St. Bart's Day Baptisms and Wedding Anniversary - Rector's Rambling for August 24, 2025

     Today we celebrate 50 years of marriage for Ralph and Sarah Babcock, and new life in Jesus Christ for Charlie and Leo!  What a great day at St. John’s! 

In 1975 Ralph and Sarah stood before God and in front of Sarah’s dad, Fr. Thomas Frisby (11th Rector of St. John’s) and promised to love, comfort, honor, and keep each other in sickness and in health; and, forsaking all others keep only to each other as long as they both shall live.  50 years of this promise kept with prayer for many more years!  And yes, Dr. Huw Lewis was the recently appointed organist of St. John’s playing that day!

Leo and Charlie are making their official beginning.  Baptism is most generally appreciated as the gateway to membership in the Church.  It is the outward public statement that you belong in this group of believers that claims Jesus Christ as Lord.  It is public in the sense that in the last generation or two the Church has reclaimed the ancient practice of having baptism done either during, or immediately proceeding, the primary worship gathering of the community.  The baptism service is a public statement that this child (through their sponsors) or adult is making promises in a community.  The community witnesses the promises and itself promises support to the newly baptized.  In the case of infants and young children the parents and godparents promise to be sure the children “learn the Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and all other things which a Christian ought to know and believe to his soul’s health”.  And not only the parents and sponsors, but all in attendance at the baptism do their part in prayer, fellowship, and support of the Sunday School ministry of the parish.

But something deeper than a public affirmation of belief occurs in the waters of baptism.  We are all born into the Body of Adam and therefore are inheritors of sin and death (known as birth sin or original sin).

But by the grace of the Sacrament of Baptism we are BORN AGAIN of water and the Holy Spirit; we are taken out of the body of Adam and grafted into the Body of Christ.  This is called Baptismal Regeneration.  More than just a public promise or membership ritual, it is God changing people!  And changed we are!

By the end of this day, 7402 people will have been baptised at St. John’s.  Ralph and Sarah were marriage number 3199 at St. John’s, and we have marriages 3451 and 3452 scheduled in the coming weeks. Thanks be to God!