Friday Five: Baptism

As I have done before, I will blog on the 5 questions posted on a great blog- RevGalBlogPals. I don't work on Fridays, so here is the Friday Five on Monday :)

Friday Five: The Water and the Word
In last Sunday's gospel Nicodemus asks Jesus, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" Poor old Nicodemus! He was so confused about the whole "water and Spirit" business of baptism.

For today's five, tell us about your baptismal experiences.

When and where were you baptized? Do you remember it? Know any interesting tidbits?
I was baptized on October 19, 1980 at Grace Lutheran Church in Muscatine, Iowa. I definitely don't remember it. I wish I did.

What's the most unexpected thing you've ever witnessed at a baptism?
Hmm...I'm sure the answer to this question will get more interesting as my years of ministry accumulate, but so far I'd say I was pretty surprised when the last baby I baptized started to fall asleep as I poured the water on his head!

Does your congregation have any special traditions surrounding baptisms?
Yes, they make a banner for the baby with his/her name on it and sing a special song.

Are you a godparent or baptismal sponsor? Have a story to tell?
I am a proud godparent of two beautiful Christian girls. My cousin Sarah, who is a SENIOR in high school and an amazing young woman, and my niece Mirella, a sassy 5 year-old. I love them both so much and am honored to be an example and teacher of faith to them.

Do you have a favorite baptismal song or hymn?
There's a really pretty song we sing at Grace at the contemporary service, but I don't know the name of it. It will get your tears going if you're not careful!

Baptism is such an important part of my life. I think about it almost daily. It gives me hope. At seminary, we had a very awesome baptismal font. It flowed down like a waterfall into a pool you could walk though. Some of my favorite worship experiences were when the whole community would take off their shoes and walk through the font. It was very moving. I love the flowing baptismal font at Grace, which we took time to listen to on Sunday morning. This Lent, may we all take time to listed to those waters and to what God is saying to us through them.