Benjamin Timothy Vance's Baptism

You have a responsibility to measure up, Benjamin; God blesses nations and families for being moral. The injunction to "honor father and mother" is the very basis for well-being in any society or community. This generation does not honor father and mother: it is truly the Me-to- hell- with-thee, father" generation.

But this is not how you will be raised; your parents will make sure you honor your elders, especially your grandfather Fong, because he is the oldest man here to whom you owe the greatest amount of respect because of his age. He has a few more gray hairs and wrinkles—things this generation holds in disdain—which means he has more wisdom which you need to help you measure up and fulfill your duty to this family and society.

You may be wondering what I mean by measuring up. Let me explain it this way, Benjamin. You are growing in weight and height; you are eating and being nourished and your life is relatively free from emotional stress. Because of all the nourishment and safety, I know you are as tall as your genes say you should be—you measure up. If this proper nourishment continues until you are 17 or so, I know you will measure up to what you are supposed to be, let's say about 5'10".

Not only have you been born with a genetic code to be 5-10, you have also been born with other gifts. We don't know what these are yet. As a family we must watch and learn who you are. This "watching" must take place within the context of proper discipline. That is, we must help you measure up to you potential. If we make life too easy for you, spoil you, and help you believe you are the center of the universe, you probably will not reach your potential because you will have been trained or malnourished to take the easy way out. Your mother may expect an hour of practice and you talk your way out of half of it—you and the world are the loser. On the other hand, if we expect more from you than you are able to give, if we are too hard and demanding on you, you may become discouraged and never measure up to your potential. This is what the Bible means when It says, "Fathers, provoke not your children to anger."

So we don't want either of these extremes to happen to you, Benjamin. That is why this family, with Tommy at the head, will take the raising of you very seriously. There will be a tug of war over you between family members and this friendly battle is a good thing. It may be that your father tries to push you one way and the rest of the family sees this as unwise. Or it may be that your mother is dead-set on an hour of practice but has to submit to 30 minutes because of your father's intervention. Or it may be Grandpa Fong telling your parents you are eating too much or too little. Only time will reveal the interplay of those who only want to help you measure up.

And why do we want you to measure up? Because reaching your potential so you can serve your community is best for you. You will be rubbing shoulders with those whose motto is "self," but we will insist that your motto be, "service." If this becomes your motto, this world will, in all probability, treat you kindly and generously.

If you submit to our baptism of love and guidance you will make your family proud, give us no reason for shame and you will honor our name. That is, you will not blaspheme what we stand for. You will measure up, as well you should.

The family of God, Benjamin, is entirely different. If you try to measure up, you immediately become a blasphemer of profound proportion. While your societal family needs your commitment, wisdom and reason, God does not. These are all an affront to God who makes you a member in perfect standing in His family out of sheer grace and mercy. He is so merciful and generous, He brings you into His family in the simplest of ways—through lowly water. And He prefers this saving water to be appropriated when you, Benjamin, can do nothing but accept it. You are not old enough to make a decision, feel a longing for it, or reason out its merit. You simply lie here in my arms and receive the promise of God, connected and combined beyond your reason.

It is my joy not only to baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, but also to watch as God grows you into a Christian. I very much look forward to your growing to understand what has just taken place, though this side of heaven this understanding is quite elementary. God has made you a Christian with no effort on your part. Let this be a lesson to you that while you will and need to work to please your earthly father, your heavenly Father is highly insulted with such an attitude.

Does this mean you are eternally secure in the arms of God? Yes. Absolutely. If you live in accordance with your baptism. If you grow to be spiritually smug or dissolute, you only prove the promise of baptism means nothing to you. But that does not void the promise of God in baptism. No matter how presumptuous or perverted you become you can always return to the promise contained in your baptism—this "returning" should be a daily and momentary affair anyway. You simply become as a child again and believe your sins are forgiven without having to make a decision to be better. Of course, you must rise above your reason that determines you are too sinful and undeserving for things to be so simple for you to return to God. Cast reason to hell and believe the promise of God. It is in effect your whole life as a reminder your sins are forgiven—so long as you acknowledge your need to have your sins forgiven. As you believe, so it is done unto you!

God bless you, Benjamin.

Love, Grandpa Vance
February 15, 2004