Washed Clean

October 5th was a big day for Levi--he was baptized. Through the act of baptism, Levi is now a beneficiary of God's Covenant with the Church. Baptism is the outward symbol of entry into this covenant. We pray that one day his baptism will be effective upon his own personal faith in Christ.

Baptism itself symbolizes faith in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and our cleansing of and pardoning of sin. It symbolizes the believers' participation in Christ's death and resurrection as well as testifying to the final resurrection of the dead.

Baptism does not guarantee salvation for Levi. It is God communicating to Levi and establishing His relationship with him. It is the New Testament version of circumcision--a sign of the Covenant we have with God. Here's a great explanation of why we do infant baptism by Peter J. Leithart:

"As we establish loving and trusting relations with our infants through symbols [talking to them and loving them through gestures, hugs, and kisses], so God speaks to infants and establishes a relation with them through the “visible word” of baptism. Thus, the question “Should we baptize babies?” is of a piece with the question “Should we talk to babies?” Paedobaptism is neither more nor less odd and miraculous that talking to a newborn. In fact, that is just what paedobaptism is: God speaking in water to a newborn child.

[. . .Parents] speak to their children so that the child will learn to understand and talk back. So too, we baptize babies not because they can fully understand what is happening to them, nor because we expect them to undergo some kind of immediate moral transformation. We baptize them, and consistently remind them of their baptism and its implications, so that they will come to understanding and mature faith. "

My first "matriarchal" decision (phrase used by Dustin) was choosing the baptism gown. We hope to use the gown for all our childrens' baptisms, have their names and baptism date embroidered in the slip, and hopefully also have our grandchildren baptized in it as well. It's amazing to think of a potential generation of those loving Jesus that Dustin and I could leave behind through our children. That's how I got Dustin to allow me to put our son "in a dress." :-)

Yummy cake Mommy baked to celebrate Levi's Big Day!
(The beautiful wooden platter is hand made by Levi's Great Grandfather Lear as a gift to our family!)


Some shots before, during, and after the service:

(Of course, Levi was fussy during the entire baptism. It was time for the poor little guy to eat, and he was tired too because he missed his nap. I think it's a given to have babies cry during baptisms, no matter how "good" they are!)

Levi's godparents, David and Hadyn Boyte (and their two sons, Xiabe and Salem). They weren't able to come up the weekend of the baptism, (mostly b/c all my family was in town), but we taped the service for them and were able to show the video to them with they visited. We are honored to have their loving commitment to pray for our son and encourage him in the Lord.

Following are some pictures/snap shots. A friend has taken better pictures, but I haven't received them yet. (that's why we're not looking at the camera for any of the pictures)

With Levi's Grandpa and Grandma.

With Levi's MaLu and MaGe.

Fun before and after baptism weekend:

Levi's great grandparents, Laura's parents, Don and Alice Lear, got to meet Levi for the first time after their 6 months of travelling through Alaska. They were also able to stay for Levi's baptism.

The adorable moccasins Grandpa Lear got Levi on their trip. (Also referred to as "mucalucks")

Grandma is showing Levi around outside and introducing him to leaves for the first time. Of course, he wants to put it in his mouth! (I think he may have swallowed a little piece . . .)

Aunt Heather and Aunt Megan sharing in some Levi-love.

Uncle Greg teaching Levi how to be cool.

Aunt Megan and Grandma having fun on the ground with Levi.

Uncle Ben even got to play with Levi.

A busy weekend with family! Levi is in his favorite sleeping position--his hands behind his head. Although the lighting is not the best, I love this picture. It is a "classic" relaxing/ chilling picture, especially after a packed weekend!