Better Than Christmas

Tonight is Baptism Eve. My church baptizes believers once a year, and it is such a holy and magnificent celebration of Jesus’ redemption and restoration of our lives.  It is better than Christmas!

For the last 4+ years, my family of four has been going to church services on Saturday nights. Starting next weekend, we are going to change things up and attend on Sunday mornings at the location where I work. Tonight was a goodbye of sorts, and I have mixed emotions about leaving the building where I first began seeing Jesus in a personal light. However, any doubts I had were dashed tonight.

I looked down the row where I was sitting, and this is what I saw:

It looks like nothing spectacular, right? This is one of those instances where a picture is worth a thousand words, at least to me. The orange shirt in the foreground is my husband’s shirt. He was sitting to my left. To the left of him is a man wearing a striped shirt. In 2008, Striped Shirt and his wife invited me and Dan to that church for the first time. I started inviting another friend of mine (for 526 days, to be exact) and she and her husband finally came in 2010. In that photo, 526-Day-Husband is the man with a beard and his wife is the one with sunglasses on her head. Beside her is a woman in a pink shirt and then a man with his hand on his face. That’s a couple that 526-Day-Couple invited. And here’s the best part:

Striped Shirt and Pink Shirt will be baptized tomorrow.

Do see the links in that chain?

• Striped Shirt invited me and Dan.
• Dan and I invited 526-Day-Couple.
• 526-Day-Couple invited Pink Shirt and Hand-On-Face.

The first link in the chain will be baptized the same day as the latest* link in the chain.

Before you think I’m boasting, PLEASE hear me on this: none of this is because of our imperfect human actions. The only reason this chain has any strength is because of the saving grace given by an incredibly merciful God. He forges the links of salvation heart by heart, and soul to soul.

When I looked down this row tonight, I saw walking miracles and tangible proof of a magnificent Love. God winked at me and reminded me that any future step I take is guided by His hands alone. Thank you for the personal way You love us, God!

*Notice I didn’t say “last” link in the chain, because Pink Shirt is only one of countless many in a chain that will go on for God knows how long!