I was 3 months old when I was baptized by my Grandfather in the Chapel of Empire Grove United Methodist Campmeeting Association. The pictures and my Baptismal Certificate testify to this, but I have no recollection of it myself. Many Christians are in a similar situation.... knowing of but not being able to remember their baptisms. Sometimes I envy those who were baptized as older children or adults because they can remember that sacred day!

Yet all of us are called, on this Sunday of the Baptism of the Lord. to remember our baptisms and be thankful. For those of us who can't actually remember, what could this mean? In baptism, our identity as God's own children is affirmed. Just as Jesus was named as God's beloved son at his baptism, we are the beloved of God. Perhaps this call to remember is a call to not just remember the act of baptism but to claim again who and whose we are.

As Martin Luther suggested, baptism is something that is done in one day but takes the rest of our lives to complete. Remembering the promise of our baptism is an every day call for us as Christians. So, remember your baptism.... and be thankful!