Raise The Roof!

These verses should have special meaning for you this morning Karmen and Don, for God has made a covenant with your son Andrew. Now I know you both see a lot of contracts in your line of work (Don and Karmen are lawyers), but none of them can compare to Baptism. Through Baptism God adopted Andrew as his child. He washed his sins away. He gave him the Holy Spirit. And he has granted him eternal life. He’s done this all for free and forever. Have you ever seen a contract like that? Have any of your clients written a will in which they left everything to their worst enemy, even pledging that their heirs will be their enemy’s servants forever? That’s what God has done for Andrew, for you and for me, for all those who have been baptized. For even though we all were God’s enemies, through Baptism he pledged himself to us and gives us blessings we don’t deserve. That’s quite a covenant.

May I sound a word of caution, however? By nature Andrew does not care about what God has done for him this morning. Besides inheriting your good looks and smarts, Andrew has also inherited sin. Like you and me, he has the awful power to reject God’s promises. How can you keep that from happening? The psalmist gives us an idea when he says God’s works are pondered by all who delight in them (Ps. 111:2b). The word “ponder” in Hebrew literally means to “visit often”. To strengthen the faith that God has given Andrew this morning, he will need to visit often God’s word. Since Andrew won’t be able to read for another four or five years, you, his parents, will have to help him visit God’s word. Don’t let a night go by without reading to Andrew from a Bible-story book. The psalmist encourages you to do more than visit God’s word often in the privacy of your home, he points out the importance of joining with fellow believers to sing God’s praises (Ps. 111:1). Since Andrew won’t be able to drive himself to church for another sixteen years, you will have the privilege of bringing him. Don’t wait to get into that habit. Start now and in a few years coming to church is something that Andrew will look forward to doing. Is this advice worth heeding? It sure is because it’s not my advice, it’s God’s. Regarding our attitude towards God’s advice the psalmist concludes: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts have good understanding” (Ps. 111:10a). Do you want to be the best parents that you can be? Then follow God’s word.

I was really looking forward to the service this morning. I couldn’t wait to raise the roof with my fellow saints and rejoice with Andrew at his Baptism. Indeed, God’s works are wonderful. He not only provides for us daily, he saves us for eternity. We can be certain of this because God’s word is dependable. Praise the Lord! Amen.