Zion - Baptism, Jayden Rizzo
Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19), so instructs Jesus. The command is general in nature, and thus the sacrament of Baptism tends to be interpreted and handled differently within different Christian religions.
You might have had the occasion in the past to witness a number of baptisms here at Zion – all beautiful and meaningful ceremonies – rites of passage conferring blessings and God’s Grace upon the recipient. Since Lutherans practice infant baptisms, most of those baptized here are babies who have no real participation in the process and who are brought to the baptismal font by parents, guardians and sponsors who promise to see that the child is raised according to the Word of God.
However, from time to time, we have the chance to take part in the baptism of one who is no longer a baby – someone who has come to the ceremony knowingly prepared to accept the sacrament. When this happens, the process is slightly different; and it gives us as a congregation the chance to be a little more involved and to interact differently with our newly baptized member.
Such was the case on Sunday, January 12, 2020, when we welcomed Jayden Nicole Rizzo into our church family here at Zion Lutheran Church in Glen Rock, PA . Since this young lady is fairly new to our Zion family, we thought you might be curious as to what brought her to us. So we asked her to introduce herself, and she certainly did. Here is what Jayden wrote:
Hi! My name is Jayden Rizzo. I’m 7 years old and I’m in second grade at Friendship. I have lived in Glen Rock since I was a baby. My friends, Sam and Henry Fisher, invited me to Zion Church. Carrie [Drury] took me to church and I loved it, but I was shy.
Miss Kelley [Fisher] and Carrie are my best friends; they are my Baptism Sponsors. My PopPop, Mrs. Felicia [Ernst], my church friend, Dina [Harden], were my special guests.
I love learning about God! I like to read, do crafts and gardening. When I grow up, I want to be an art teacher and help rescue animals.
So Jayden, everyone at Zion welcomes you. We are pleased to know you, and we are very glad that you decided to join our congregation. We were grateful to be a part of your baptism celebration, and we look forward to watching you grow and serve God and your community as time goes on.
Anyone who might be curious about exactly what took place during the Baptism ceremony can listen to the whole thing right here…