Dear Truro Family,
About one third of the way into the baptismal liturgy of our Book of Common Prayer, the celebrant (the priest or deacon leading the baptismal service) asks the congregation the following question:
The Celebrant then addresses the Congregation, first inviting them to stand.
Will you who witness these vows do all in your power to support these persons in their life in Christ?
The Congregation responds
We will.
It’s a serious question, and it requires a serious commitment of us, as a church family.
We moved to Northern Virginia in September of 2015, when I accepted a position to lead our Family Ministries team, which included kids and youth. At the time, my boys were 4 and 2, and my youngest (Nathan, who you might see with me in the clergy stall at the 9am from time to time) wasn’t even born yet. One of the things Jenny and I quickly came to appreciate about Truro was the way our boys were welcomed in worship, wiggles and all, with smiles and joy, and nary a “stink eye” when they’ve had trouble controlling their bodies or voices during worship – only encouragement, patience, and warm welcome.
I’ve long said that church is a family affair, and our worship on Sunday mornings belongs as much to our children as it does our adults and even our priests. After all – God willing, our kids will be in these pews much longer than we will.
That joy and welcome, encouragement and enthusiasm for our younger members was on full display this past Sunday at the 9am. (You can watch it here if you missed it). It was messy and wiggly and wet. I am quite certain the back of the sanctuary could hardly see over the small horde of children crowding the rail to watch. And yet the roars of welcome and jubilant cheers throughout reinforced to me, again, that our worship together is a family affair, and that the growing up of young followers of Jesus takes all of us.
This coming Sunday (again at 9am – we’re sorry 7:45, 11:15, and online folks!), we’ll celebrate a handful of kids as they receive and/or celebrate their First Communion. We’ll pray for them, and honor this step of faith towards Jesus they are taking. Please make sure to congratulate their step towards Jesus, and encourage their parents. And if you won’t be at the 9am, please (please!) pray for these kids and their families, along with the kids (and their families) that were baptized this past Sunday. These kids in our midst point to the growing Family of God. And please pray that we as a church would continue to grow in our love, welcome, and care for our younger members, and that we would continue to receive with joy all their wiggles and participation in our worship together on Sundays.
Your friend in Christ,
Mike+ Seawright