Christening a New Easter Tradition
My daughter had her first Easter this weekend, not that she'll remember much of it as she's only six months old. But I'll never forget it. She was baptized at the Saturday evening Easter Vigil service. While it was a lovely service, it was soooooooo loooooooooooooong. It lasted two hours, twice as long as a normal service! It started at 7:00 pm and lasted until 9:00. My poor little girl normally goes to bed about 8:00, and she didn't take very good naps on Saturday. She was so very tired, but really, she was very well behaved all things considered. She didn't cry when the priest sprinkled her forehead with water and shortly thereafter, she fell asleep in her daddy's arms and slept through the last half hour of the service, including communion and several hymns with organ AND BRASS accompaniment. Even the horns didn't rouse her!
She wore the same Christening gown that I wore when I was baptized 32 years ago; it was the same gown that my younger brother wore, and all my first cousins, when they were baptized. It was purchased for me by my godmother Ida Lee out in San Francisco and sent to us in Kansas City. I was baptized with Holy Water from the River Jordan brought back by my Great-Grandma Ruby who went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land earlier that same year. I don't remember this, but I've been told the story and I've seen the pictures and clippings from the small town newspaper that published my baptism announcement.
Most of my actual childhood Easter memories involve food: Easter dinner, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans (is it any wonder I'm overweight?). We did go to church, sometimes with my grandparents. I can remember bits and pieces, some of the joyful Easter hymns. But more detail is etched in my mind about Easter candy. Our family had a revised rendition of the egg hunt, the Easter bunny hid jelly beans all over the house for us to find on Easter morning.
While I still want to carry on the great jelly bean hunt with my children, I also want my daughter to hear the story of her Easter baptism every year. It will make the holiday more special for her, I hope, and remind her that Easter is more about the resurrection, new life, and God's love and less about chocolate bunnies.
She wore the same Christening gown that I wore when I was baptized 32 years ago; it was the same gown that my younger brother wore, and all my first cousins, when they were baptized. It was purchased for me by my godmother Ida Lee out in San Francisco and sent to us in Kansas City. I was baptized with Holy Water from the River Jordan brought back by my Great-Grandma Ruby who went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land earlier that same year. I don't remember this, but I've been told the story and I've seen the pictures and clippings from the small town newspaper that published my baptism announcement.
Most of my actual childhood Easter memories involve food: Easter dinner, chocolate bunnies, and jelly beans (is it any wonder I'm overweight?). We did go to church, sometimes with my grandparents. I can remember bits and pieces, some of the joyful Easter hymns. But more detail is etched in my mind about Easter candy. Our family had a revised rendition of the egg hunt, the Easter bunny hid jelly beans all over the house for us to find on Easter morning.
While I still want to carry on the great jelly bean hunt with my children, I also want my daughter to hear the story of her Easter baptism every year. It will make the holiday more special for her, I hope, and remind her that Easter is more about the resurrection, new life, and God's love and less about chocolate bunnies.
posted by Tacey at
9:06 PM
1 Comments:
Oh. You made me cry. Congratulations to Baby M and her new status as a child of God! Happy Easter!!
By
Anonymous, at 3/28/2005 9:48 PM
Post a Comment
<< Home