God's hand imprinted on us

Welcome to Xavier this morning.Xavier has come for baptism and has very kindly brought his parents and family with him. Welcome to you, too, one and all.One of the terrific things about baptising Xavier this morning is that he brings together different traditions and denominations. His family enjoy both Catholic and Protestant heritage. It delights me when we come together as ‘one’.  As the Apostle Paul says, “You are all one in Christ.”It is all too easy to lose sight of our ‘oneness’ won for us by Jesus’ death and resurrection.  He died to make people one – one with God and one with each other, free and forgiven.  That’s what he was about.  It’s sad to look at the world and marvel at the way the spirit of selfishness seems to crush the Spirit of oneness in Christ.On the very first page of the bible [have a look – everyone can find page 1] it says, “God created us in his image, in the image of God we are created.”  What that word ‘image’ suggests is ‘imprint’ - like when a new floor is laid in the garage and the family come out before the concrete is dry and press or imprint their hands into it.  We have the imprint of God’s hand on each of us.  Xavier does!To use another illustration, it’s like a child holding his parent’s hand as they walk the supermarket aisles. That hand-hold is unique and special.  Mum’s or Dad’s hand has played a part in the creation of the child’s hand. The child bears their image.There is a problem though. Children tend to want to escape their parent’s grasp in supermarkets and we forget what we did when the concrete floor was wet. Children can be hopelessly lost long before they realise it. They can lose sight of their connectedness, their oneness, and not even know it. No wonder Jesus says, “I have come to seek and to save lost people.”But do we even know we are lost? As we bob on life’s ocean, we’ll grasp for any and every buoyancy device whether it works or not, whether they are good for us or not. Do we know whose hand we are holding, to meet our need for deep significance and security? Jesus has come for those who know they are lost and need the true hand.Baptism is a confession of lostness and acknowledgement of our need to reconnect. We come for baptism to say publicly to God and others, “I can’t save myself, I am lost. Help, God!” By symbolically going through the waters of baptism, Xavier is joining Jesus – drowning with him – in his death, the death that won for us forgiveness and reconciliation with God. He emerges, rescued by Jesus. As parents, we give our kids to God in baptism, asking him to hold their hand, asking him to prevent foolish, self-willed ways and never to let go of his hand - the hand they have been imprinted with from the beginning of time.Perhaps we big kids have lost touch with that hand - God’s hand?  Today is the day to reconnect into that oneness with Christ - to stop, turn back and give ourselves to him and walk in his way. If that’s you, just ask.Blessings, Malcolm