Promises, promises

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2 Corinthians 1: 20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. NIV

My Grandmother, Rachel Stuart, whom we all called “Grandma,” was a great wee person. She looked like Dorothy’s mother, Sophia, from the TV show “The Golden Girls.” She raised a large family of seven and had umpteen grandchildren and great-grandchildren. My grandparents were married when they were sixteen and seventeen years old, and they enjoyed almost seventy years of marriage together.

Grandma Stuart had a number of sayings, but one of her best was: “He’s a great promiser, but a bad fulfiller.” She usually applied that to national politicians, but she also wanted her grandchildren to learn this important lesson – sometimes what people say they will do is vastly different from what they end up doing.

When Paul writes to the Corinthians about the promises of God, he writes from a background of belonging to a people who longed for God to fulfill His promises. They had waited hundreds of years for a Messiah to come into the world to save Israel, but time after time, they were disappointed. For some, it must have seemed as though God was a great promiser, but a bad fulfiller.

Paul firmly believed that Jesus was the Messiah and that God fulfilled all of His promises through Him. The Christ that the people had been looking for, was the person they crucified. The Messiah that they had all been hoping for, was the Resurrected Son of God, Jesus Christ.

After two thousand years, we still wonder if God will fulfill His promises and when Christ will return. The world needs Christ the Peacemaker, Judge, and Savior to come back into history and put an end to all wickedness, war, and waste. Faith is required for those who wait expectantly for Christ to return - a faith that believes God is not just a great promiser, but a true fulfiller of all that He has said. Or as Paul so effectively wrote it: ‘no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.’

Prayer: Father God, Time to You is a mere twinkling of the eye, but to us who wait on earth, it can seem like ages. We know that You have Your own plans about when Christ will return to earth. Grant us patience and enable us to live each day as if it will be the moment of the final fulfillment of Your great and everlasting promises. In Christ’s Name, we expectantly pray. Amen.

Three Witnesses

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Matthew 3:16 As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. (NIV)

I don’t remember my baptism, but I remember seeing old monochrome photographs of my parents and older sister after the event. The photos were taken with my Dad’s box camera and the prints were 2x2. In one of the photographs, my mom is holding me in her arms whilst my sister is pulling at her skirt and crying. I’m oblivious to all that was happening that day. I’ve got no idea what all the fuss is about.

As well as my family being there with the congregation and minister, there were also three very important witnesses to the whole ritual – the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The old pastor who baptized me invoked their presence during the prayers, and even although I was completely unaware of what was occurring, the Holy Spirit must have touched me that Sunday morning.

Baptismal questions were asked and promises were given. And even although my parents were not church-goers, they did see to it that I went to Sunday School – well, at least my mom did anyway. They loosely attempted to keep their part of the covenant, but God made certain that His side of the sacred agreement was fulfilled.

These days, I get asked to baptize babies of folks who have loose connections with the congregation. I wish that some of them would make a greater effort in fulfilling their vows, but in the end I completely trust God to fulfill His part of the covenant. Some of the kids I’ll never see again, but I hope and pray that they will be touched by the Holy Spirit and ushered into God’s Kingdom at some point in their life. Our congregation tries to mentor and guide many of the kids who are part of our faith community, because it also makes a promise to do so. But sometimes getting the parents to come with the kids is an uphill battle, especially if they think, like my own parents did, that church is a leisure option instead of a lifetime commitment.

Prayer: Holy Spirit, many children will be baptized throughout the world this Sunday and sadly, some of them will never cross the threshold of a church door for years. Let Your Holiness prevail in the hearts and souls of these young ones. Let Your covenanted connection to them emerge throughout the passing years of their lives. May all the young ones, who are baptized this Sunday, become faithful servants for Your Kingdom, despite the weak church connections of their families. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.