Baby Dedications

One of my favorite things about a church as small as ours is that marker events in people's lives naturally contribute to shaping our times together. For example, the grief that some members of our congregation were experiencing yesterday as a result of the recent deaths of friends and family members led us to scrap our original plans for the service. We spent our time praying, singing, and drumming to express this grief and cry out for God to hold us. We were going to tell the next story from our David series, out of 1 Sam. 24, but instead we read David's song in Psalm 23 and reflected on how God shepherds us, as he shepherded David, through times of darkness.


The intimate character of our congregation also gives us greater flexibility in times of celebration. So when it came time to dedicate the twins last month, instead of inserting 10 minutes of baby dedication in a service (like I'm used to!), we gave the family freedom to help plan and shape the whole service around this marker in their lives. They chose the songs, they chose the location, they invited their friends, and planned the meal that would follow.


This baby dedication service, which we held on the top floor of the family's apartment building, drew the one of the largest crowds we've ever had as a church - around 50 people, I believe. Many residents of the building came, as well as many family members. It was exciting to have so many people there to honor the family and witness the commitments they were making.

We began with a blessing in the form of a First Nations drum song, sung by the twins' step-grandfather, their father, and two of their uncles. We also sang the worship songs the family chose. But my favorite part of the service was being given the opportunity to bless and acknowledge the twins' family: parents, grandparents, uncles, and extended family. So many of them have gone above and beyond what is normally expected of family. I talked about how I have seen the image of God in them as they have helped care for these babies: the image God the Father, God as our Mother, Kinsman Redeemer, Guardian. We also acknowledged the godparents, and called everyone to make commitments to nurture the twins in God's love. The babies' grandmother (and current guardian) wrote a letter to the twins, which was read aloud. The babies were anointed with oil, and passed around so that everyone could touch and bless them. We shared a delicious meal together afterward.

It was a beautiful service, and an important chance to remember that it takes a whole family network, and a whole church community, to raise a child - and even more so when you're raising two at once!

Easter Celebration

We marched down Main Street on Easter Sunday afternoon. I love walking together to or from our Sunday gatherings, especially if we head down Main Street or Hastings. We are not a typical gathering in this area, a motley crew of kids of all shapes colors and sizes, and various adults fitting the same description. The children are filled with life, and often are careening off of adults or telephone poles on the crowded sidewalks of Chinatown or through the vendors selling their wares on Hastings. On Easter we were especially exuberant and the joy was contagious. The look in people's faces amuses me to no end as you can see them trying to puzzle out how we all know each other or where we are going together and why. If they ask, we tell them, "we are a church, would you like to join us?" which feels a little like we have said, "would you like to join the circus, it's lots of fun!"

On this Easter Sunday, we are aware that the Risen Christ has broken through the barrier walls that separate us from one another. That the Risen Christ conquered the power of sin, death and separation to make a new family of all the people's of the earth. Having walked through the pain and the brokenness of Holy Week (and Lent) having named all the things that could separate us the power of what unites us felt all the more powerful in the bright and shining Son.