I have baptized hundreds of people. Strangers. Friends. Family.

However, until this past Sunday I had never baptized one of my kids.  I baptized 2 of them. Wow! What a special day.

The whole service was unique because we were focusing on children.  We wanted to show our congregation how important the next generation IS (not will be) and we wanted the adults to remember how important it is to remain like kids.  You can check out the sermon notes here.  You can listen to the message podcast here.

Erica and I have been talking to our boys about baptism for years.  Of course, they see tons of people baptized at church every year.  They are compelled to talk about it and ask tons of questions.  Erica and I have been extremely careful to push the decision later in life.  Something in us wanted to make sure the boys were making the decision for themselves and not simply because their friends were or because there was any pressure from mom and dad.

The last month or so, the boys have been telling us over and over that they wanted to be baptized.  I would quiz them over and over with random questions.  I would surprise them in the car, around the dinner table, or getting ready for bed.  “Why do you want to be baptized?”  “What does baptism mean to you?”  “What does sin mean to you?”  “How does sin go away from you?”

Their answers were solid.  “We are separated from God in our sin” “God loves us so much that he came here to take the sin away” “When we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  Ok, maybe they didn’t say that last sentence.  But they had the basic concept.  Baptism was an act of obedience directly tied to their faith in Jesus’ work on the cross and empty grave.

So, we went for it and what a day it was.