The Sacraments of Baptism and Communion

 

 

"Sacrament," the word and the act, can seem so quaint in a time when our culture has gotten so secular and even our churches are feeling the need to seem modern in look and vocab and cadence. Perhaps I am old-fashioned (although I did not grow up in the church), but I find ceremonies like baptism and communion quite powerful.

The thing I like about baptisms, besides the tableau of wriggly burrito-sized babies or smart-looking dressed-up kids, is the call to the congregation to help in the godly raising of the baptized child. It is a reminder that we all, ant not just the parents, bear some communal responsibility for seeing the child down the straight and narrow path that leads to life.

As for communion, "this is my body" takes on vivid imagery when the person serving communion takes that thick loaf of bread and tears it in two. When we have largely been inoculated from the shock value of Jesus on the cross, that act is a powerful reminder that the payment for our sins was profoundly costly.

Maybe baptism and communion are stuffy rites for you. For me they can evoke a deep sense of responsibility and a deep sense of gratitude. I am thankful for these sacraments.