Tonight at church we got to celebrate in the baptism of a young man who has come a long way.  Southwest Central had the blessing of being a small part of the journey of someone who truly is living the call of Jesus.

M, as we shall call him, was into a Hindi family who loves and cares for him.  But as he moved to America for school, found a minister to learn about Christianity, and moved towards a new faith, life became more complicated, and yet clearer at the same time.  As M moved towards this new faith, roommates who shared his tradition rejected him and left him homeless, and then his family in every showed despisal and anger and abandonment.  And yet, he maintained his path on this journey. A journey towards Jesus.  His reasons for continuing:

• Realizing that God has been on his side even when he wasn’t on Gods side
• Seeing the love of God present in people whom he brings together
• Realizing the goodness of God and the profound love of God through Jesus
• The joy of faith and the sacrifice of love in Christ.

As I watched him confess his faith and and accept Christ’s invite to a lifelong journey of faith, I couldn’t help but feel the presence of Ryan in my arms and share in M celebration and the movement of Gods kingdom, but recognizing that Gods kingdom will continue in the life of Ryan too.  This was his first baptism that he was aware for, and I couldn’t help but be mesmerized and ponder the significance of this for him.  I wonder what he sees and wonder what he thinks.  But this is the future that yearn for for him and Aiden- not a thoughtless baptism or a rote life.  I want him, like M, to choose his life with Christ and recognize the power of Christ’s love and the depth of His joy, but also the sheer sacrifice and denial of this world in that choice– but to still choose it with Gods people to walk alongside.  I am grateful for M, for his faith, for the church, for the people who have surrounded him and cared for him.  And I am grateful for all those people and the way they will shape Ryan and Aiden and shape their response to Gods pursuing love in Christ that surrounds them.