By any measure, Thomas Jefferson, our third President, was a brilliant man.  Despite being only 33 when he wrote the Declaration of Independence, his leadership was integral as those 13 colonies were breaking away from the mightiest empire in the world and shaping a brand-new nation and brand-new form of government. He also had many flaws, including his involvement with slavery. But let’s set all that aside and hone in on his faith.

Remember that from the moment Jesus began his ministry, people doubted him, even those who witnessed his miracles. That has been true in every age since.

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A few years ago, Meg and I visited our son Rob and his family in Frederick, Maryland. We were less than 30 minutes away from Harper’s Ferry, which was a key city in colonial days and is brimming with history. It is now a national park. No one lives there, but it has lodging, lots of shops and restaurants and sites to see. I could go on at length about why to visit it, I loved it, but we’ll focus on just one thing we saw there.

On the east, Harper’s Ferry comes to a point. If you stand on that point, you are in West Virginia. To your left is the Potomac River, and across it is Maryland. To your right is the Shenandoah River and across it is Virginia. In front of you, those two famous rivers come together. They do not continue as Potomac and Shenandoah. No, they come together and the Potomac continues to our nation’s capital, Washington D.C.

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Last Sunday was a wonderful day! We baptized little Alice Floyd. Today is a wonderful day as we baptize little Marin Motis. Sometimes I think I should bunch baptisms together, but, honestly, I’d baptize someone every Sunday if I could. It’s one of the very best parts of our life in Christ.

The decision to be baptized is huge, as is the decision to baptize a child. We place a lot of emphasis on that decision and the promises we ask the candidates to make, or their parents and godparents to make on behalf of a child. We take very seriously our collective responsibility as witnesses and our promise to “…do all in our power to support this person in her life in Christ.” “We will!” Then we renew our Baptismal Covenant with them.

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