And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
I’ve never done one, but I have been requested multiple times to perform baptisms.
100% of those requests have come from trans Christians wishing for a second baptism under their corrected name.
There’s lots of solid theological reasons to deny such requests, but were I ordained, I would capitulate for equally sound theological reasons. Chief among which is that I know how much it would delight God to say to these people: “this is my beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” and, in using their corrected name, how much it would delight God’s children to hear it for the first time.
For the old self to die away and the new one to be born in all righteousness. It would drown all fear. It would tear the heavens open.
When was the last time you heard God say God was pleased with you? Or proud of you?
Look out for those messages coming to you today. Sometimes they're hard to hear; sometimes even harder to accept. What's one thing you might do to mark those moments of God's pleasure in just who you are?
-- Kate Davoli
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