The Long Distance Baptism Visitor

John 1:43

“The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee….and he found Philip”

The background to the story that follows is that I marvelled at the trouble Jesus went to in the calling of Philip. It seems likely that he had been living in Bethany, which is just south of Jerusalem and in these verses, he did an amazing thing. He upped sticks and trudged over a hundred miles to call one person to be a disciple. He went to all that trouble over just one person. If that was the case then, I guess it’s still the case now, and I wondered how I could convince those attending a Family Service (with Baptism) that this was the measure of God’s love for them too.

When God finally finished creating the world, no one in heaven could stop laughing.

“It’s brilliant, it’s absolutely brilliant” chuckled the angels “I mean look at the kangaroo, what a thing to have made”

“Yes, jumping about the place like a bedspring – who’d ever have thought of that”

“And the Giraffe..you know if I was an ant” said one angel to another “I’d spend all my life sliding down that great big neck of his, and then tickling him to death as I made my way back up again”

“I’d actually love to be down there living on the earth” said another angel “they’re going to have such fun, they’ll never stop laughing”

“Anyway, God” said Gabriel, the chief angel “You must be exhausted, after all this making things, come and sit down and relax for a while.

“I’d like to” said God, for he knew the angels were pretty good cooks with their instant whips and little cakes “but you see I’ve got a journey to make. Somewhere to go and someone to see, and it’s going to take a while”

The angels were disappointed because they had come to enjoy God’s company, especially the magic tricks.

They tried to get him to stay for just a while but it was no good.

God put on his big, long coat, pulled his battered old hat down over his ears and tied up his leather boots as tightly as possible. He swung his rucksack onto his back and he was off. Off on a journey to goodness knows where. The angels hadn’t a clue.

To begin with God made the journey as only God could.

He climbed across the rainbows. He walked beside the sun and hitched a ride on the back of a giant eagle. When he was tired, he snuggled down on a white fluffy cloud and snored very loudly.

He also travelled across the years in a way we can never do – unless we were Dr Who maybe. Calendars and diaries came and went in the twinkling of an eye.

The last few hundred miles though, God decided to walk it, just like any other human being. Walking through towns and villages, he slept under trees, in fields and once in a bus shelter.

The angels kept peeping down from heaven “Where’s he going” they said to each other.

“What can be so important as to make a journey like this”

God was getting tired. He was also cold and hungry. He looked at the people all around him as he walked. They didn’t recognise him of course, but how could they? None of them were laughing though.  Most of them seemed to go around frowning all the time, shoulders slumped, heads down.

Sometimes they jostled him in the streets and a couple of times a policeman poked him whilst he was resting and told him to move on.

The angels were getting worried that the journey might kill God and then where would they be!

He spent his last few coins on a Breakfast Special in a McDonald’s opposite the railway station. He really had had enough, but God was happy for he knew that he was nearly there. He came up through the almost deserted town and saw the big church with its tower like a rocket waiting for lift off.

He sneaked into the church, pulling his coat ever more tightly around him.

“Are you with the Baptism party” they asked him, and God didn’t know what to say.

He didn’t want to take any chances.

Then his heart leapt for joy as he saw Jayden and his mum and dad come into the church.

For this is what he had come for. This moment in the creation of the world.  Jayden’s baptism!

Just as the service started an angel crept in and sat next to God

“Now this is a laugh” she said “None of them know it’s you..they’re just carrying on as normal”

God smiled at the angel and looked round at the people gathering

“I come to all the baptisms you know. Each and every one of them. I like to sneak in, and maybe you know, bring a light, bring a smile, be a friend.

During the baptism, some of the people actually looked round to see if it was true.

To see if God really was there. The pew where God had sat was empty.

But a strange thing happened at that baptism, suddenly it was as if there was light all around, and people felt a warmth in their hearts, they’d not felt in a long time.

As if he was really there….as if God really did love Jayden that much, then maybe he  loved each of them that much too.

RH  18.1.09