“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart... [Jeremiah 1:5a-b NIV]"I was there to hear your borning cry,
I'll be there when you are old.
I rejoiced the day you were baptized,
To see your life unfold.
- John Ylvisaker, 1985
Dear Emma,
Today, October 16, 2011, at Grace Lutheran Church, Oakes, North Dakota, you will be received into the kingdom of God's grace through the washing of Holy Baptism. How perfect it will be that you will receive this gift of God at the baptismal font in front of a congregation of His people that celebrates His grace everyday by their very existence as Grace Lutheran Church. One day, when you are a little older, you may ask your mother to recount a simple way to remember the G.R.A.C.E. of God. In confirmation classes and sermons preached by me, grace has been explained as God's Riches At Christ's Expense.
Imagine the grace of God coming to us through simple means - water and the Word. In Baptism, we are not the ones doing. As Martin Luther explained, "Baptism is not just plain water, but it is the water included in God's command and combined with God's Word." We are reminded of Jesus' life-changing, world-changing directive to His disciples: "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." [Matthew 28:19 NIV]
"Baptized into Your Name most holy,
O Father, Son and Holy Ghost,
I claim a place, though weak and lowly,
Among Your seed, Your chosen host.
Buried with Christ and dead to sin,
I have Your Spirit now within."
Luther, in his Small Catechism continues: "...the Word of God in and with the water does these things, along with the faith which trusts this Word of God in the water. For without God's Word the water is plain water and no Baptism. But with the Word of God it is a Baptism, that is, a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a washing of the new birth in the Holy Spirit..." Your parents and godparents bring you to receive the new birth in Christ. Your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and the members of Grace Lutheran Church and the entirety of Christ's Church pray God's constant blessings upon your life as you grow in stature, in faith and in His grace.
Emma Denise Malheim, God has a plan for your life. To the prophet Jeremiah, God said: "I know the plans I have for you, ...plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." The truth is, no one but God knows those plans but I am confident that He has great things in store for your life. You hold a special place in His heart as His child. May God pour out His abundant blessings on you today and always!
Love,
Grandpa Turnmire
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