Sam’s baptism

Yesterday was little Sam’s baptism.

What I hadn’t quite appreciated, was that Rachel was going to make the entrance she would have made if it had been her wedding as planned. My first hint of this came when Steve arrived early, dressed in his wedding gear complete with smart, light green cravat.

(Actually, I made a big mistake prior to that. When I arrived, and hour before the service was due to start, Steve was already there with some friends, standing in the porch.

“Hello,” I said. “How are things? Everything OK?”

He looked at me as if I was slightly barmy, and said, “Er, I’m Adam, Steve’s identical twin brother.”

Until then, I didn’t know he had a twin….)

Rachel was so late arriving that I began to get seriously worried. Was she too ill to come? Fortunately, her new father-in-law came out to see what was going on, and had his mobile phone with him. He rang Rachel, who said, yes, they were in the car, en route.

It was so difficult for her to get out of the car and into the wheelchair, but she managed. She was wearing her gorgeous white wedding dress, with a white bandanna covering her lack of hair, her face was made up and her nails had been done. She was beautiful. Her father pushed her down the aisle accompanied by her bridesmaid and page boy, and when she reached the front I started the service by blessing yesterday’s wedding.

Then we launched into the baptism, which went well.

I used bubbles for the prayers, explaining that bubbles are beautiful but ephemeral. They burst, but we hold onto their beauty. And each bubble contains a rainbow, the sign God put in the sky after Noah’s flood, to tell us that God is with us. Then people make their own prayers (I suggest headings) and attach them to the bubbles.

After the service there were lots of photos in church – making memories for little Sam – and eventually I slipped away and left them to it.

I do hope they have a really good weekend. They’re going to a local hotel for a meal, then Steve and Rachel are staying there for a day or two, for their honeymoon.

May this courageous and wonderful couple enjoy every minute of it.