Baptism: Becoming Children of the Light...long share :-)

[flickchic]

Henri Nouwen Reflections ;

(from Spiritual Mediatations, posted by Frannie)

Baptism: Becoming Children of the Light

When Jesus appears for the last time to his disciples, he sends them out into the world saying: "Go, ... make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19).

Jesus offers us baptism as the way to enter into communion with God, Father, Son, and Spirit, and to live our lives as God's beloved children. Through baptism we say no to the world. We declare that we no longer want to remain children of the darkness but want to become children of the light, God's children. We do not want to escape the world, but we want to live in it without belonging to it. That is what baptism enables us to do.

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O WOW!!!!!!

I was going to share that I am so full of Joy I feel I will burst, however it brought to mind a post I believe Jan placed; re a little boy wondering how he would be able to have God inside of him as God is the Universe, which as we all know is Infinity; I feel this is what happens when we hold God fully within; He shines His light right on through us, we radiate His love, His light from every little piece of self.....simply WOW!!!

My share will be a little backwards and all over the place; it will come as it does;
God has such and awesome sense of humour; something to delight in!!!!!; I was sat in meditative prayer; not only does He Create such wonderful artwork to the eye, also to our other 5 senses; sound being the one that held me in awe; the sound of a wee bird tweeting away outside, I shared with the Lord of the delightful sound and how He really is so amazing to have Created sooooo many different sounds, sounds of song to the ear; immediately after I shared that the wee bird went off in a whistle of song; it came to me that the Lord was (it makes me giggle aloud in recollection still) telling me; see how well I really make things; not only does it tweet it sings delightfully,"how good is that?"....."see how clever I really am"....it sent me off in a fit of laughter!!! I opened the curtains a little while later and was observing the sheep next door; chewing away on the grass, one lifted it's head looked around, twitched it's ear and went about chewing once again.....the twitch also humoured me; God was simply confirming the Wonders of His Creations; with: a sense of humour!!!!! I guess it was one of those moments when you had to be there to appreciate it, however it certainly brought laughter to me!!!!!
I adore nature as most of you probably know; however the depths of what is really out there is truly amazing, flowers for example; there are so many varieties, and each has it's own individual delight; those that we call weeds (misplaced plants as another gardener shared with me once!), there are so many fields around here at the moment; bright yellow and bright purple, hills covered in enormous patches of those colours; the yellow are clover, the purple are what we call "Salvation Jane" (interesting name that!!!...never given it much thought before...), the Salvation Jane is also known here in the West as "Patterson's Curse".....totally the opposite hey!!!....anyway they are poison to horses if they eat too much as I believe they are to sheep also. And yet......they are the most delightful colour... The beared iris amazes me; we have an abundance of them at the moment; purples, whites and yellows; have you ever had a close look at the intricate interior of one of those flowers?......amazing!!!

And how does all of that fit with Baptism you may be beginning to wonder?.....well; I was reading today's mediation and I was drawn back to re-read the one above; this piece in particular drew me into mediation;

We declare that we no longer want to remain children of the darkness but want to become children of the light, God's children.

I know I was baptised by my Great Uncle when I was 10 months old, something I have always known and until today (I confess) have never given any depth of thought, consideration or meaning to.....

Something I have come to actually experience more and more of late as opposed to 'knowing' is that the more we are able to release our past hurts and pain the more room we have for goodness; and the more good memories are able to resurface; people have often asked me, including my children to share of my childhood; mostly I have told that I am unable to as I do not recal much; in reality the bulk of the memories I held were all very unpleasant and not what I would wish to share with the children in particular. Not long ago I shared with Jan re thunder storms and how I loved them since I had been told by my Grandmother that it was God moving His furniture around, earlier today I recalled how we used to lay on the lawn and admire the enormity of the Universe and the stars (this memory being from a 6 year old) and back then I did believe, with child like innocence, that what I could see was God and His Creation. Today, I also believe that to be my Truth. I travelled back from there to wondering; briefly about my Baptism, I wondered no longer, I re-experienced my Baptism. Today I have come home, a child of the Light, of His Light, a child of Our Eternal Father. What an amazing experience I have had this morning; I have read of advise to feel ourselves "alive" when in meditation, to feel the aliveness of our senses, the blood pumping through our hearts, through the entire body, the tingling of the nerves, and in a completely relaxed state of Simply Being at rest in His arms and He within me, I was able to "feel that aliveness", it brings me such Joy to share of that, I AM Being alive, I AM a Child of the Light, a Return to Innocence. I asked of God what He wanted of me today; "quite simply my child, to share of the love that is within you, to be graceful and loving in all your dealings with others". For me that is a True Blessing. God has provided.

I awoke from a dream this morning; wierd as at the time; I had stopped at the local supermarket, the doors were wide open, the lights were out, inside was devoid of all bar darkeness.. intially I panicked...where has it all gone, what is going on?????? I wondered for a bit and then left it alone....it made no sense and I could make none of it. Whilst meditating it came to me; all that is within that supermarket is of the material world;
Yesterday I purchased " A Course In Miracles"; the first lesson: "Nothing I see in this room [on this street, from this window, in this place] means anything.
from the introduction to lessons; 6. The very nature of true perception is that is has no limits. It is the opposite of the way you see now.

For me, the dark supermarket devoid of all the material things to my sight is the opposite to what I normally see, the lesson for me; I have no need to panic; I can let go of my needs of the material world for Our Heavenly Father Will provide for us. Right here and now, it also tells me that I can let go of my need to place such importance on the material world, (as the sun shines from beyond the clouds, in the moment!!) for in accepting that I am of the universe at onement I can be free of the pain that comes from attaching oneself to things of the material world. I can rest in Him knowing I am and always will be provided for and I can trust in Him to take care of me. I let go, and let God, for His Will and Desires are far greater than mine and I rest in His Divine Love. amen.


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[janbear]

Thank You for sharing Felicity. I smiled all through your writing. Awesome!

[Misselle]

I have just beome aware of the beauty of baptism myself - we just baptized Leah. The way we were taught - this is so beautiful - is that you are formally joining God's family. When you are baptized, you no longer belong to your parents (or the world, as you said, Felicity) but to God. That is so comforting.

[flickchic]

((((((((((((Henry, Jan, Misselle)))))))))))

There are quite a few posts in the same thread re Baptism; I had given consideration to being Baptised again; I had wondered if it really meant anything to anyone or if it had simply been a "thing to be done" (if u know what I mean) however after my experience that I shared re recollection of my Baptism I no longer feel it needs to be a consideration, I was already formally given to God's family and nobody can take that away. It meant something to Our Father (regardless of how it may have been for anyone else); for me I am comforted in the awareness that I am a member of His Family.

Jan, it is so wonderful to know that my share gave you happiness. Thankyou.