And then he turned and said as bold as brass) “And then all the sudden I heard that Jesus Loves Me song and it hit me! Holy Catfish, I’m getting baptized today! That was 15 seconds ago. Pastor Brook, I swear as soon as I remembered, I ran in here as fast as I could. I mean, I didn’t want to miss this! This was the best day of my life! I’m not too late, am I?”
And, indeed, it was! When I poured the grace of Christ over Henry’s head he was beaming from ear to ear! He really was a wonderful and sacred child of God!
Afterwards, over at his house for the baptismal dinner with his family, Henry asked me to play hide and seek with him and his friends. He asked me to hide with him (in the chicken coop of all places!), and while there he whispered to me,
“Pastor Brook can I tell you something? Don’t tell anyone else. Promise? When that water came over my head, I felt something.”
“What do you think it was, Henry?”
“Well, I’ve been thinking about it. It was like a warm feeling all over my body. You know what I think it was? I think it was God whispering to me that I really am what you said I was: a wonderful, sacred child of God.”
It took a while for the bunch to find us, and I was thankful for that time. Because it took a while to wipe away the joy leaking from heart and streaming down my face! Because as soon as Henry told me that story, I had the same warm feeling come over me!
Maybe that’s why I love Palm Sunday! Because every wonderful and sacred child of God (whether they know it or not) is invited to join in the parade of God’s amazing love. Because every wonderful and sacred child of God gets a chance to put love first.
Your pastor and friend, who can’t wait until this Sunday, Brook