“Be
strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I
swore to their forefathers to give them. Be strong and very courageous. Be
careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to
the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Do not
let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night,
so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be
prosperous and successful. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous.
Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you
wherever you go.”
So
Joshua ordered the officers of the people: “Go through the camp and tell the
people, ‘Get your supplies ready. Three days from now you will cross the Jordan
here to go in and take possession of the land the Lord your God is giving you
for your own.’”
We
have been to Concord a number of times and I thought there wasn’t much more on
which I could comment, but today we were here for the baptism of two of our
grandchildren. After the baptism I helped get some of the children down to the
nursery, and my grandchildren and I stayed.
I
thought I might write about some of the different opinions on baptism that we
have encountered in the churches we have visited. However, after the service,
when everyone came down for refreshments, was what I needed to write about.
At
one point when my grandson Parker took off running, a church member interceded
and stopped him from climbing the stairs and got him headed back to the social
area. This is a very family church and I thought this was a good thing that
they would look after someone else’s child.
It
was cause for me to pay more attention to the children there. I guess it is the
same at family gatherings, but most saw the little ones and said, “How cute,”
but paid no more attention to them underfoot. I didn’t realize until too late
how easily they were overlooked.
Parker
reached up for a cup on the edge of the table and was scalded with hot coffee.
He was treated at the hospital and will be okay. Sincere thanks to the numerous
folks who helped provide first aid.
Jan’s
thoughts:
We
returned to Concord for the baptism of our 20-month-old grandtwins. The baptism
was performed by the twins’ grandfather and former pastor of this church. It
was a joy to witness this special event.
The
message, entitled “Fishing In The Right Place,” spoke of the shalom of the
Promised Land and God’s promise of abundant life.
Following
worship everyone adjoined downstairs for a time of fellowship and refreshment. During
the course of all this, my just-baptized grandson found a cup of hot coffee near
the edge of a table and ended up spilling it down his front. He sustained a
burn on his chin but the quick application of cool compresses on the rest of
him prevented any further blisters and the ER doctor confirmed he had no burns
in his mouth.
I
know this congregation loves my grandchildren, and every parent knows how
quickly these things can happen. We’ve seen young ones at most of the churches
we visit, and Sunday morning is often a time of fun and visiting and especially
at close-knit, family churches, all the adults sort of keep an eye on the little
ones. And sometimes it’s hard for us grandparent-types to remember how curious
they can be at this age.
I
hope everyone who reads this will remember to be careful about hot drinks
around little ones.
Dear Father, we pray this church and all churches are aware of the little folk and others that we just don’t see. Help us to minister to all. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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