This Sunday, I will baptize my own god-son. A bit unorthodox, I know, but that is how it is.
And what do the readings offer, to this composite group of Christians and ‘Seventh-day Adventurers’? The martyrdom of Stephen. The claim that some are destined to disobey. And the mixed blessing of ‘No one comes to the Father except through me.’
Time for a clever sermon then… Or shall we just dazzle them with music, flowers, good coffee and splashing water?
wonderful exchange 
Why not both? A clever sermon and music flower water and coffee and they will be dazzled into the next world, so to speak.
And just out of curiosity, do you know if priests ever/often baptise their own children, not to mention god-children?
Oh they do, my eldest daughter’s beloved and excellent god father baptised her.
I’m sure the sermon will dazzle too – that courageous angry young man, defying the old ones, and an even angrier young man helping to have him executed – the incredible mistakes the young child is bound to make, and the miraculous re-workings of life from mistakes.
The likeness of God seen in human life, in human love.
The way human eyes can reject a life as valueless, only to see it is actually a flowering of the fullest love of God.
And if you go to the Psalm as well, the amazing ability of God to transform lives (go on, you know you wanted the excuse for another variation on the theme!)
are you coming to preach, then, Rosemary? thanks for the ideas to play with.
Don’t have much to say as I’m brain dead with an empty belly to boot right now!!
However, I’m loving Rosemary’s response and just had to let you know 🙂
No my dear, I shall leave that for ‘il miglior fabbro’.
Ah, bliss. Late night references to my favourite childhood reading (not that I noticed the dedication at that age, of course; nor indeed had a clue what any of it meant).
do you suppose that one of the reasons some of us like blogging is that it satisfies the inner gnostic?
… and you claim to know what it all means now then?
Wallala leialala
No, Kelvin. But as you know, I am quite fond of things that perpetually elude understanding.
Weialala leia